What Not to Put in Your Garbage Disposal This Fall (Pumpkin Guts Included)

Carving pumpkins is one of the best parts of October. Scraping the guts into the kitchen sink and flipping on the disposal is one of the worst ideas. If you're wondering what not to put in a garbage disposal this fall, pumpkin tops the list, and it has plenty of company. Here's what Spotsylvania homeowners should keep out of the sink, and what to do if the disposal jams anyway.

Why Pumpkin Guts and Garbage Disposals Don't Mix

Pumpkin pulp is stringy and fibrous. Those strands wrap around the disposal's spinning parts and can stall the motor. The seeds slip through and collect in the drain line.

The bigger problem starts after the pulp leaves the disposal. It's starchy and thickens into a paste that settles in the P-trap, the U-shaped bend under your sink, and in the pipes past it. One carving night can leave you with a slow or fully clogged kitchen drain.

What Not to Put in Your Garbage Disposal

Pumpkin is the seasonal culprit, but these cause trouble year-round. With fall and holiday cooking on the way, they're worth keeping in mind:

• Grease, oil, and fat. Bacon grease and pan drippings go down as a liquid, then cool and coat the inside of your pipes. Pour cooled grease into a can and throw it away.
• Fibrous vegetables. Celery, corn husks, onion skins, and similar scraps have strings that wrap around the disposal's parts.
• Potato peels. They're starchy and can turn into a thick paste, just like pumpkin.
• Pasta, rice, and bread. These soak up water and swell inside your pipes.
• Coffee grounds. They don't jam the disposal, but they settle in the drain and build into sludge over time.
• Eggshells. The thin inner skin can wrap around parts, and the gritty shell adds to buildup. Despite the old myth, they don't sharpen anything.
• Bones and fruit pits. They're too hard to grind and can damage the unit.
• Non-food items. Twist ties, produce stickers, paper towels, and bottle caps should never go in.

What a Garbage Disposal Can Handle

A disposal is built for small amounts of soft food scraps that fall off plates while you clean up. It is not a trash can. A few good habits go a long way:

• Run cold water before, during, and for several seconds after you use it
• Feed scraps in slowly instead of all at once
• Run it regularly, even briefly, so parts don't sit and seize
• When in doubt, throw it out

On a septic system? Some homes around Spotsylvania are. A disposal adds food solids to your septic tank, so use it lightly and follow the list above even more closely. The rest of this advice applies whether you're on public sewer or septic.

What to Do If Your Garbage Disposal Jams

If the disposal hums but won't spin, or won't turn on at all, try these steps first:

1. Turn off the power. Flip the wall switch off. For extra safety, switch off the disposal's breaker too. Never put your hand inside a disposal.
2. Press the reset button. Look under the sink for a small red or black button on the bottom of the unit. If it has popped out, press it back in.
3. Free the jam with a hex key. Many disposals have a small hex-shaped socket in the center of the bottom. Insert the wrench that came with your unit and work it back and forth until it turns freely. Keep the power off while you do this.
4. Restore power and test. Turn the cold water on, then the disposal. If it runs smoothly, you're done.

If you can see an object stuck inside, use tongs or pliers with the power off to pull it out.

Skip the Chemical Drain Cleaner

When a kitchen drain backs up, it's tempting to grab a bottle of drain cleaner. Please don't. Harsh chemicals can damage pipes, especially older pipes and plastic joints, and they can harm parts of the disposal.

They also rarely clear a packed clog of pulp or grease. If you've already poured some in, tell your plumber before any work starts so they can take precautions.

When to Call a Plumber

• The reset button and hex key don't fix the jam
• Water leaks from the bottom or sides of the unit
• Water backs up into the other side of a double sink
• The drain stays slow even when the disposal runs
• You smell burning, or the disposal keeps tripping the breaker
• The unit is older and jams often

We offer garbage disposal repair and installation for homes across the Fredericksburg area. You can also read more about the signs your disposal needs a professional.

If the clog is past the disposal and deeper in the line, professional drain cleaning clears it without chemicals. If it keeps coming back, here's more on why drains keep clogging.