Q.We have a ranch home and have been told we shouldn’t have a garbage disposal. Why is that? What should we do to prevent the kitchen sink from becoming clogged?
A. There are just a few reasons I could see someone telling you that. Most likely, if your home is on a septic system or if your kitchen drain is old and not properly configured. The configuration can be corrected by replacing the drain line. Sometimes on a ranch home the kitchen drain has to travel a long distance to tie into the other drains, and there is limited space to add the right amount of fall (all drains have to have pitch to flow down hill). Add that to an old galvanized drain that is sandpaper rough on the inside, and you will almost always have a buildup of debris in your line from normal use. Something else we see from time to time is a clogged vent or no vent at all on the drain. A drain without a vent is like putting your finger over a straw. The water stays in the straw until you remove your thumb. Then the water just takes off. If you still really want a disposal, pick a powerful one. A high quality 3/4 or 1 horsepower unit will chop the food into tiny pieces and speed up the breakdown process. Also, go with a stainless steel disposal, which will last longer and won’t rust.Read more Handyman
Posted on Tue, Jan. 17, 2012 04:00 PM
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Handyman | Andy Alexander on the pros and cons of garbage disposals
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Andy Alexander is owner of Andy’s Pipe Dream in Lenexa. Send questions to home@kcstar.com or Handyman, House + Home, FYI, The Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108.
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