Electrical & Electric

How a Garbage Disposal Works

Overview: A lot of homeowners don’t know how a garbage disposal works to dispose of kitchen solid waste matter. A garbage disposal chews up food scraps that are fed down the drain with a heavy flow of water.

The disposal is mounted to the underside of the sink drain and has an electric motor that is either hard-wired (dedicated electric circuit) or it is plugged into a 120-volt electrical receptacle located underneath and at the back of the sink cabinet.

Garbage disposals consist of several parts located inside the unit; the grinding chamber where shredding blades break down the food, and an impeller arm and plate force the particles and liquid down the drain and out the sewage line. The dishwasher drain water also runs through the garbage disposal so that any large particles are ground up before they can clog the drain pipe.

There are two types of garbage disposals that are commonly available. First is the popular continuous feed style which is activated by a switch as you turn on the water. Second is the batch feed type which is activated by turning on a switch after or before loading the disposal with garbage.

Although nearly all garbage disposals operate with electric powered motors, one type that is made by HydroMaid operates solely on the force of water from the sink faucet. The HydroMaid is particularly practical where there is no electrical outlet for a disposal beneath the sink. Garbage disposal prices are very reasonable and can be purchased at any home improvement supply center.

All garbage disposals fit the standard sink drain outlet. Local safety codes determine the distance the switch must be located from the sink or if is required to be on a ground fault interrupter circuit (GFI electrical circuit). A garbage disposal installation is quite easy. A DIY homeowner can install a garbage disposal in a couple of hours. All it take is bolting the disposal unit to the bottom of the sink, running an electrical wire to a switch box and adapting the existing drain plumbing to the unit.

However, there is one drawback to having a garbage disposal. If your sewer waste is attached to a public sewage system there is no concern for the garbage disposal waste. But if your sewage runs to a septic tank and leach field you will have to have the septic tank pumped more frequently if you have a garbage disposal. The garbage disposal will add a lot of solid matter to the septic tank that will not break down in the same way that other sewage deposits do. Depending on the size of your family your septic tank should be pumped every 3 to 5 years to protect the leach field from being contaminated with solid waste. If you have a garbage disposal it should be pumped every 2 to 4 years.  

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