Disposer - How It Operates

Food waste is fed into the disposer through the sink drain opening. The waste falls into the grinding mechanism and is shredded into particles small enough to be carried away by the cold water running through the holes in the flywheel and strainer around the flywheel.When the shredder impellers on the flywheel strike hard objects such as bones they will swivel back to reduce the possibility of jamming. The flywheel normally rotates clockwise.Most food waste can be put into the disposer; however, there are some things that should not be put into the disposer. Use the list below as a general guide.

• Bones
• Nuts and their shells
• Fruit pits and seeds
• Egg shells
• Seafood shells
• Stringy or fibrous foods (ex. celery, pumpkin, artichokes, asparagus, onion skins, corn husks)
• Coffee grounds
• Pasta and rice (they expand and can start to clog)
• Potato peels
• Grease and fat (it builds up and starts to clog)
• Paper, plastic, fabric and other non-food items