Reasons Why Your Garbage Disposal Gets Jammed

In today's world of technology, we have come to take our appliances for granted. That is until something goes wrong with them. Prevention of problems is always the best type of maintenance, this includes your garbage disposal. There are several reasons why your garbage disposal will jam. Preventing this from happening will save you a lot of headache. Among the reasons are an inadequate water supply was used when grinding and flushing the disposal, egg shells were put down the disposal, coffee grounds were dumped down, fibrous materials such a corn husks and onion peels, raw vegetables, or peels such as those of a potato or banana were put down the disposal. There is also the possibility that grease was dumped down the sink, without enough hot water to flush and break it up.

The biggest culprit that causes sinks to clog is not enough water being used when the disposal is being run. The disposal requires a steady stream of cold water when grinding food. This not only aids in the grinding, but flushes those grinds out of the disposal and down the pipes. Another common cause of disposal jams are egg shells. Items that are not intended for human consumption, which also includes broken glass, should never be put into a disposal. No matter how impressive one's garbage disposal seems, they can not handle egg shells and other harsh items that humans can not even ingest. Coffee grounds are another reason that many people face the headache of a clogged disposal. The disposal can not handle constantly grinding the hard beans and the crystals are difficult to flush out of the system. They will sit in the pipes and cause a clog. Likewise, potato peels have a starch that can also not easily be flushed. The starch will grow and clog the system.

Fibrous materials such as corn husks and onion peels, do not easily grind. Rather the thin strings will wrap around the blades and keep them from moving. They can also easily clog the drains. Raw vegetables such as broccoli and carrots are also hard on disposals. They are hard on the blades and the pieces can easily stick in your pipes and cause further build up and clogs. If you can easily throw them into the garbage instead, it is ideal to do so.

Prevention is the best part of maintenance. A call to the plumber is never cheap. Fixing or replacing a disposal can be an expensive proposition. It is best to prevent the clogs, than to spend the time unclogging your disposal or the cost of a plumber taking care of the matter for you.