Avoid Water Damage: 5 Items To Never Put Down Your Garbage Disposal

9/15/2021 (Permalink)

Contact the SERVPRO professionals to help mitigate garbage disposal water damage!

Garbage disposals can cause water damage when they aren't used properly.

Garbage disposals are a great way to get rid of food waste without having to take it out to the curb. The only problem with garbage disposals is that they can easily malfunction and cause thousands of dollars worth of damage to a home or business.

The professionals at SERVPRO have witnessed firsthand the aftermath of garbage disposal water damage. Knowing what not to put in the garbage disposal can help homeowners avoid expensive property damage.

In this blog post, we have put together a list of five food items that homeowners should never put down in their garbage disposals. So let's get started and avoid unnecessary water damage together!

Recent garbage disposal water damage call.

Last Thanksgiving, the professionals at SERVPRO of Downtown Atlanta received a call after a homeowner attempted to put a leftover ham down the garbage disposal. We have received many unique calls in the past, but this was the first of its kind.

The homeowner put the whole ham down the garbage disposal but then had a clog that backed up three inches of water into the basement. The smartest thing that the homeowner did that day was calling our professionals to come and mitigate the damages to the basement.

Upon arrival, we began extracting the water in the basement and removing the wet carpeting and padding. Within a few hours, we were able to have all the water extracted and strategically placed our drying equipment so that the home could be completely dry in the upcoming days.

We then reached out to one of our preferred plumbing vendors to come and remove the clogged pipe so that future damages did not occur.

In the end, the homeowner was happy with our fast response time and our ability to perform the water damage clean-up accurately.

Avoid garbage disposal water damage.

Using a garbage disposal includes grinding waste that is then drained to either a septic tank or a municipal sewer system. When using a garbage disposal, homeowners should use their best judgment on what they believe garbage disposal should grind up. With that being said, here are five items that should never go down garbage disposal:

1) Coffee Grounds 

Coffee grounds are great for your garden, but don't send them into the garbage disposal! The fine coffee particles will coat anything they touch with a gritty residue that is very difficult to remove without the help of a professional plumber.

2) Eggshells 

Eggshells may seem harmless enough, but you should keep them out of the garbage disposal too. Ground-up eggshells won't cause damage directly to the garbage disposal; however, eggshells become slippery when wet, which could cause major clogs once mixed with other liquids or food.

3) Onion Skins

Onion skins can slip through the garbage disposal and cause a backup in the plumbing piping.

4) Potato Peels

Potato peels do not get minced properly in a garbage disposal. Therefore, it is best to avoid putting potato peels down the garbage disposal to avoid a backup.

5) Grease

Grease should never be placed down the garbage disposal because they turn into a solid form as fats cool. Solid fats can cause garbage disposal water damage and major problems in the plumbing piping.

Garbage disposal water damage mitigation steps

When garbage disposals cause water damage in a home or business, the property owner must know the best course of action to take. The most important thing a property owner can do during a water damage disaster is staying calm. To ensure that water damage is properly mitigated, the professionals at SERVPRO of Downtown Atlanta put together the following list:

1. Avoid using the damaged sink and garbage disposal until approved by a plumber.
2. For small water leaks, you can use a mop to remove excess water.
3. Contact your insurance company to file a claim.
4. Contact a reliable and trustworthy restoration company.
5. Document all damages by taking pictures and videos.

The best water damage restoration company in Atlanta

When it comes to water damage clean-up in Atlanta, you will want to contact a restoration company accredited as an IICRC certified firm. The team at SERVPRO of Downtown Atlanta is just that.

SERVPRO of Downtown Atlanta has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and has been the go-to restoration company for commercial and residential property owners throughout Atlanta.

We hope you enjoyed learning about the items to avoid putting down the garbage disposal. Please contact us today if you are in the middle of a garbage disposal water damage disaster. Our crews are available 24/7, 365 days a year, to help mitigate any size disaster.