Just found out that garbage disposals don't actually have sharp blades—they use blunt impellers to grind food. Kinda blew my mind, always thought they were like mini blenders down there, haha. Anyone else got random disposal trivia or weird plumbing facts?
Yeah, that's a common misconception. Those blunt impellers actually spin at high speeds, creating centrifugal force that pushes food against a stationary grind ring—it's friction and force doing the work, not sharpness. Also, random tip: avoid putting fibrous stuff like celery or corn husks down there. They tend to wrap around the impellers and jam things up pretty badly...seen it happen way too often on service calls.
"avoid putting fibrous stuff like celery or corn husks down there. They tend to wrap around the impellers and jam things up pretty badly..."
Totally agree with this. I've seen way too many disposals jammed up from banana peels too—people think they're soft enough, but those fibers are sneaky. Another thing folks underestimate is grease. Even if it's liquid going down, it solidifies later and clogs your pipes badly. Honestly, better safe than sorry...stick to scraping plates into the trash first. Saves you a headache (and a plumber's bill).
"Another thing folks underestimate is grease. Even if it's liquid going down, it solidifies later and clogs your pipes badly."
Yeah, grease is sneaky like that... Ever notice coffee grounds causing issues too? Seems harmless, but I've had to clear out some nasty clogs from those tiny particles building up over time.
