Garburators, waste disposal, etc...

[Taiphun]

Hi all,

I've got a In-Sink-Erator model 333 that seems to have quit working. It gives a buzzing sound when you turn it on (methinks the motor is shot) and then the surge protection button clicks out.

Anyone here recently shopped for one that can offer some hints or advice on what to look for?

This is for a townhome sink, 1 occupant (me), so I don't push that much junk down that thing.

Thanks!

[iso3200]

have you tried the reset button? worked for me before

http://www.insinkerator.com/pdfs/US_ICU1.pdf

[SleepyGSR]

Hi all,

I've got a In-Sink-Erator model 333 that seems to have quit working. It gives a buzzing sound when you turn it on (methinks the motor is shot) and then the surge protection button clicks out.

Anyone here recently shopped for one that can offer some hints or advice on what to look for?

This is for a townhome sink, 1 occupant (me), so I don't push that much junk down that thing.

Thanks!

Sounds like it's jammed. Have you used an allan key on the bottom to see if the garburator will turn?

[Taiphun]

Yep, thanks.. I've pushed in the reset button, but when I try to get it going it's giving me the humming sound again. Thanks for the PDF file.. I was looking around their site and couldn't find any documentation. Guess I wasn't looking in the right places!

Haven't tried the allen wrench thing.. thanks - I'll try that when I get home tonight. I can turn the blades and the thing inside manually (with the power off, of course), but I haven't tried the wrench thing.

[mart242]

Why even get one? Why not put the food and other crap in the trash can / compost bin instead?

[BobW]

Definitely sounds jammed more than anything. Try cleaning it out first. I installed an In-Sink-Erator 444 (aka the "Bone Crusher" as per their packaging). Never, ever, ever had any concerns about jamming. I do take the name seriously and keep my fingers well away from the entrance... no point in testing how well deserved the name is.

As for why to use a garburator. If you have a compost bin, I'd say use that. Lots of us don't have them tho and using these allows us to get rid of organic materials without stinking up the garbage. It's not like we feed every scrap of garbage thru them, just veg peelings and stuff like that. If you've ever lived in a hot climate where bugs are an issue, a garburator helps get rid of garbage that attracts bugs.

[Taiphun]

Thank you all.. saved me a few hundred bucks in getting a repairman in and all.

It was jammed.. I turned the bottom nut with an allen key back and forth a few times, then I ran it - flawlessly.

Just reeked pretty badly of stuff stuck in it for the past 2 weeks.. so I ran a sink full of water and bleach through it and it sounds good as new.

[mlc2000]

I've thought about getting one of these things and now that I'm expected to house yet another garbage container in my garage (green pail on wheels), it just seems like such a great way to get rid of that stuff.

What can u put in there?

[plymouthhater]

Check with your municipality before buying/installing a garburator. Some municipalities have by-laws prohibiting them. Wierd, considering in Florida some municipalities have by-laws making them mandatory.

I have had one for 16 yrs now. They are much cheaper in the USofA. I bought a Waste King for $28 at Home Depot in Florida and it's still going strong. It jammed once and I took it apart, turns out my kid tossed a penny into the sink and it jammed the garburator.

I never grind bones or chicken skin, the chicken skin is like elastic and doesn't seem to grind well. Either do banana peels.

On salad trimmings it works wonders.

Trick to keeping it fresh smelling - every once in a while - throw a few ice cubes in and grind 'em up.

[Gujustud]

Just came across this thread via google. My girlfriends condo has a Waste King Gourmet Model-111. It also has the same problem you mentioned (stopped working and just hums). However being the lowest version there is NO allen key area to work out the jam. I pulled the unit out, and took it apart, but I can't find a way to get to the motor still! Gonna take it to work and really rip it apart. For the price of a new one (seen at HD for $90-$110 for a similar model) I think I'll just get a new one. The brand HD carries is In Sink Erator, can anyone comment on these?

[CSK'sMom]

Check with your municipality before buying/installing a garburator. Some municipalities have by-laws prohibiting them. Wierd, considering in Florida some municipalities have by-laws making them mandatory.



The problem with them and why they are "outlawed" in many places is because they are the most eco-unfriendly thing one can use to get rid of compostables. The ground up waste is mixed with clean water and sent back to the sewage treatment plant. There is food matter is removed from the water and sent to landfill! It puts an undo burden on already overloaded sewage treatment plants. Do everyone a favor, including your own future generations, and use your green bin or compost the material yourself. If not please don't complain when your basement floods with raw sewage or your water rates and sewer rates in your municipality rise sky high... ;)

[mirek]

The problem with them and why they are "outlawed" in many places is because they are the most eco-unfriendly thing one can use to get rid of compostables. The ground up waste is mixed with clean water and sent back to the sewage treatment plant. There is food matter is removed from the water and sent to landfill! It puts an undo burden on already overloaded sewage treatment plants. Do everyone a favor, including your own future generations, and use your green bin or compost the material yourself. If not please don't complain when your basement floods with raw sewage or your water rates and sewer rates in your municipality rise sky high... ;)

Some people in Condo's don't have that luxury.

[CSK'sMom]

There are options for condo residents. If one is the slightest bit concerned about the environment and future generations it's not hard to find them by google'ing. A worm farm is perfect for condo residents, just one of many options.. ;) :rolleyes:

[Taiphun]

Holy resurrecting old threads!

I'm in a condo, and they don't allow compost bins out back. It's either grind it up or throw it in the dumpster.

No recycling either.. you think a rich city in Oilberta can afford curb side recycling?

[hoob]

There are options for condo residents. If one is the slightest bit concerned about the environment and future generations it's not hard to find them by google'ing. A worm farm is perfect for condo residents, just one of many options.. ;) :rolleyes:

Sorry, there aren't many options for many condo residents. Composting is not allowed in common areas (including exclusive use CA such as your balcony.) The "most eco-unfriendly" option... Sure, I bet it's better to truck it 350km to a landfill than it is to inject minced biodegradable material into a sewage and wastewater treatment network... :rolleyes:

[CSK'sMom]

Do the research hoob, a worm farm can be successfully done under your kitchen sink. ;) Do you actually have any idea about how much clean drinking water is wasted by using a waste disposal and how much energy is wasted by cleaning that water again at the sewage disposal plant? You do realize that the waste removed at the sewage treatment can end up trucked to landfill anyway right? And don't complain when the aging sewage treatment plants can't handle the incresed volume over the years and continually dump untreated waste into the Lakes closing the beaches ok?

[hoob]

Do the research hoob, a worm farm can be successfully done under your kitchen sink. ;) Do you actually have any idea about how much clean drinking water is wasted by using a waste disposal and how much energy is wasted by cleaning that water again at the sewage disposal plant? You do realize that the waste removed at the sewage treatment can end up trucked to landfill anyway right? And don't complain when the aging sewage treatment plants can't handle the incresed volume over the years and continually dump untreated waste into the Lakes closing the beaches ok?

There is no room under my kitchen sink, that is where all my recycling goes.

1) Water is not a sensitive resource in Toronto. Water used to dispose is equivalent to water used to clean, and water used to cook.
2) Worms or otherwise, the stuff has to get disposed of somehow, somewhere, eventually.
3) It can get trucked somewhere for post processing, either to a landfill or for pelletized fertilizer. It's still far better than chucking in straight in the trash.
4) As for sewage treatment handling the volume... That's a non-issue, as personal organic material disposal is less than what goes down the toilet.

Everyone has their own line when it comes down to being an eco-nut. I've drawn mine, and you feel free to tend worms under your sink if you want, but that's your line. I know just how far that line can be drawn, and at some point you just have to avoid what just doesn't make any practical sense; I've lived the life of indoor composting toilets, 24V wind power circuitry, solar water heating, etc, so it's not like I'm willfully ignorant of the options. An in-sink garbage disposal is a valid, logical, and reasonably responsible option for MTU residents, in Toronto at least, without a building green box program.

[hoob]

No recycling either.. you think a rich city in Oilberta can afford curb side recycling?

I was just visiting a friend in far off rural Quebec (rural county has a population of 170 people.) They have curbside recycling, and she lives 3km down a dirt side road in the middle of nowhere.

[hoob]

Do the research hoob, a worm farm can be successfully done under your kitchen sink. ;) Do you actually have any idea about how much clean drinking water is wasted by using a waste disposal and how much energy is wasted by cleaning that water again at the sewage disposal plant? You do realize that the waste removed at the sewage treatment can end up trucked to landfill anyway right? And don't complain when the aging sewage treatment plants can't handle the incresed volume over the years and continually dump untreated waste into the Lakes closing the beaches ok?

Given that line of argument, I wonder what your point of eco-view is on "disposable diapers" vs "washable cloth diapers".

[CSK'sMom]

All 3 of our kids were cloth diapered. Disposables will still be sitting in the land fill whole when the baby that soiled them is dead of old age... Oh, and I use a clothesline too and always have, even in a townhouse. ;)

[batcave]

I'm going to resurrect this thread... :twisted:

I've just installed an Insinkerator Evolution Compact (http://www.insinkerator.com/product/product.php?id=203&template=hhd) food waste disposer. It's even more quiet and efficient than I imagined.

I mulled over the benefits and drawbacks for several years. I even waited patiently for the City of Toronto to introduce green bin composting for apartments/condos (http://www.toronto.ca/garbage/multi/aptsgreen.htm). They promised it for 2008 when they started the city program.

I think having one of these thing could be less cost to the city because if enough people had them, it would reduce the need to truck waste to landfills or compost centres. Water treatment plants have to filter out solids and suspended articles anyway. There have been studies where cities have rescinded bans on these devices and even give tax breaks to homeowners to use them.

Composting is not feasible in some condos in the city because of the lack of space available to us. I doubt we could add the option to the garbage chute because of the space limitations with the garbage chute and the room where waste is collected.

It's very good for me because 98% of my waste is organic - I generally only eat non-packaged food. Before I would only compost a portion of my waste because of the volume of waste I created because of the effort required to compost. I had to walk 15 minutes to the compost at the community centre and it wasn't always maintained properly.

[mlc2000]

All 3 of our kids were cloth diapered. Disposables will still be sitting in the land fill whole when the baby that soiled them is dead of old age... Oh, and I use a clothesline too and always have, even in a townhouse. ;)

theres a bylaw in my neighborhood that disallows clothes lines.

[CSK'sMom]

theres a bylaw in my neighborhood that disallows clothes lines.


Follow the news on the issue mlc, any current bylaws are supposedly unenforcable and the province is currently floating legislation to completely disallow any ban, any where on clotheslines. ;)