Do Garbage Disposals Have Blades
Garbage disposals are really useful kitchen equipment, but if you’ve ever had to clean or remove anything from one, you may have worried whether the blades are potentially dangerous.
Contrary to popular belief, we’ve researched and realized that garbage disposals do not have blades.
Do Garbage Disposals Have Blades?
If you examine the anatomy of standard trash disposal closely, you will notice there are no real blades involved in the whole operation. Instead, they have two blunt impellers that slam the discarded food.
Garbage disposals use centrifugal force to drive food into the impellers, dissolving it into small bits. All of this occurs without the need for any small blades or knives.
How does a Garbage Disposal Work?
Garbage disposal helps to safely dispose of waste via your sewage system, but this isn’t done with blades but blunt impellers. Therefore, it’s important to know how they’re built to maintain, repair, and effectively use trash disposals.
Food poured down the drain falls through the flange and into a vault. The impellers and grind ring are kept within this vault. The teeth or blades on this grind ring are quite sharp, grinding the waste. Impellers are tiny and dull and were not designed to slice or ground food. Instead, they place the waste against the grind ring outside the vault’s edges. It’s similar to grating cheese on a grater, except it’s done quickly and with much force. Water running into the sink will flush the food down the drain with the aid of the impellers when it is in little particles. The particles are so little that they won’t clump or hurt the sewage system.
When Can I Change my Garbage Disposal Blades?
There will be no need or chance to repair trash disposal blades since they do not have blades. If your garbage disposal isn’t disposing of food as well as it used to, it might be because the grind ring isn’t as sharp as it previously was.
In this scenario, replacing the grind ring in the trash disposal isn’t an option, but you may try cleaning it to restore it. However, sticking food, grease, or oil to the grinder teeth may cause them to become dull and useless.
Run ice cubes through the trash disposal for up to three minutes to accomplish this. The ice cubes will serve as an abrasive to remove any food that has clung to the surface.
Three Factors Affecting the Lifespan of Your Garbage Disposal
Three factors might influence how long your trash disposal lasts. These are the three things:
- What Goes in the Garbage Disposal?
Putting oily or fibrous items down the disposal regularly wears down the motor and impeller. This shortens the life of your disposal and makes it more prone to clogging.
- How Frequently is the Garbage Disposal Used?
Usually, a garbage disposal can last up to 10 to 15 years if properly used. But if you misuse it, it won’t last for a long time.
- The Quality
Garbage disposals that are newer last longer than older types. When you choose modern heavy-duty trash disposal over a less expensive one, your investment will pay off in the long term.
How do I know if my Garbage Disposal Needs a Replacement?
Even if a homeowner properly maintains this device, it will sometimes malfunction or wear out over time. It means you’ll need a replacement.
Even with appropriate cleaning, if your trash disposal seems to have difficulties crushing the food, it’s time to replace it. For example, you could discover that your system is always clogged. Of course, this indicates that the trash disposal is broken and has to be replaced.
Leaks and loud sounds are two additional clear indications. When you turn on your disposal, it may sound like it wants to break down. This might be due to the disposal’s motor malfunctioning. If that’s the case, you may need to replace it.
It should be noted. However, loud or odd sounds do not necessarily indicate a malfunctioning trash disposal. It might also indicate that a piece of cutlery or other foreign item has lodged in the grinding chamber. Before you go out and buy another appliance, double-check.
If the disposal is leaking, it may be repairable; however, if you have tried to stop the leak and it persists, it may be time to replace it.
How Can I Maintain my Garbage Disposal Blades
Grind food waste with a strong cold water flow (it helps solidify any grease or oil).
After turning off the garbage disposal, rinse with hot water for 10-15 seconds.
Cut large items into smaller pieces and feed them one at a time rather than all at once.
Use your garbage disposal frequently to avoid rust and corrosion.
Remove small objects from around your sink to avoid accidentally falling into your garbage disposal.
If you have to remove anything from your garbage disposal unit, make sure it is turned off at the source by either flipping the switch underneath your unit or turning it off from the breaker box.
Garbage Disposal Misconceptions That Could Shorten Its Life
Here are some of the most common trash disposal misconceptions.
1. You Can Sharpen the Blades of Garbage Disposals
Garbage disposals aren’t equipped with blades. Instead, food waste is ground up using a set of shredding impellers or teeth that rotate at high speeds. The concept that you can sharpen trash disposal blades by grinding up ice or eggshells is instantly debunked since garbage disposals don’t have blades. Furthermore, putting shells down the trash disposal might cause harm to your garbage disposal. Eggshell membranes become caught in the impellers, and the ground-up particles may quickly block your pipes.
2. When Using the Garbage Disposal, You Must Run Hot Water
Hot water keeps oils and fats liquid, allowing them to flow smoothly down the drain. However, the muck from the fats and oils may cause blockages as they cool down in the pipes.
Do mistakenly put a fatty substance at your disposal, but if you do. Run the garbage disposal with cold water. Coldwater keeps oily substances solid and allows them to be crushed up into small bits. Then, as they run through the pipes with the rest of the food waste, they’re less prone to produce obstructions.
3. Lemons Ensure that Your Garbage Disposal is in Good Working Condition
Putting lemons in your disposal will not make it work properly; instead, running lemons and limes down your trash disposal may improve the scent of your sink. The pleasant citrus aroma might obscure the unpleasant smells but won’t clean it.
The citric acid in the fruits will neither clean nor sanitize your disposal, but it will erode the metal over time.
4. You Can Dispose of All Food Waste in Your Garbage Disposal
Garbage disposals can handle a large amount of garbage, but they have limits. Eggshells, chicken bones, and fruit pits are examples of hard, solid garbage that can quickly destroy or wear out at your disposal.
Corn husks, celery, and banana peels, for example, may get entangled in the impellers and clog the drain. Potato peels, for example, are notoriously tough for garbage disposals to manage.
It is preferable to toss these objects in the garbage or dispose of them in another manner in order to avoid a clog.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is garbage disposal supposed to spin?
Yes, it is, but if your garbage disposal doesn’t spin. Turn the motor shaft clockwise first, then counterclockwise until the impediment is released and the motor shaft rotates freely. You may wish to grab the disposer for support so that it doesn’t fall out of the sink.
2. Do chicken bones sharpen garbage disposal blades?
No. Here are some reasons why you shouldn’t drop chicken bones down the trash disposal: They have the potential to dull the impellers. Chicken bones may blunt your garbage disposal blades in the same way that a dull knife does. This will, of course, make it much more difficult for you to throw anything down this gadget.
3. Why is my disposal humming?
A humming trash disposal is usually caused by an item jamming the blades in the drain. The blades are unable to revolve when they get stuck. The unit’s motor might be burned out if the trash disposal is switched on when an item blocks the blades from whirling.
4. How do you manually move a garbage disposal blade?
Turn the motor shaft of the disposal counterclockwise, then clockwise, until the blockage is released and the motor shaft spins freely, using the wrench. When spinning the wrench, it’s OK to use some effort as long as you keep the disposal unit supported.
5. What’s the worst thing to put down a garbage disposal?
Fats and Grease. When it comes to your trash disposal and drains, fatty items like butter, vegetable oil, meat trimmings, and grease from bacon and other cooked dishes are a big no-no. These fatty substances may create difficulties from top to bottom, beginning with your garbage disposal impellers.
