garbage disposal clogged

[MasterPlumbersKeymaster]

My wife decided to put the peels of several pounds of potatoes down our garbage disposal. Now the sink is clogged. I can clear it up by turning on the disposal, but it stays clogged whenever the disposal is off.

I live in an apartment building and have a marginally competent maintenance crew, but they are very slow. Is there something I could do without undoing the plumbing (which I would rather leave the crew)? I have tried the chemicals, flushing large amounts of water through it, and running ice cubes through the disposal.

Does anyone have a good idea?

[nicktheplumberParticipant]

Dear NH,

First, congratulations on your new status. Second, try to convince your better half not to grind potato peels and other grabage in the sink. So called “garbage disposals” have been a pet peeve of mine for years. They encourage people to believe it is OK to dispose of solid chunks of waste into kitchen sink drains, which are at most 2″ diameter lines (quite a few are merely 1 1/2″).

NtP’s spouse has been asking for years that I install one in our kitchen sink. I’ve refused, and installed a fine staineless steel strainer instead, insisting that when it gets loaded with debris it should be pulled out and emptied into the small grabage can we’ve got under the sink cabinet. It’s worked fine for the past ten years in our home. Not one single drain clog…

If you have a clogged kitchen drain due to sludge created by a garbage disposal, you need to snake out the drain. While doing so, you might want to be sure that the drain lines are properly plumbed. I’ve seen several homes where the drain fittings were “reversed,” leading to blocked lines.

In my opinion, the only thing garbage disposals are good for is providing an easier connection for adjacent dishwashing machines. Even then they are not really needed, as most modern dishwashers have built-in “garbage disposals”…though you shouldn’t rely on them as anything more than a back-up. Rinse the gross crud off your dishes and pots & pans before you run them through your dishwasher.

Thus Spake NtP

[Retired plbg1Participant]

Lots of the time the P-trap gets full when you grind like that, next time just turn on water and add a little at a time, take trap apart and clean it out and try again, if that does not work run a cable through drain.

[MOUNTAINEERS1Participant]

To whom it may concern,

We would like to thank the kind gentleman whom suggested to a woman to use a wooden spoon, so she could unclog the ol’e garbage disposal. We, or should I say I, accomplished this frustrating feat!

We called for service, but being the mountaineers we are, they couldn’t reach us for another few days, but thanks to you, we were able to resolve this problem within only a few moments.

Thanks Again!!!

---

Eric, Nicci, Aprilia, Cailin and our 3rd daughter…due in July 2003!!!

Attorney, but a Journeyman Plumber in the works…Is this the correct phrasing? We hope so???

Take Care Everyone!

» This message has been edited by MOUNTAINEERS on 21 May 2003

» This message has been edited by MOUNTAINEERS on 21 May 2003

» This message has been edited by MOUNTAINEERS on 21 May 2003

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