What if I don’t have a garbage disposal?

If your kitchen does not have a disposal, it’s even more important to prevent food waste from entering your pipes.

Helpful tips include:

• Use a sink strainer to catch food particles
• Scrape plates into the trash or compost before rinsing
• Never pour grease down the drain—dispose of it in a sealed container
• Flush the drain weekly with hot water (not boiling) to help break down residue
• Use a mixture of baking soda and vinegar occasionally to help maintain freshness

Being proactive greatly reduces the risk of clogs.

How can I keep my kitchen pipes clear year-round?

Routine maintenance is key. Here are simple habits that make a big difference:

• Avoid pouring oils and grease into the sink
• Run hot water after each use
• Clean your sink stopper regularly
• Schedule periodic professional inspections
• Address slow drainage early before it becomes a full blockage

Preventative care is always more affordable than emergency plumbing repairs.

When should I call a professional plumber?

If you experience repeated clogs, water backing up into other fixtures, or suspect a deeper blockage in your system, it’s time to call a professional. Ignoring early warning signs can lead to pipe damage, leaks, or even water damage inside your home.

For reliable kitchen sink repairs and expert clog detection in Ormond Beach, contact Lou’s Plumbing today. The team at Lou’s Plumbing provides fast, accurate diagnostics and dependable solutions to keep your kitchen running smoothly.

Request your estimate today and get professional service you can trust in Ormond Beach, FL.

The post Everything IN The Kitchen Sink: Tips & Frequent Questions About Sink Issues appeared first on Lou's Plumbing Ormond Beach.

One of the more common plumbing problems that we hear about on a daily basis is problems with the garbage disposal. In most cases, the problems that we see are those that could have been prevented with the proper maintenance and upkeep for these garbage disposals. Here we are going to outline some of the more common tips to keep in mind.

11 Garbage Disposal Maintenance Tips

With your garbage disposal, you are going to want to make sure that you are treating it right. Otherwise, you will find that you have to call us to your house more often than what you would like. Plus, a garbage disposal that is treated right and is maintained is going to do the job much better than a disposal that is neglected and mistreated.

Here are some tips to keep in mind when using a garbage disposal in your home:

1. Do not put grease or fat into the disposal as this can cause the grind chamber to lock and can result in the drain line becoming blocked.
2. Hard food waste such as shellfish or pits from fruit should not be put into the garbage disposal as this is going to cause the blades to become dull.
3. Foods such as coffee, celery, egg shells and corn husks are often promoted as being able to be broken down smaller and put into the garbage disposal, however, it is  better to compost these items (or throw them into the trash if composting isn’t an option)!
4. When putting food into the disposal, be sure that you are only putting the amount that would fit into a dish strainer in the disposal at one time. Over-stuffing the disposal can cause massive issues later.
5. Never leave food sitting in the disposal, always run this so that it is clean.
6. Avoid running hot water at the time in which you are disposing of foods as this can make any fat in the food harden onto the disposal.
7. You can rinse the garbage disposal with hot water once done with disposing of food, and this can actually help to keep this a bit cleaner.
8. Once a week, flush the disposal with cold water. Put in the sink stopper and then fill the sink with cold water, remove the stopper and let this drain.
9. Once a month put a tray of ice cubes into the disposal and turn on the disposal to help sharpen the blades within the disposal.
10. Always ensure that there are no forks, spoons or other utensils that have fell into the garbage disposal as these can cause massive issues.
11. If your garbage disposal stinks, this often means that there are issues with food being stuck in disposal. Be sure that you are running water for a flushing effect, as well as grinding some ice cubes. However, if you have some leftover pieces of orange, lemon or lime, simple spray the juice into the disposal to help with odors and bacteria (compost or throw away the peels).

Solving Simple Disposal Jams

Occasionally, one of the blades might catch something at an angle that stops the motor from spinning. If this is the case, look for an allen wrench/key hole on the bottom of the disposal. Find the correct size allen wrench and manually rotate the blades in both directions to try to dislodge the item causing the jam. This can often be an easy fix to prevent burning up the motor. Be sure not to turn the motor on while attempting this.

When You Need to Call the Professionals

While you may do all of these tips and ensure that your disposal is treated right, there often comes a time in which the disposal has simply worn out. Here at Lou’s Plumbing, we often recommend a garbage disposal that has the ½ horsepower dura-drive induction motor, is constructed with galvanized steel, and is considered easy installation, such as the InSinkErator Badger 5 Garbage Disposal.

However, even if you believe a new one is needed, please do not try to do this on your own. If you were to try to install this on your own, and you do mess up, it could mean more work for us, and a higher bill for you. It is best to call us as we can then figure out if a new disposal is needed, or if a simple issue is present causing the malfunction of your system.

We Install Owner Provided Disposals & Provide New Badger Insinkerator Disposals as Well! Call 386-672-4091 To Schedule Your Install.

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