3 Things That Clog up Garbage Disposals

If you have a garbage disposal in your home, don’t make the mistake of treating it like a trash can. One common misconception that homeowners may have is that it’s okay to throw any food down their garbage disposal. This is actually not true, as the garbage disposal is only equipped to handle certain soft, mushy food.

Many homeowners find themselves in need of a sewer line replacement in Philadelphia, PA after years of throwing these common drain-clogging foods into their garbage disposal. If you’ve been putting these culprits down your garbage disposal, make sure to take special care to leave them in the trash can from now on!

• Even if you are using cooking oil, grease tends to congeal in your drains, leading to a sticky and gooey mess that can permanently clog the inner workings of your disposal if left unchecked. If you’ve been pouring grease down your drain, call a company such as Joseph’s Affordable Plumbing, which provides homeowners with drain cleaning in Philadelphia, PA, as soon as possible to prevent further damage.

• Pasta is slimy and tends to wrap around the blades of the disposal when going down. This can easily lead to a clog or damage to the system. Instead, skip any type of long, thin and fibrous food (celery, corn husks, onion peels, etc.) from the garbage disposal dump, as these can wrap around the blades as well.

• Flour and potatoes. Like grease, many starchy foods can congeal, forming thick, glue-like chunks when exposed to water. These congealed masses sit in your garbage disposal and harden, leading to a major headache when it comes time to clean out the drains. Potato skins, in particular, can be especially damaging because they also tend to wrap around the garbage disposal blades. Make sure to throw all your starchy garbage into the trash, not the disposal!

If you are dealing with a clogged garbage disposal, call our experts here at Joseph’s Affordable Plumbing today for a fast and reliable solution.