

Most importantly, you will see a power cord connected to the bottom of the garbage disposal from a nearby electrical outlet. If you have a double kitchen sink, the 2 sinks will share a single drain line and are connected using a piece of pipe called a tee. On the bottom side of the garbage disposal is where the drain line is connected. Please note that the disposal’s garbage disposal inlet comes with a plug that should be knocked out before it is connected.įailure to remove the knock plug will result in a dishwasher that is not draining or one that is leaking from the air gap. If you have a dishwasher, it will be connected to the garbage disposal from the very top of the unit. It prevents water from splashing around when the garbage disposal is running. What you can see.įrom the top of the sink where waste and water are feed into the garbage disposal, there a rubber flaps which cover the opening. To understand how garbage disposals work, you should however start with the outside. Most of the work happens inside the garbage disposal. How a Garbage Disposal Works Diagram Image: How Do Garbage Disposals Work Once you start a continuous batch garbage disposal, you can add waste into it continuously wile it is running until you are done grinding. You the put waste inside the unit and then start it and let it run until all the waste has been grinding before adding more waste.Ĭontinuous feed garbage disposals are just like their name implies. In a batch feed garbage disposal, waste is grinded in batches. These are batch feed and continuous feed garbage disposals. Your sewer line is then connected to the city’s sewer lines or septic tank. The sink drain line is then connected to the house main drain stack which in turns drains into the sewer line outside your house. Since a garbage disposal is installed directly below the kitchen sink drain opening, its waste flows out through the sink’s drain line.
How to remove a garbage disposal drain plug full#
Due to its shape, it is also full of water which acts as a barrier preventing sewer odors from coming up through the sink drain. It traps potential clogs preventing them from clogging the drain line further away where unclogging would be more difficult.

It also has an inlet opening which allows you to connect it to the dishwasher.Ī P-trap is the U-bend under the kitchen sink. Garbage disposals are installed underneath the kitchen sink between the drain opening and the drain trap also called a P-trap. You always run a garbage disposal with a stream of cold water flowing into it to wash down the grinded food down the drain line to prevent clogs. InSinkErator garbage disposal sectional viewĪ garbage disposal works by spinning food waste inside a grinding chamber where it is shredded into tiny pieces and washed down the drain line. Is that correct though? The simple answer is NO. If you ask most people, they will tell you that a garbage disposal works pretty much like a blender. It grinds food waste into tiny pieces which are then washed down the drain line with the help of cold water from the faucet. What is a garbage disposal and how does it work?Ī garbage disposal is an electrically powered appliance installed underneath the kitchen sink between the drain opening and the P-trap.
