Garbage Disposal Repairs & Installations in Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky

We have come to rely on having garbage disposals in our day-to-day lives. The ability to put a few things that aren’t 100 percent liquid down the drain makes kitchen clean-up so much easier. Whether you are prepping for a meal or disposing of leftovers, a garbage disposal is a necessity these days. However, garbage disposals can malfunction, requiring repairs or replacement. Let Apollo Home help with your next garbage disposal repair need!

Garbage Disposal Replacement & Installation

Garbage disposal models today will last for around ten years before needing to be replaced. If your home includes a garbage disposal from a previous homeowner, consider the following:

Grind Stages: The more stages a garbage disposal has, the more expensive but thorough the grinding is. They range from one to three stages, with more steps incurring fewer clogs.

Motors: Higher-end motors are quieter, inductive motors that range from half to one horsepower. Motors on the budget end are generally a third horsepower and tend to wear out sooner.

Material Quality: Higher-quality models are built with more expensive materials, like rust-resistant stainless steel, and generally have built-in sound muffling and an overall higher build quality. Budget models are typically made from plastics or polymers and can be 50 percent noisier.

If your garbage disposal needs to be replaced, give us a call. Our expert plumbers can provide you with the best garbage disposal recommendations for your home and often install it on the same day.

Garbage Disposal Repairs

Is your garbage disposal not working? You might be able to fix minor problems on your own. If you can’t, Apollo Home’s licensed plumbers can either get it running again or install a new one, usually on the same day. Call us today to get an appointment.

Use these tips to keep your garbage disposal in top shape and your drains clean. 

• Keep running cold water after using your disposal, ideally for 30 seconds after the waste has gone down the drain.
• Use cold water rather than hot water; this keeps fats in solid form and helps the disposal motor stay cool.
• Avoid putting too much fat down the drain. The more that can go in the trashcan, the better.
• Push food waste into the disposal slowly and give it time to process the food into smaller bits.
• Never put anything hard down the disposal, like metal or plastic.
• Avoid putting solid waste items down the drain, like bones and fibrous materials such as potato or carrot skins, corn husks, and eggshells. They can tangle the blades and get lodged in the disposal. The more waste you can put in the trashcan, the better.

Learn more about fixing garbage disposals here.

Garbage Disposal FAQs

How do garbage disposals work?

Garbage disposals do not use whirring blades like a blender. Instead, they have a small, spinning plate with two lugs at the bottom that force food against a stationary grind ring. It’s almost like a cheese grater. The spinning plate grates food into finer pieces that can safely go down your drain.

Why does my kitchen drain/garbage disposal smell bad?

Bad smells happen when food gets stuck inside. This could be because the disposal wasn’t run long enough, and food gets stuck inside. To fix this, run cold water and turn on the disposal. If this doesn’t do the trick, the disposal may need cleaning.

Do I have to run water when using a garbage disposal?

Water flushes food particles out of the grinder and down the drain. Use cold water when grinding food waste to keep fats solid. When cleaning your disposal, use hot water to flush out food particles.

Where is the reset button on my garbage disposal?

Most garbage disposals have a button on the bottom of the unit to reset it. The button is usually red and can help you troubleshoot issues with the food disposal.

If I have a septic system, can I use a garbage disposal?

It is not recommended to use a garbage disposal with a septic system. Too much food in the septic tank can change the bacterial balance. It also leads to more frequent tank pumping because more food particles fill the tank faster.