On a recent local news segment, they said that if you do not use your dishwasher, it will break. The reason behind this is a small hose to the pump at the bottom that should always have water in it. If you do not use the dishwasher (for more than a week in dry weather), that water will evaporate and could cause the hose to crack - and thus break and cause a leak.
On a similar note, I have heard that if you do not turn on the air-conditioner in your car once a week (even in winter) for a few minutes, it will also be a cause of leakage.
Moving on, I have never, ever, seen an instruction book for a garbage disposal (is there such a thing?). A friend who is a part-time handyman told me never to use it for potato peelings, as that was the major cause of “gunking up” the machine. I have also heard not to use it for chicken bones, apple cores, bacon grease or meat of any kind. So what ARE you suppose to put in a garbage disposal?
If you have any answers to the above - let me know.
If you have any additional questions like the above, please feel free to “hijack” this thread and add to the fray.
generally, any mechanical device is best used regularly…wherein while it sits, corrosion may develop, seals may dry out and flexible parts get lets flexible.
It is a great rule for all things mechanical.
Anything with an electric motor is better run regularly rather than leaving it sit for long periods. Regular use keeps the motor free of corrosion.
Even things like molds in duct work are less likely to develop in any Heat/vent/ ac set up.
Even autos and all machines in the garage with combustion engines…or electric motors.
As for the garbage diposal, you shouldn’t be pouring any kind of grease or fat down the drain, as this stuff will build up inside the pipes and lead to clogging.
I’ve heard the story about car A/C units, which leads me to believe that this is the reason the windsheild defroster in late-models cars uses the A/C, so the driver doesn’t have to worry about it.
Both my dishwasher and my garbage disposal broke when I had to move out of my home for several months due to a fire. The disposal was replaced, and the new model (Insinkerator) says it’s ok to put grease and small bones in it.
We bought our garbage disposal second-hand at the goodwill, hubby installed it himself, and we put all kinds of crap down that thing: grease, fat, potato peels, raw meat, and contemplating whether it will handle our teenager if she doesn’t clean up her act:)
It sounds to me like the repairman is saying “if you don’t put any garbage in your garbage disposal, AND if you run hot water down it and run it for 10 seconds a day, it will never break”
Most garbage disposals I’ve seen actually recommend that you crush up some small bones occasionally to keep the blades sharp and clean off any gunk that’s built up. Since I don’t always have bones on hand, I occasionally toss in a handful of ice cubes and grind 'em up. Accomplishes the same thing, and there’s no residue whatsoever after the ice melts.
I can vouch that a little used car A/C will leak oil around the seals. Mine had to be disconnected. But no loss since I wasn’t really using it any way (which is why …).
The reason you should never, ever put grease or fat in your disposal is because you shouldn’t dump grease or far down any drain. It’s bad for both septic tanks and sewage treatment plants. (There was an article in the paper recently about a plant having recurring problems since some company was periodically dump large amounts of rest. grease. Costs lots of $ each time to clean things out. A neighborhood of grease dumping jerks can easily equal that.)
The reason you see it in disposal instructions is because most disposal owners are clueless idiots. (Else they would know that they are bad things, banned in many localities. Never should have one on a septic system.) These jokers dump everything down the drain, regardless of law or logic.
Insinkerator is quickly becoming the Kleenex of garbage disposals, and I mean that in both senses – ubiquitous yet fairly, well, disposable. I’ve never known one, including my own, that has lasted more than seven or eight years with regular use. My machines have never been exposed to bones (vegetarians) but plenty of the scrap ends of celery, asparagus and button mushrooms. I can’t imagine what the life expectancy would be of the machines that get a steady diet of grease and bones.
While it may be reasonable to replace a toaster or can opener at least once a decade, I wouldn’t expect to do so with a $200 toaster or my Mixmaster Blender; I don’t think that I should have to do so with my garbage disposal either.
I never had or heard of a problem with an Insinkerator; they always seemed to be “forever” type items. There is some off-brand that they used in the townhomes I lived in until recently, and they not only didn’t last, they were a huge pain in the ass to switch out. Generally, I’d recommend spending the extra $$$ on a more powerful model when you get or replace one; also, keep that little allen wrench taped securely to the thing to service it if it jams up.
Also in said townhouse, we had a top-of-the-(Sears)-line dishwasher that was only four or five years old. We didn’t use it for a year (preferring hand-washing) and when we went to sell the place, we found that some valve in the thing that is supposed to make the waste water dump out had frozen in the wrong position, diverting the water out of the vent over the sink. It appears that old dried out soapy crap had caused the problem and that regular use would have kept it from building up.