Disposals grind spoiled meats, corn cobs, fish bones, ice, and all those veggies kids reject, discharging them down the drain to a wastewater plant unless you have a septic system. When food waste is processed at a wastewater plant, it's even more eco-friendly than composting. Plus, garbage disposals immediately rid your home of waste, odors, and any critters they might attract. According to the Environmental Protection Agency EPA , solid waste landfills release harmful gases, composed of roughly 50 percent carbon dioxide and 50 percent methane, a potent greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere—a key contributor to climate change.
In , methane emissions from municipal solid waste were almost equivalent to greenhouse gas emissions from more than Garbage disposals efficiently eliminate waste and dispatch it for environmentally friendly processing. Many major U. The remaining solids are turned into fertilizer for farms. A February nationally representative CR survey of 1, U.
Your disposal might be kaput if you notice it leaking, taking longer to grind, making louder-than-usual noises, or requiring a reset often. The reset button is like a circuit breaker that needs to be reset after the disposal shuts off, typically because of a strain on the motor. In fact, before you call the plumber—or throw down hundreds of dollars on a new grinder—simply reset the disposal by pressing the small usually red button on the bottom or lower backside of the unit.
It may be time to go shopping. Our ratings of plus lab-tested disposals will make the process even more seamless and help you make the best choice, depending on your situation and particular needs. Consumer Reports tests garbage disposals on a number of factors. For our speed test, we grind pieces of beef rib bones for 1 minute with cold running water, then measure how much food is left in the disposal. To see how well the disposals grind food, we toss a mix of bones and raw vegetable scraps into each model and run the resulting fragments through four different-sized sieves to gauge fineness.
A garbage disposal that garners an Excellent rating turns out food particles fine enough to slip through most of the sieves. For noise, we measure the decibels emitted while the disposals grind a mix of bones and vegetables. In general, we find that the quieter models are heavier because they have more insulation.
For details on how each model we test performs, see our garbage disposal ratings. Are my pipes up to the task? Food debris might not present a problem in a newer home with slippery plastic drainpipes, but clog risks go up substantially if you have rugged old cast-iron drainpipes. Polyvinyl chloride PVC piping became more commonplace in homes built after the mids. One general rule of thumb: If your pipes already clog fairly often, a disposal might not be for you. Is my septic tank big enough?
Disposal manufacturers insist their products are safe to use with septic systems, but some plumbers are equally adamant that they are not. The truth probably lies somewhere between and may depend on the age, type, and size of your system. You may need to size up your tank to accommodate food waste and pump it more often once a year instead of the recommended three- to five-year intervals or limit your garbage disposal use.
If you have a septic system and want to install a disposal, check first with your local septic system inspector. Is there room under the sink? There is no standard size for garbage disposals—the models we tested were 10 to 15 inches high, 5 to 9 inches wide, and 6 to 13 inches deep. Warranty : The typical garbage disposal lasts for 8 to 10 years, which is often longer than the manufacturer's warranty, which can range from one to 10 years. Paying more for a garbage disposal can mean that it comes with a longer warranty.
But there is little mechanical difference between low-end and high-price disposals of the same horsepower. Since the average garbage disposal outlives its warranty anyway, there is not much reason to spend the extra money on a unit with a longer warranty—especially since these appliances are not very expensive. Noise level: One distinct difference in garbage disposals is the sound-deadening features that manufacturers use.
If you are bothered by the noise of a disposal, look for features like nylon-coated grinding parts, insulated mounting baffles, and other sound-deadening technology. Power cord included: Some cheap garbage disposals come without the power cord. Homes with septic tanks: Considerable disagreement exists on the question of using a garbage disposal if your home is served by a septic tank and drain field rather than a municipal sewer system.
Some experts argue that it's a bad idea to use a garbage disposal with a septic system, since it introduces a considerable volume of solid waste into the septic tank, which will require frequent pumping to empty it. Other authorities especially the manufacturers of garbage disposals argue that a proper garbage disposal can be perfectly effective when used with a septic system. Some manufacturers offer special disposals equipped with cartridges that inject the food waste with natural microorganisms to help with the breakdown of food wastes in a septic tank.
In addition to helping the septic tank break down wastes, the cartridge fluid also has a citrus scent that helps with controlling the odor from the sink and drain. Other waste disposal options: Increasing numbers of communities are offering organic garbage pickup services, where "wet" garbage is collected and transported to a large composting site.
There, the organic wastes are allowed to break down into compost that can be used as fertilizer for the agriculture industry. Even if such pickup is not available, some experts argue that flushing garbage down the drain is environmentally irresponsible, since the food waste can strain the capacity of sewage disposal plants and consume lots of oxygen as they are processed.
These people argue that it is better to dispose of organic garbage in ordinary household trash rather than flush it into the municipal drain system. The choice is yours, but be aware that garbage disposals are under increasing criticism for the problems they cause with municipal sewage disposal systems and septic systems.
It is possible that your community or apartment building may forbid garbage disposals. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. The most important takeaway from this discussion is that you really only need to assess is how much you will be using your garbage disposal. Of course, for many, budget will be a deciding factor as well. The more powerful your garbage disposal is, the more expensive it will be.
InSinkErator Evolution Compact. Learn More. Read Review. InSinkErator Badger 1. Waste King L Legend Series. InSinkErator Evolution Excel. Full of helpful tips to homeowners who wanted to maintain and keep their plumbing system working for a long run. Also, an excellent guide for identifying what size is appropriate for your home.
We love reading blogs like this, and we appreciate the work you put into your website and detailed information you provide. A great read and useful information! Recently just installed one in my home during a kitchen remodel. Not that I am a plumber but I made my decisions based on some other criteria items as I only have two in my household now.
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