How To Know You Need A New Garbage Disposal
Now that you’ve had a garbage disposal in your kitchen for quite some time, you wonder how you ever did without it. Yet even if you have the top-of-the-line in disposals, the day will come when it’s time to say goodbye to your old friend who ground up this and that over the years. Here at Boss Plumbing, we’ve installed and replaced so many garbage disposals that we consider ourselves to be Los Angeles garbage disposal experts. If you need to know when it’s time for a new garbage disposal, we’ve got some tips to keep in mind.
How Long Do Garbage Disposals Last?
On average, a garbage disposal should last 10-12 years if properly maintained. Like any appliance in your kitchen, the better it is treated along the way, the more likely it is to live a long, full life. By only putting stuff into your garbage disposal it is equipped to handle and having it serviced regularly, you should get at least one decade of grinding.
Signs Your Garbage Disposal Is Going Out
You’re Getting Too Many Clogs
One of the most obvious signs it may be time for you to get a new garbage disposal is when you start experiencing one clog after another, even when you know you’re not doing anything out of the ordinary. When this occurs, we usually find either the disposal’s blades are getting very dull, or the motor is about to expire.
The Grinding Takes Longer
If your disposal is still grinding up stuff but is taking longer to do so than in the past, a new garbage disposal may be needed. Just as it is with getting too many clogs, longer grinding times usually mean the motor is about to head to that great junkyard in the sky.
Your Garbage Disposal is Leaking
If you have had your disposal for several years and have used it quite a bit, it may develop cracks inside the unit. This is due to normal wear and tear, and will lead to you noticing the bottom of your disposal is often leaking. When you spot this problem, the only solution available to you is to have the entire unit replaced, which we here at Boss Plumbing do each and every day for customers throughout LA and nearby communities.
You’re Hitting the Reset Button
Unfortunately, if your finger is getting tired from having to constantly hit the reset button on your garbage disposal, this is yet another sign that the disposal’s motor is getting weaker and weaker. When you’re having to press this button regularly, this points to your motor becoming overloaded, which usually leads to it tripping a circuit breaker.
Those Weird Noises
Finally, if your garbage disposal is making weird noises and humming loudly, this means its motor is dead. When strange noises arise from your disposal, you’ll notice the sounds, yet also find it’s not actually turning on. Though it is receiving electrical power, the dead motor can’t turn on to grind the food. Unfortunately, it will cost you just as much or more to repair the garbage disposal unit at this point as it will to get a new garbage disposal.
When you need to say goodbye to your old garbage disposal and hello to a new unit that should last you at least another decade or more, contact us here at Boss Plumbing.
