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Garbage Disposal Installation & Repair

Your Full-Service Experts for Installing, Replacing, or Repairing Garbage Disposals

Expert Garbage Disposal Services in San Francisco, CA

At George Salet Plumbing, we provide professional plumbing services encompassing garbage disposal repair and garbage disposal unit installation. A garbage disposal unit proves to be an exceedingly convenient appliance, efficiently liquefying food waste and facilitating easy drainage, negating the need for traditional trash storage. Especially vital for the food service industry, garbage disposals play a crucial role in preventing food odor in waste containers. Additionally, they seamlessly integrate with dishwashers and sinks, averting drain clogs due to accidental food disposal. Our expertise at George Salet Plumbing extends to the installation and repair of various models of garbage disposals, ranging from residential to heavy-duty commercial food service disposers.

Garbage Disposal Repair Services

Garbage disposal repair becomes essential when issues like a jammed undercutter disk, leaky hoses, and seals, or impeller wear and tear occur. Our skilled technicians at George Salet Plumbing are well-equipped to salvage your garbage disposal through professional garbage disposal repair in various scenarios. Often, the need for garbage disposal repair arises from unintended usage, especially in households with families or businesses with multiple employees. In such everyday life situations, various items, including grease, oversized objects, hard materials, and fibrous foods like celery, can inadvertently enter the disposal, causing it to malfunction.

If you encounter a situation where the garbage disposal’s flywheel is stuck, you might attempt a simple repair on your own. However, for any other issues, it’s advisable to seek the expertise of a professional plumber. Ignoring problems may lead to motor damage, necessitating a complete garbage disposal replacement.

Occasionally, your garbage disposal may refuse to turn on altogether, with no signs of activity. In such cases, consider resetting the small button typically located at the bottom of most garbage disposal units. This reset may temporarily resolve the issue. However, if this problem recurs frequently, it’s prudent to contact George Salet Plumbing for prompt assistance in the San Francisco area. Don’t let garbage disposal troubles disrupt your daily business or home life; trust our experts to ensure your drain and sink function smoothly. If you’ve noticed any of the following issues, your garbage disposal may be repairable:

  • Flywheel is jammed
  • Disposal is slow to drain
  • Food doesn’t break down as fast (dulled blades)
  • You smell a bad odor
  • Small leaks (deteriorated seals or loose sink flange)

Garbage Disposal Installation Services

When it comes to addressing issues with your garbage disposal, initiating a professional garbage disposal repair is the initial step. However, if your disposal unit has progressed beyond repair, we’ve got you covered with our top-notch garbage disposal supply and installation services. At George Salet Plumbing, we prioritize delivering value for your investment during the garbage disposal installation process. We highly recommend the Insinkerator Pro Series garbage disposals, known for their robust, powerful motors and comprehensive in-home service warranty, making them the leading choice in the market. It’s important to note that these outstanding garbage disposals are exclusively available through licensed plumbing contractors.

Our installation services for Insinkerator garbage disposals extend to both residential and commercial food service setups, ensuring a seamless experience. Explore our curated selection of residential garbage disposals, featuring the most sought-after models that are readily available for installation.

Opting for garbage disposal repair or installation through George Salet Plumbing guarantees swift and reliable service, and prompt delivery of your new disposal unit, and leverages our extensive 30 years of local San Francisco Bay Area plumbing expertise. Rest assured, we prioritize cleanliness during our garbage disposal repair operations within your home—no mess is left behind. Put away the broom handle and wrench; contact us today for a hassle-free estimate for any kind of garbage disposal service you require. Your convenience is our priority—schedule your job with us now! You’ll likely need to replace your garbage disposal if you notice:

  • Frequent clogs or persistent odors
  • Frequent need to reset the unit
  • The unit is leaking at the bottom
  • The unit won’t turn on or is on but doesn’t work (damaged switch or unit)
  • Garbage disposal makes strange or loud noises
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Garbage Disposal FAQs

In some cases, it certainly can be! Garbage disposals have a lifespan of up to 15 years with proper maintenance. When certain components wear out, replacing them can be an easy way to extend the unit’s lifespan. In some cases, like when the motor burns out completely, replacing the unit is more cost-effective. At George Salet Plumbing, we’ll always be honest about the most budget-friendly option for you.

This problem usually has one of two causes: jammed blades or a faulty motor. Try shining a flashlight down the disposal drain to see if there are any visible problems, like a piece of silverware blocking the blades. If so, UNPLUG the unit and CAREFULLY remove the obstruction if it is safe to do so. If a jam isn’t the source of the problem, the motor may need to be replaced. In this case, it’s often more cost-effective to replace the unit.

You have to be selective about what kinds of foods you put down your garbage disposal. A garbage disposal is a great kitchen tool that uses a combination of water from your kitchen sink, rotary blades, and the drainage pipes from your home to get rid of food particles that would otherwise have to sit in your kitchen garbage pail. Without a garbage disposal, you may not get to these kinds of leftover scraps of food until they create an unpleasant odor, along with attracting unwelcome pests.

While you can put just about any non-fibrous food down your disposal, you have to be aware that fibrous food cast-offs like corn husks and asparagus should never be put down a garbage disposal. These fibers wrap themselves around the rotating plates and then disable the motor. The only way to disentangle this kind of motor lock-up is to call a plumber, who may have to install a new garbage disposal.

So, in order to keep your garbage disposal running all of the time, you need to be aware of what you can put down it and what you can’t. Also make sure that all of your family members understand the rules. This means telling them that the first thing you must have is cold water running from the tap if you want to run the garbage disposal. The logistics of garbage disposal operate on the fact that you have adequate water going through it while it is running. Never ever run your garbage disposal while you do not have water running through it. This defeats the whole purpose of using plumbing to dispose of excess food particles from dishes and plates.

If used properly and with adequate water, you can put just about any non-fibrous food down your disposal including meat scraps, eggs, egg shells, coffee grounds, bones up 1/2 inch in diameter, and fruits like apples as well as peelings from vegetables like cucumbers and potatoes. There are even other kinds of fruit peels that you can put down your garbage disposal to actually help it. The peels from any citrus fruit will freshen up your garbage disposal if it smells sour. For example, grinding up the leftover parts from lemons, limes, and oranges will make your garbage disposal smell sweet.

Fibrous materials are the worst culprit when it comes to crippling your garbage disposal. This includes fibrous materials like asparagus, celery, corn husks, artichokes and other vegetables that have any kind of stringy qualities to them. This is because the ‘strings’ actually wrap themselves around the blades and prevent the motor from turning. With enough fibrous material put down your garbage disposal, the motor will eventually wear out and have to be replaced. As well, large amounts of pasta can damage your garbage disposer’s motor. So, if you put pasta down the drain make sure that it is a small amount, or feed it through the garbage disposal slowly. If you have a large amount of pasta to get rid of, it is probably best to put it in the garbage.

It is especially wise to be careful with any kinds of vegetables when using your garbage disposal. However, vegetable waste from potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, most fruit, meat scraps, and even small bones are okay as long as they are scraps and not large chunks of food waste. Remember, even a powerful garbage disposal can only handle so much waste. This is because a garbage disposal works with a blade that grinds food waste into a pulp which is then discharged into the drainage system with the use of water from the tap. So, in essence, a garbage disposal is not to be used for food waste that is too bulky to go through your drain pipes. This means that you have to dispose of food waste that is too large in the trash. Otherwise you will burn out the motor, or possibly even clog your drain pipes.

If there is more than one person living in your house, it is always good to post a set of rules for what can’t go down the garbage disposal. Many people, especially children, don’t understand that there is a lot of food waste that was not meant to be ground up by the disposal. This is normally the main cause of garbage disposal failure.

NO. A garbage disposal which is used properly will not clog your pipes. However, the key to making sure that your garbage disposal doesn’t clog your pipes requires proper installation and then usage that is compliant with your particular model. Before you install any kind of garbage disposal, you have to make sure that the drainage pipes are clear in the first place.

This is why a garbage disposal should always be installed by a professional plumber. They can check for preexisting clogs and also clear them out. Remember, a garbage disposal is supposed to be a convenience, not a nuisance. There is nothing like installing a new garbage disposal and then have it clog your pipes simply because you did not check the pipes first.

The next part of using a garbage disposal and making sure that it won’t clog your pipes is that you need to only put food particles down the drain that you feel will wash away down a sewage system. Even the most powerful garbage disposer is only capable of so much. So if you have a household garbage disposer, you need to treat it with some respect. You have to remember that anything you put down your garbage disposal will travel though your drainage pipes and ultimately need to clear them. This is why it is so important to only put food particles that can be liquefied into your garbage disposal so that any food waste that you have will reach its final destination.

Clogged pipes from a garbage disposal are totally avoidable if you follow a few simple rules. If you buy a home, make sure the pipes are unclogged from the previous owner. Make sure that you also buy a garbage disposal that is the right horse power for your situation, and then use it properly.

Generally, garbage disposals come in 1/2, 3/4, and 1 horsepower models. We recommend 1/2 horsepower garbage disposals for light use, 3’4 horsepower for normal home use, and 1 horse power for heavy home use or light commercial. Check out Our residential garbage disposal selection , or give us a call for other heavy-duty commercial applications.

A 1/2 horse power garbage disposal is perfect for condos and apartments. It has enough power for one or two people to use and it is usually less expensive. This power of garbage disposal is also great for vacation homes, where it doesn’t get too much use. Just be careful, though, that if you have a large dinner party or other special occasion where you may need to dispose of a lot of food particles at one time, that you run plenty of cold water and feed the particles slowly into the disposer.

A 3/4 horse power garbage disposer is probably the most common. This kind of garbage disposer is generally found in single family homes and is good for a family. If you have children, however, make sure that they understand what you can and cannot put down the garbage disposal. This will help prevent future problems if everyone understands how to use the disposal.

A 1 horsepower garbage disposer is better if you have a large family or a kitchen that gets heavy use or by a lot of people. This is because with more power, this kind of garbage disposal is a lot more forgiving with what someone may put down it. This kind of garbage disposal is also good for offices and other places of business where a more powerful garbage disposal might be needed.

Of course, there are commercial grade garbage disposers for restaurants, hospitals, schools and other places of business that need a much more powerful disposer. If you have questions about commercial grade garbage disposers, give us a call and we will be happy to talk to you about them.

YES. You must run a good flow of water until the grinding has stopped. In fact, it is a good idea to run cold water down the disposal before grinding food particles and then also after the grinding has stopped as well. This will ensure that the food particles from your dishes are on their way to sewage plant and not clogging your pipes or backing up your dishwasher.

The most important thing to remember about a garbage disposal is that it is designed to work with your plumbing to dispose of food scraps through your drain pipes. If you don’t run enough water before and after you turn the garbage disposal on, you will not send the food particles completely through the disks that cut up the food and you will also not send the food all the way out of your drainage pipes.

If food particles get stuck in the disks of your garbage disposer, this will cause the motor to stop working and will probably throw of the power. The first thing to do in this case is to press the red restart button on the disposer. If you hear a humming, but not the motor moving, you may have to take a few steps to get your garbage disposal working again.

Only Attempt This Step With The Disposer Unplugged. There should be a Allen wrench or some type of hexagonal wrench that came with your garbage disposal. In order to free the blades, you will have to use this wrench to manually turn the blades to free them of food particles. Once this is accomplished, plug the disposer in and make sure to run plenty of cold water to make sure any remaining food particles are removed.

However, the best way to avoid problems with your garbage disposal in the first place is to make sure that the food particles you put down it are small and that you run plenty of cold water down the drain before and after you use it.

Water backing up into the garbage disposal and then the sink is generally caused by food that is left in the disposal. If you leave food particles in the disposal and then forget about them without grinding them up and then sending them through the drain pipes with a good amount of cold water, these food particles will clog up your drainage system. Since the dishwasher and the garbage disposal share the same drainage pipes,you will have plumbing problems in the kitchen if you do not make sure that food particles from the disposal are cleared before using the dishwasher.

When it is time to run the dishwasher, many people are tired after work and having dinner. They want to scrape the plates and put the food particles down the garbage disposal. After that, they want to load the dishwasher, turn it on and then forget about it. However, the best thing to do before running the dishwasher is to check the garbage disposer. This is especially important if you have other family members like children helping out with the dishes. This is because children don’t realize that the only food particles that should be going through the disposal should be very small. Remember, everything that goes through the garbage disposal also has to go through the same drainage pipes that you share with your dishwasher.

Before using the dishwasher make sure that you check the disposal for food particles, and as an extra measure, run cold water through the disposer and turn it on to get rid of any food particles that may be left there. This is especially important if you live in a household with more than one person living there. This is because one of the worst things for a garbage disposal is people who put things down the garbage disposal, thinking that it can liquefy anything.

Garbage disposals are designed to dispose of small food particles and wash them down the drain before putting the plates into the dishwasher. Unless you run a restaurant, you have to be careful what you put down the garbage disposal in order to get rid of small food particles. It is helpful to remember that your dishwasher and your garbage disposal work in tandem. This means that they share the same drainage pipes and work together to get your dishes clean.

When a garbage disposer stops working, there can be several reasons. The first thing to do is to check and see if your garbage disposal is plugged in to the power outlet. This seems a little silly, but if you have more than one person living in your house, they may have unplugged it accidentally. You can also check the reset button and see if that works. Sometimes, a garbage disposal will shut off automatically if there is something like a power outage, or if it has been accidentally unplugged. Also, if someone has put something down the garbage disposal that will stop the blades from working and destroy the motor, the disposal will also shut off automatically.

After checking the power supply and also trying the reset button, if there is still no humming when you flip the switch, the garbage disposal may need servicing from a licensed professional plumber. If you have an older model garbage disposal, it may need to be repaired or even replaced. Many people try to fix garbage disposals themselves, but usually come to the conclusion that this it is a job for a professional. So, if you can’t use these simple tips to fix the problem, then it is probably time to either call for service or get a professional plumber to install a new garbage disposer.

There are several signs that your garbage disposal may be broken, including strange noises when it’s turned on, a foul odor coming from the unit, or food waste not being properly ground up and disposed of. If you notice any of these issues, it’s best to have a plumber come and inspect your garbage disposal to determine if it needs to be repaired or replaced.

To keep your garbage disposal in good working condition, it’s important to clean and maintain it regularly. You can do this by running cold water and a small amount of dish soap through the disposal after each use, and periodically grinding up ice cubes and citrus peels to help clean and freshen the unit. It’s also important to avoid putting inappropriate items down the drain and to have the disposal inspected and serviced by a plumber on a regular basis.

If your garbage disposal is clogged, the first step is to turn off the power to the unit at the circuit breaker. Then, use tongs or pliers to remove any large items that may be blocking the blades. Once the larger debris is removed, you can use a plunger or a garbage disposal wrench to help dislodge any remaining clogs. If the clog is still not cleared, it’s best to call a plumber for assistance.

Water backing up into the garbage disposal and then the sink is generally caused by food that is left in the disposal. If you leave food particles in the disposal and then forget about them without grinding them up and then sending them through the drain pipes with a good amount of cold water, these food particles will clog up your drainage system. Since the dishwasher and the garbage disposal share the same drainage pipes,you will have plumbing problems in the kitchen if you do not make sure that food particles from the disposal are cleared before using the dishwasher.

When it is time to run the dishwasher, many people are tired after work and having dinner. They want to scrape the plates and put the food particles down the garbage disposal. After that, they want to load the dishwasher, turn it on and then forget about it. However, the best thing to do before running the dishwasher is to check the garbage disposer. This is especially important if you have other family members like children helping out with the dishes. This is because children don’t realize that the only food particles that should be going through the disposal should be very small. Remember, everything that goes through the garbage disposal also has to go through the same drainage pipes that you share with your dishwasher.

Before using the dishwasher make sure that you check the disposal for food particles, and as an extra measure, run cold water through the disposer and turn it on to get rid of any food particles that may be left there. This is especially important if you live in a household with more than one person living there. This is because one of the worst things for a garbage disposal is people who put things down the garbage disposal, thinking that it can liquefy anything.

Schedule a service with us today!

Schedule a service with us today!

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