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Garbage disposal-how it works

10 years ago

To turn on my current GD you push and turn the strainer in the sink. Do they not work that way anymore? I see a lot of postings about air buttons and light switches to turn them on. Can someone please explain :-)

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Comments (12)

weedmeister
10 years ago
You have a batch-mode disposal. Others are activated by an external switch (non-batch).
remodelfla
10 years ago
Yep... batch feed. I have a batch feed now and used to have a continuous feed. I much much much prefer my batch feed.
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How does your garbage disposal affect your septic?
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scapulous My DW gave me this book as a gift (a sort of joke) but it explains septic systems and how to care for them in very simple terms. The Septic System Owner's Manual (Paperback) by Lloyd Kahn (Author), Blair Allen (Author), Julie Jones (Author), Peter Aschwanden In our new home (our first time on a septic system), we chose to wire for the disposal but to not install it. We wanted to try living without first to see what it would be like. It really is not a big deal - the stainless sinks we have came with a deep basket cup that catches food waste but does not clog and we dump the food waste into a trash can. It reminds me when I was a kid - before disposals became popular and affordable - when I had to do the dishes as a chore. You get used to it. The problem with the disposal is conditioning yourself to not use it the way you might on public sewer. There are a lot of materials (like apple skins) that are not good for the septic - see the book for the list. I was worried that we would forget, or get sloppy, or have guests over that would not ask - and we might run into problems. There are other items you need to be careful of too - the one's that often get flushed down the toilet. See the book, no need to get gross here. We spent a small fortune on our septic system. I want to make sure it will never fail. This has become a real issue in the county where we live where septic systems have been failing frequently mainly due to what people throw in them, some due to bad designs. Most of the issues stem from folks who lived on public sewer all their lives and then moved to the country to septic - and were never told how septic systems work and how to care for them. My septic system did not come with an ower's manual - so the book really is a great reference guide. Best of luck living in the country - it really is nice. Except for the bears and snakes - but we will get used to them too.
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So, how do I live without a garbage disposal?
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We have septic at both our home and lake cabin and though we have a disposal at home we don't use it - other than for what Sue36 mentions - flicking it on to suck the dishwater down the drain more quickly. Sure - you can have one if you push it - but why? Have you ever seen someone's property torn up to install a replacement septic system or had to buy one? It's happening alot where I live. People will say they've never had a problem with their septic system but in reality a septic system can be failing without being apparent to the homeowner. I keep all the little plastic bags I get at stores and use one each time I'm prepping a meal - set it right by me and the cutting board. I'll put all the plant type stuff in one since we recycle that type of waste - composting of sorts - but we don't make compost for gardening, etc. - we leave the compost in the woods. If I have yucky meat or fish type stuff I put that in a separate bag and tie it tightly shut. I will either put it in the inside trash can or take it out to the garbage can. We too don't have a huge kitchen trash can so garbage doesn't stay inside very long. The other thing I've done - if I want to peel a bunch of things into the sink so the peels aren't flying all over - is line the sink with a newspaper - peel away into the newspaper - then pick paper and peels up when done - no muss, no fuss. Really, it's not a big that big a deal - if it's the worst problem you have to deal with you'll be a lucky person.
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To garbage disposal or not garbage disposal
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My husband and I were just discussing this the other day, if we had it to do over again, we wouldn't. I don't really cook the kind of meals that need a lot of "disposing" and my garbage is picked up twice a week. I don't think it is worth the sometimes smelly unpleasantness. It probably is more likely to smell if you hardly ever use it, as in our case. I only got it because I replaced the one that went on the fritz after 16 years. I should have just ditched it then and could have gotten a different kind of sink but that's a whole other story. I also don't like how much room it takes up under the sink.
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Please give me some perspective on a garbage disposal install.
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Comments (9)
You could have bought the disposal of your choice online, including the so-called Insinkerator "commercial model", and gotten a very good price, with free shipping and no tax. The Insinkerators and the Waste Kings are both very good, as long as you get at least 3/4 hp size. The Waste King disposers have 10-year in-home warranties on both their 3/4 hp and 1 hp batch feed disposals (though the 1 hp Waste King is so large, that some have difficulty fitting the 1 hp size with their plumbing). The Insinkerator's 3/4 hp batch feed has a 7-year in-home warranty. I also prefer that the Waste Kings offer a 3-bolt mount, while the Insinkerator is a "QuickLock" which I do not prefer, but it's not a bad thing. I myself have the 3/4 hp Waste King batch feed 3-bolt mount, #9900TC, for 9 years, and not one problem, and it grinds everything. I understand that the Waste Kings may be louder than the Insinkerators, but the Insinkerator batch feed's chamber is smaller, so it depends what you would prefer. Regarding your comment that he should have judged better the time it took to do the work: he was probably including in his time estimate the possibility of needing to move the plumbing outlet to accommodate a larger disposal than your 19-year-old one. That happens pretty frequently. If he had to do move the plumbing outlet, his time estimate is accurate. It sounds like the new disposal fit fine with your plumbing, so it took much less time. If he had told you upfront that it would take 30 minutes, but then he had to move the plumbing outlet which took an hour and a half, you would be on here posting about how he didn't inform you how long it would take. I think since the work has been done, and you did not settle clearly the dollar amount of the disposal upfront with the contractor, nor seek to buy it yourself online and have him just do the installation, you have to chalk this one up as a lesson learned. You said "he should have told me the price". You should have asked him. You didn't ask him his hourly rate either. The contractor is entitled to his mark-up for the time and money he has taken to purchase the disposal, keep it in his inventory, and install it for you. Waste King 9900TC 3/4 hp 3-bolt mount batch feed at Walmart - with power cord Insinkerator Evolution Cover Control 3/4 hp batch feed - no power cord Insinkerator Evolution "Pro" Cover Control 3/4 hp batch feed - no power cord This post was edited by akchicago on Sat, Nov 1, 14 at 11:27
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niki3sons
Original Author
10 years ago
I haven't bought a new one yet. Any recommendations?
niki3sons
Original Author
10 years ago
I have 3 young kids and another on the way, so I'm thinking batch feed might be better. Can I buy the stopper in oil rubbed bronze?
CEFreeman
10 years ago
HUH!?!

What am I missing?
PUSH the drain thingy?
Not a hard-wired switch?

Do I want that?
warmins
10 years ago
These work by a magnetic connection in your sink stopper. Turn it one way to engage, another to just drain, and flip it over for the stopper effect.

We had a batch feed in our retrofitted 1938 kitchen. When that one died I was worried that I couldn't find another. One of the great things about these is that you don't need a switch - so no need to break into existing tile or back splash. I was pleased to see that there are many batch choices now - good for safety and ease of operation. But I don't know about ORB.
nycbluedevil
10 years ago
We are doing a continuous feed with air switch in our new remodel. I hated the batch feed. The bottom of the stopper would get all grungy and tiny bits of brillo pads would stick to the magnets that turn the thing on. Also, popcorn kernels and other small, hard bits of food could get stuck in the mechanism and would prevent the magnets from engaging. Couldn't wait to get rid of it.
ginny20
10 years ago
I used to have batch feed, then continuous feed with a switch under the sink cupboard (I hated that switch). I didn't want a switch on the wall that could be confused with a light switch. In my remodel I chose continuous feed GD with a fiber optic controller switch. I'm very happy with it.

While the batch feed is safest in that there is no way at all to put your hand in the disposal while it is on, the continuous feed is not particularly unsafe. You would really have to try hard to hurt yourself on it. The grinding part is not razor sharp blades, just metal plates. They're at the bottom of the chamber, so you'd have to reach down the 9" or more of the sink, then maybe another 5". A small child could not do it easily. I think I read somewhere that continuous feed units have smaller chambers, so they take up less room under the sink.

If you prefer a batch feed for some of the good reasons given in other posts, there are still good options for batch feed units, both Insinkerator and Waste King. You want at least 3/4HP. I've never seen anything but a SS and black magnetic cover switch. Sink stoppers come in various materials, but they don't turn on the GD.

Air switches and fiber optic switches for continuous feed units, which are small flat circles on the counter, come in a variety of finishes.
niki3sons
Original Author
10 years ago
I think I'm going to go with the continuous feed and an air switch. I will have to buy a flange in oil rubbed bronze (I assume they make those). Any advice on which GD to buy. I'd like to keep it under $200
ginny20
10 years ago
I have the Insinkerator Evolution Pro Compact, 3/4HP, and it works for me. 1HP is even better, if you can get it at your price. I would not recommend a Badger or anything less than 3/4HP.

Some people love Insinkerators, some love Waste King. There are discussions of the brands over on Appliances.

And yes, they definitely make ORB flanges for air switches and fiber optic switches.
friedajune
10 years ago
Nycbluedevil - I have a Waste King batch feed, and it is not operated by a magnet. That's one of the reasons why I chose the Waste King brand (the other reasons are the large size of its chamber, the higher torque than the Insinkerator, and the long in-home warranty). My Waste King 3/4 hp batch feed operates by a slot inside the cover - when you push on the cover, the slot pushes a button that is down inside the drain, which operates the disposal. No magnet. And no switch needed in my backsplash or counter. And no slimy rubber flange.

Going back to Niki3sons' OP, since you are seeking to replace your existing batch feed disposal, if you choose instead a continuous feed disposal, you will have to install a switch in your backsplash or counter top, so it may be easier for you to have again a batch feed. I recommend a 3/4 hp because they are better-made than lower-hp models, have better warranties, and the Waste Kings aren't so expensive. The two negatives are that the cover is black (no option for stainless or anything else), and it is noisy, but neither of these bother me. Everything has its pros and cons.

Here is a link that might be useful: Waste King Batch Feed 9900TC
brickeyee
10 years ago
"These work by a magnetic connection in your sink stopper. Turn it one way to engage, another to just drain, and flip it over for the stopper effect. "

The switches routinely fail beofre anything else on the units.

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