Buying Guide For Garbage Disposal What to Look for in Garbage Disposal?

As doing the dishes has evolved, there are now handy tools like garbage disposals that make kitchen cleanup easier by grinding up food waste and flushing it down the drain. If you’re thinking about buying a good-quality garbage disposal, you’ll want to know what features to look for. This Buying Guide for Garbage Disposal will help you understand the basics.

Selecting a Garbage Disposal that meets your kitchen refuse expectations is not a cup of tea. If you decided on anything yet, read the Buying Guide For Garbage Disposal that I prepared for you so that you can easily chew on it without spending hours. Also, this article is for everyone who wants to use this kitchen appliance casually or professionally.

Buying Guide For Garbage Disposal – How to Choose One?

Being new to the garbage disposal ecosystem and not able to find the best for you? Don’t worry, this buying guide will help you find the right brand along with extraordinary features without breaking the bank.

Why Do You Need Garbage Disposal?

In what way do you want your garbage disposal to serve you? Either it reduces your time to do dishes or gives your kitchen a neat and clean appearance after disposing of the trash. I noticed some people use their garbage disposal for reducing the solid waste going into landfills while some opt for it to save money buying trash bags.

In this regard, you must decide on the purpose and then look for the right product that matches your taste. Speaking about my requirements, I want my kitchen to smell good by reducing the waste in the trash bins.

In addition, I always delve into compatible sizes; to serve the eating habits of the family, horsepower; how fast it takes action, and garbage disposal features; to extract the most out of it with sound insulation and auto reverse feature.

Location: Where to Install Garbage Disposal?

Bring-home garbage disposal emphasizes the idea of where to install it. Since it contributes to doing dishes and eliminating food waste, the perfect home where you can shelter your garbage disposal is under the sink while connecting with drain lines going to the sewage or septic tanks.

In addition, you must be conscious about the space of the kitchen cabinet under which you install it. The majority of the garbage disposals fit all sinks, but the general assumption conveys that your garbage disposal must be 10-15 inches in height, 5-9 inches wide, and 6-13 inches deep. However, increasing the motor’s power will deliberately increase the body and you need a spacious area to fit your precious kitchen appliance.

Type: What are the Different Types of Garbage Disposal?

Garbage disposal comprises two essential types. You will never be able to grab one for your kitchen without knowing how the primary divisions serve you in pulverizing food waste.

Continuous Feed Garbage Disposal

Do you look for a disposal unit that does all for you without assisting it? If yes, make continuous feed garbage disposal your permanent partner. The reason you may opt for this category is that it grinds solid waste into fine chunks as long as the power is fed. So, you have to learn how to operate it with an air switch button and food processing becomes a breeze after putting only what it can handle.

Pros

• The disposal saves you time in leftover cleaning at a fast pace
• The disposal is budget-friendly.
• It is easy to operate and run until all the waste is reduced to fine particles.
• The popular type entrusts many models to choose from.

Cons

• Continuous feed garbage disposal is risky due to continuous running.
• The disposal unit run when the drain is open; the foreign object may fall into it
• It uses a lot of water and power for grinding.

Batch Feed Garbage Disposal

As the name indicates the disposal’s performance, you must understand that it grinds your food in batches. All you have to do is to feed it with what annoys you, such as fruit scraps, juice, or vegetable peels and run it.

However, the essential tip to keep in mind is the placement of the stopper to run it and to prevent food from coming outside the machine. It does not use any switch compared to continuous feed and is more reliable for households.

Pros

• A drain stopper will keep you distanced from the accidents.
• The batch feed disposal is ideal for saving water and energy utilization.
• Batch feed is easy to installation
• It generates less noise when running

Cons

• The disposal costs you many bucks than the continuous feed
• Limited options for this category are available

Material: What is the Best Material for Garbage Disposal?

It is crucial to know from what material your garbage disposal is crafted, for two reasons. Firstly, it has a direct impact on food grinding, deciding how far waste particles are cleared without interruptions like motor overloading, circuit tripping, and jamming. Secondly, it provides help in maintaining the garbage disposal to live longer than collapsing before the expiry date.

The lower quality materials like plastic give no boost to the grinding but are a total waste and become a victim of unnecessary cracks with additional garbage disposal problems. Whereas, if you opt for the models that claim stainless steel and not galvanizing steel as a major part of the motor, your food waste goes smoothly down the rust-free chambers and is sent to the other end in fine particles.

What kind of material must your garbage disposal have? There are primarily 4 different types that are used for the manufacturing of garbage disposal. The rundown is quite noteworthy.

Alloy Stainless Steel

The most durable material of the garbage disposal’s components, such as impellers, shredders, or flywheels is the Alloy Stainless Steel. It makes the machine last longer while subsiding the rust, but you only get the facility of this best quality material in high-end commercial disposals.

Stainless Steel

Bring yourself one step downward and opt for stainless steel for your garbage disposal. This material is available in mid-range disposals; commonly manufactured for household purposes. It is resistant to cracks and severe damage to prevent the disposal’s components from being corroded.

Galvanized Steel

Galvanised Steel is a form of alloy from which lower-cost disposals are composed. Companies use this material in machines as it is not as hard as previous ones and relatively easier to manufacture.

Rolled Steel

Rolled steel or cold-pressed material is used in the making of non-branded garbage disposals. So, I recommend you avoid it and look for mid-range options.

Horsepower: How Much Power Does Garbage Disposal Need to Operate?

Garbage disposal is an electrical appliance due to the inclusion of various components, such as a disposal motor, grinder, and impeller plates. All the parts work in synchronization when electricity flows through them. The question is how do you decide which one suits your kitchen requirements in terms of power?

You can determine your garbage disposal horsepower while keeping in mind the two important points, the schedule you utilize and for how many members. For instance, you have the ideal family size of five members, and you run the disposal daily, the horsepower you will go for is 3/4 hp.

However, different disposal units feed numerous numbers of horsepower to operate. You must search in-depth.

1/3 Horsepower

The lowest range of the disposal’s motor capacity is 1/3 horsepower. You can only add it to your bucket list if you are two members and intend to run it occasionally. Otherwise, the low-powered garbage disposal will get jammed, and make the components rusted.

1/2 Horsepower

The 1/2 horsepower is the motor’s capacity you can use for a typical home setup. The garbage disposal with this power range is appropriate for running daily or frequently but with adequate dos and don’ts follow-up.

3/4 Horsepower

The 3/4 Hp Garbage Disposal is considered ideal aiming to serve most kitchen waste. At this size, it offers everything from liquids to biodegradable food to dump inside due to its high power compared to one with ½ hp. No matter whether you run it daily, it will do the trick when you flush a lot of water along with food waste to send to pipelines.

Moreover, the price of these disposals comes within the range with multiple features like stainless steel material, sound isolation, and much more. For example, InSinkErator Compact with this much power can quickly grind potato peels and expand food like celery with ease.

1 Horsepower

As you already know, power has a direct connection with the size of the garbage disposal. As you go for higher steps in attaining more powered machines, you need extra space to fit them. Similarly, a garbage disposal with 1 horsepower is not only bigger but its capacity to grind those items which it usually does not handle is incredible.

The disposal is suitable for large setups and is likely to jam. For example, InSinkErator Evolution Excel grinds chicken bones, fruit rinds, vegetable peels, or similar items with convenience.

Features: What Garbage Disposal Has in Store for You?

Garbage disposal is an efficient machine and proves to be your lifetime investment when you consider buying it from a reputed brand. The reason is straightforward for the evergreen best facilities you bring home.

Sound Deadening

Garbage disposal is an electrical machine that produces noise up to 80 decibels. It is time to reduce noise around you with the sound-deafening feature. Although the smaller-sized disposal lacks this feature, as you go with the bigger size the quiet garbage disposal models make you feel at ease by reducing the noise level to only 45 decibels.

These disposals incorporate grinding parts with nylon coating, the insulation surrounding the disposal, and baffles around the sink openings to reduce vibration. As a result, you feel as if no noise is coming from them. You can go for WasteKing Garbage Disposal, as I discovered they are quieter than other models.

Auto Reverse

The auto-reverse feature is a blessing to keeping the garbage disposal in good condition. The advanced feature lets the grinding table reverse in the opposite direction after sensing the minor jams and makes efforts to release it as early as possible.

The innovative garbage disposals offer buttons and anti-jam circuitry to prevent jams from occurring. You have to press the buttons manually after receiving the notification of the garbage disposal not turning.

Quick Mount Feature

The unique design of the garbage disposal helps in installing it trouble-free. Also, the specialty of the feature includes the turn-and-lock system to secure the appliance with the sink underneath.

Multiple Grind Stages

How many grinding stages your garbage disposal exhibit is significant, for it indicates how fast it chews the food waste. Simple models have only one grinding stage for overall grinding, while the premium models come with at least three stages to make your work easier in no time.

Water Saving Modes

Some garbage disposals come with water-saving packages. It means you can handle how much water goes inside the chamber and help reduce your bills.

Dishwasher Connector

Since garbage disposals are interlinked with the kitchen sink, you must think about connecting it with the dishwasher. The latest models offer you the opportunity to link your appliance with a dishwasher and do the dishes without pre-rinsing them in the dishwasher.

Warranty

According to our Buying Guide For Garbage Disposal makes a long-run deal with your kitchen food waste and lasts quite a long time, that is 10-15 years. So the warranty period usually starts from one to ten years. However, if you find your disposal is out of warranty, even then you can easily go for a replacement option, for they are budget friendly no matter if you want a big size or a normal one.

Accessories: What Accessories do you Need with Garbage Disposal?

Apart from garbage disposal parts, these are some of the accessories without which the machine can’t perform well.

Power Cord

What do you think about running the disposal without power supplied to it? The power cord is the essential item that you must focus on buying for sending current. However, if you want to use an old disposal cord, leave the idea aside.

Moreover, many garbage disposals come equipped with direct wire installed models that require a professional electrician to connect to your house’s electrical system. By the way, a power cord will cost you not more than $15.

Note: If you’re in search of guidance to help you decide between a corded and non-corded garbage disposal unit, then our comprehensive guide is here to assist you: “Garbage Disposal Corded vs Non-Corded | Which one is Better?”

Air Switch Button

Another accessory to let you run your continuous feed garbage disposal effortlessly is the air switch button. The specialized button allows you to mount it on the countertop, near the sink, and on the wall to provide ease with the machine’s operation.

In addition, the major task of the button is to save you from being electrocuted. You can press it even with wet hands as compared to an electrical switch. However, the alternative is a separate purchase and may add a few dollars to your cost.

Splash Guard

You want your garbage disposal not to send back the items you keep in the garbage disposal for disposal. Bring home a splash guard to avoid the situation. The disposal baffle is made up of rubber material and installed at the sink opening. The goal of the rubber baffle is to restrict water and food items in the grinding chamber rather than splashing out of it.

Maintenance: What Makes Garbage Disposal Long-Lasting?

Garbage disposal maintenance is another essential factor you need to know about before picking a garbage disposal. The aim is to let you know how to treat your machine to go a long way. From installment to adequate protection, garbage disposal lives long for 10-12 years, only if you act upon a few maintenance tips

Run Cold Water

Your disposal needs water at every step, such as before turning it on and after turning it off. Why? Because water is a lubricating agent and helps crush food particles while sliding them down into the sewage.

Also, you never notice but running cold water instead of hot/boiling water provides a cooling effect to the motor, which may overheat when running for a constant period. It ensures less tiring food grinding and overall reduces the load on the machine.

Avoid Overloading the Disposal Unit

Garbage disposal demands maintenance as its basic right, and you should make arrangements to increase its shelf life. Once you avoid overloading the machine with unwanted objects, your machine will bear less load and work efficiently without harming other components.

In addition, you can put all the stuff in at once, but replace them with smaller chunks and try adjusting food inside the disposal chamber group by group.

Run the Garbage Disposal

No matter what your garbage disposal maintenance plans are, that is weekly or monthly; you must run it daily regardless of whether you use it. The benefit of keeping it in action is to wash away underlying food items, grease linings, and minor clogs.

You just have to turn your garbage disposal on and let cold water flush through the drains for a few minutes. Doing so, you will receive fruitful results of increased efficiency, sharp blades, and less corrosion build-up.

Refrain from Putting Non-Food Objects

Keep in mind that garbage disposal is meant to handle food waste and not all your trash. You must be conscious of what to put inside the machine and what not. Otherwise, the results will be a blockage, deformed blades, and overheating.

• Coffee grounds
• Dry expandable foods, oats, rice, etc
• Hard-to-cut Food, nuts, seeds, and shrimp shells
• Eggshells
• Grease, oils, and fats
• Kitchen utensils
• Toiletries

Protection: How do you Clean and Protect Garbage Disposal?

The idea of how to clean garbage disposal includes an important part in confirming the good condition of the garbage disposal. Although garbage disposal cleaners will do the trick, you can never have the disposal as before, for the harsh chemicals harm the internal components. So, you should strive for disposal rinsing tips with household products.

Pro Tip: you must disconnect the power supply of the garbage disposal before treating it.

Baking Soda and Vinegar

You must find great uses for baking soda and vinegar for clearing drains. Don’t you? Garbage disposal follows the same pathway and reacts positively when the mixture of one cup of vinegar and half a cup of baking soda goes into the chamber. The chemical reaction between the two washes away disposal lint with stubborn clogs and makes it work like before. The maximum time you leave the mixture is 15-20 minutes to see the magic.

Ice Cubes and Rock Salt

If your complaint is decreased efficiency of the disposal in churning food waste, your disposal’s impellers must have lost their capacity to cut them into smaller chunks. There is a firsthand treatment you can apply on the disposal to make it workable. Pick a handful of ice cubes and run them through the garbage disposal, the optional item is rock salt to get a clean unit with sharp blades.

Lemon and Citrus Rinds

What if your garbage disposal smells bad and spreads throughout the entire house? You can do the trick and put lemon or citrus rinds. These act as natural deodorizers to absorb foul odor and leave your appliance worth standing nearby.

Garbage Disposal Troubleshooting

Garbage disposal is a simple machine with no complicated terms and conditions. However, it may put you in situations where clogs are formed, food grinding is left in between, and stuck particles need to wash away. As the machine is effortless so do the fixes which you can troubleshoot on your own without rushing to the technician.

So, when you find your garbage disposal refusing to work. Hold on to the tools for garbage disposal and fix the problem. The problems you address comprise different tools. If you have waste trapped near the sink drain, you can easily look through it with a torch light and remove it using pliers and tongs.

Whereas the jammed disposal with stuck waste beyond the reach, the Allen wrench comes in handy to mitigate the resistance of the flywheel and dislodge whatever stopping it from turning. However, if you encounter similar problems, but in drains, you can effectively use a Plumber’s snake.

Price: How Much Does a Garbage Disposal Cost?

Buying guide shows there are two aspects the price affects garbage disposal buying; size and motor power. As both terminologies are directly proportional to each other, so does the price increase. Being a useful appliance, it does not go beyond the price range of every consumer and has a price bracket between $75 to $1000.

On the other hand, the price tags for replacing and needing to install garbage disposal are different. While the former confirms you sealed the deal after spending around $200. But the latter costs you $700 due to included charges of fittings, switches, and much more.

Another point that you need to keep in mind is the category of garbage disposal, such as continuous feed and batch feed. The price range for both divisions changes irrespective of the idea you get the same horsepower.

Top Brands: What are the Best Garbage Disposal Brands According to buying guide.

Many companies offer garbage disposals with certain features. However, you must choose one that inculcates a mixture of features. Such as, some contribute to making it last long by connecting to the dishwasher, while many give sound-deadening features and much more. The topmost brands you may want to invest in are:

• WasteKing
• InSinkErator
• Moen
• Badger
• KitchenAid
• Everbilt
• WasteMaid
• Whirlpool
• American Standard
• General Electric

Buying Guide For Garbage Disposal Bottom Line

Garbage disposals are an indispensable part of your kitchen affair. I have provided you with a comprehensive buying guide for garbage disposal. Additionally, there is an illustration of the pros and cons of each category in our Buying Guide For Garbage Disposal. So, select the right one for you according to your requirement.