What shouldn’t you put down your waste disposal unit?
Not all waste disposal units are created equally. Generally, the more expensive the unit, the more capable it will be of accepting a wider variety of items to grind up. It’s important to be careful about what you put down a waste disposal unit, as certain items can damage or clog the unit, and others can harm the environment. The first stop should always be the manufacturing/operating instructions to know for certain.
Unless your waste disposal unit specifically says it will handle any of these, it’s best to put the following either on a compost heap or in the rubbish:
Fats, oils, and grease: These can solidify in the pipes and cause blockages. If you have fatty food and oils in the waste disposal, always use the hottest water possible and ensure that you run the tap 30 seconds after turning the waste disposal off.
Bones: These can damage the blades and motor of the disposal unit. It will also make a lot of noise.
Fibrous vegetables: These can wrap around the blades and cause clogs. Examples include celery, onions, asparagus, banana peels and artichokes.
Fruit pits and the shells of nuts: These can also damage the blades and motor.
Eggshells: Eggshells are quite abrasive and can damage the blades and cause clogs.
Coffee grounds: These fine grains can accumulate in the pipes and cause clogs.
Non-food items: Never put non-food items down the disposal unit, such as flower stems, paper, plastic, metal, or glass.
The other two things to be very careful of are potato peelings and kumara peelings. If you are adding these to your waste disposal, add them slowly and keep the water running, otherwise they tend to slip through without being ground up and accumulate in your u-bend, blocking your sink.
What should I do if my sink is blocked?
If this has happened to you, we can come out and fix it. Give us a call, or read more about our emergency plumbing services.