[cherylncliff]

Originally Posted by bluedivergirl

Mine was doing the same thing ~ I could hear the water trickling through. DH did take it apart and found a plug of eggshells, onion skins and peels. Now those items go in the trash, and it hasn't acted up since. Firm items seem to be fine, but flimsy trimmings cause problems.

Liquid plumber and related products work by getting hot when mixed with water and softening greasy plugs like occur in a bathroom sink. It is not likely to work in a kitchen drain that probably is plugged with stuff like eggshells, potato skins or carrot peels. The plunger method might work. You can try liquid plumber but it may corrode the metal parts of the disposer so do not let it sit too long. The best way is to take the pipes apart and clean out the plug. Then, do not put carrot peels, eggshells or potato peels down the disposer.

[maama]

A plumber once told me to do this monthly in sinks and drains:

Flush sink with hot water and then add (OVER SINK) baking soda to about 32 oz of white vinegar. It creates a volcano! Leave for about 20 minutes and run hot water. I did it in my garbage disposal as well .. had to do it twice, but it did work.
Good luck

[kp11364]

Using Dawn on a regular basis is one of the best preventative measures around. For shower drains, use about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of Dawn straight out of the bottle, pour in and let it sit about 2-3 hours, then pour in a pot of boiling water. For drains that have a trap, mix 3/4 to 1 cup Dawn with enough hot water to have the mix pass the trap and again wait 2-3 hours and follow up with boiling water.

[Hackercraft]

Ice cubes will clean the disposal, it’s noisy but it works. Dump the cube maker bin into the disposal side, turn on the cold water and let her rip.

[pgettinger01]

You can use a combination of baking soda and vinegar. It is less expensive and less harmful to you and your drain.

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Originally Posted by tjlee500

1. Coffee Grounds
Don't let coffee grounds fool you. Although they may appear to be finely milled, they're very densely packed and almost paste-like when you take them out of a filter. Put that down your garbage disposal and you'll end up with a pile up of gunky sediment in your drain, increasing the likelihood of a clog.

2. Pasta, Rice, and Bread
What do these three things have in common? They all absorb water and expand, which can easily lead to a clogged drain. Don't stress about a little bit of leftover spaghetti down the disposal, but don't make a habit of dumping pasta into the disposal either. If you do run pasta, rice, or bread down the disposal, run it for at least 30 seconds, and make sure to run cold water down the drain to flush the grains down without expanding them. The same goes for oats, and any other grain that will absorb water.

3. Animal Bones
Although it can be hard to accept, the garbage disposal is not indestructible. It's simply not built to grind up exceptionally hard items. Bones are one of the hardest naturally-occurring substances out there, and they can significantly shorten the lifespan of your disposal. Don't panic if you accidentally drop a small fish or chicken bone down the drain—a garbage disposal can handle that. But anything larger than that will simply spin around your disposal, and damage its grinding mechanisms.

4. Nuts and Shells
Similar to bones, nuts and shells (including seafood shells) can be very damaging to your garbage disposal. And softer nuts, such as peanuts, are still not a good idea for the disposal. You garbage disposal is not unlike a nut grinder, and know what you get when you grind and mash peanuts? Peanut butter. Well maybe not exactly the peanut butter you get in a jar, but a somewhat thick, peanut paste that can easily clog up your drain.

5. Pits and Seeds
If you can't cut it with a knife, it's safe to say putting it down the disposal is not a good idea. Pits and seeds are often round and small, making them even harder to grind up. Not to mention the terrible racket they make bouncing around your disposal. Save your disposal the trouble and throw them in the trash.

6. Onion Layers
While chopped onions can easily go down the disposal, it's the outermost layer you need to watch out for. The membrane that lies just beneath the dry skin can pass through the disposal, missing the blades grinder altogether or wrapping around it. It can even get wedged in the drain and act as a net, trapping other items in place with it.

7. Egg Shells
There's a commonly held misconception that egg shells can help to sharpen the "blades" of your garbage disposal. But the truth is, garbage disposal don't have blades. Rather, they have impellers that are more blunt than sharp. These impellers grind food waste down, rather than chopping it up like a blender. And anyways, when was the last time you used egg shells to sharpen your knives? Not only do egg shells not serve a purpose in sharpening the grinding mechanisms, but they also have membranes that can easily get wrapped around the grinder. This can create a whole host of problems for you appliance.

8. Fibrous or Stringy Fruits and Vegetables
Many fruits and veggies have fibrous strands that can tangle around your disposal's grinder. Here are a few items to throw in the trash instead of the disposal next time: celery, asparagus, banana peels, corn husks, and rhubarb. A few here and there won't hurt, but try to avoid it to preserve the quality of your appliance.

9. Potato Peels
When tossing potato peels down the disposal, one of two things can happen: 1) the peels may be thin enough to slip past the disposal, causing them to potentially catch in the drain or 2) they are ground up, and turn into a starchy paste in your disposal. If this paste makes its way into the pipes, you can have major blockages down the road. The same goes for other starchy vegetables and beans.

10. Grease, Oil, and Fat
The tricky thing about grease, oil, and fats is they may look like liquid now, but they don't stay that way for long. These materials will congeal with time, which can cause a major blockage in your drain. It's best to simply allow these substances to cool, and then dispose of them in trash.

11. Non-Food Materials
The name "garbage" disposal can be a little misleading. It does not mean you should treat your disposal like a garbage can. Any non-food items including paper towels, plastic wrappers, or tissues can be a big problem for your drainage system. Not to mention these items can spread through your drainage system and deposit into your local water supply. If something isn't biodegradable, it shouldn't go down the disposal.

Reading this makes me think that there's no point in having a garbage disposal.

I have to plunge mine every once in a while. I do have to block the other sink drain when I do. The strainer that comes with most sinks works fine for that.

I was told by a plumber that some sort of regulation was passed a few years ago mandating that some sort of blocking device be placed in one of the drain pipes that causes the garbage disposal to clog up every once in a while. I took my drain pipes apart and tried replacing this little section of pipe with one that doesn't have the blocking thingy but I couldn't find a section of PVC that didn't have it.

Keep a plunger under the sink.

It's also a good idea to have one of these https://www.acehardware.com/departme...wrenches/47992 handy. Sometimes, all it takes is a few turns with it.

[OhioBuckeye]

Originally Posted by Rosemary May

Do not put pasta in the GB at anytime whatsoever. That stuff gums up like glue.

That's why I said take Trap off first & check it, that's what they were put on sinks for to catch things!

[Henryk]

Originally Posted by Shutterbug

Try a wet-dry vac in opposite sink. It will suck up what is in the trap and the disposal drain. Put baking soda and white vinegar down the disposal drain let it sit for a while and run warm water. Also, turn on the disposal, run warm water and fill the disposal with ice cubes. This will clean stuck on gunk on the blades.

i don't recommend filling the disposal with ice cubes. They could crack the housing.

[Kenswing]

Originally Posted by OhioBuckeye

That's why I said take Trap off first & check it, that's what they were put on sinks for to catch things!

Actually the trap holds water to act as a barrier to sewer gases. If there wasn't a trap your house would smell really bad.

[rjm1cc]

To clean out the drain pipe between disposal and other sink fill the disposal with ice cubes. Run disposal with a little water. You are trying to make slush and this should fill the pipe and push through any blockage. If it starts to come up the other sink ok. Then run hot water to finish melting and flush system.

Using a garden hose to get extra water to the drain may also work. Put the end of the hose on the sink drain as you are trying to use the pressure of the water as well as the quantity of water.

The pipe can also be easily removed. Take a look at YouTube for suggestions.

[Ann Marie Acacio]

I've had success with putting a cup of baking soda into the disposal, on top of the standing water, then pouring about 2 cups vinegar. It will foam up. Let it sit for about 30 minutes, then run the disposal and flush with water. It breaks up the clog and has worked for me several times.

[NancyLee]

Originally Posted by bluedivergirl

Mine was doing the same thing ~ I could hear the water trickling through. DH did take it apart and found a plug of eggshells, onion skins and peels. Now those items go in the trash, and it hasn't acted up since. Firm items seem to be fine, but flimsy trimmings cause problems.

I understand that onion skins are notorious for clogging up the sink disposal. I have heard that Plumbers always have a lot of business around Thanksgiving.