How Does a Garbage Disposal Work

Posted February 17, 2015

The under-sink kitchen garbage disposal is a wonderful time-saving device that reduces the amount of trash in landfills and makes cleaning up in the kitchen a much more pleasant activity. But how does a garbage disposal actually work? 

A common misconception is that disposal is simply a powerful blender that uses spinning blades to shred food waste into tiny particles so they can fit down the drain. In reality, a disposal has no blades at all but instead uses impellers (also called lugs) mounted on a rotating plate to spin the waste outward using centrifugal force. The waste is pushed against a grind ring, which pulverizes the particles before the running water flushes the waste down the drain. 

To keep your disposal working smoothly (and smelling good), always run lots of water during the grinding process and for at least another 15 seconds after the sound of grinding stops.

Check Out Our Plumbing Services in the Following Locations:

Related Services

Our Promises To You

  • Icon of a clock with the number 24

    Convenient For You

    We Work on Your Schedule

  • Icon of a ribbon with a checkmark in the middle

    Background Checks

    We do Drug Tests And
Background Checks Before Hiring

  • Icon of two hands shaking

    No Need For Stress

    Get ABCs Worry-Free Guarantee at No Cost

  • Icon of a shield with a hand giving a thumbs up

    No Surprises

    Pricing is By the Job, Not the Hour