Garbage Disposal Unit

The Individual Parts of the Garbage Disposal System

A garbage disposal system is just one of the appliances in your house that you use every day. Yet, there are many people who’ve never heard anything about it outside of how to use it. So when even little damage pops up (maybe because someone accidentally put something down their sink drain), we’re looking for plumbers right away.

There are many things to consider when dealing with a trash disposal device, and one of the most important is knowing its parts. By understanding how it works you will know what needs fixing in case something breaks down.

Garbage Disposal Parts

What Are The Different Parts of The Disposal Units?

A garbage disposal is a cylindrical appliance that can be installed under the sink to chew food waste and send it down the drain. This device operates on electricity, so it will run only when you turn it on. If you look inside of it, it should be hollow.

Splash guard

The splash guard is the rubber flap that you see on either side of your sink. These tabs work to stop any liquids or waste from splashing back up into the kitchen and instead directs it safely down into the disposal unit underneath them. Not all trash disposal units come with a splash guard.

The stopper

The disposal unit has a stopper that is the part of the device visible in your sink. It’s essentially like a passage into the garbage disposal, and when it touches food waste, opens to let it go through then closes again so nothing else can pass into it.

The sink flange

The sink flange is circular and connects the disposer to the underside of a kitchen sink. This part supports your garbage disposal, attaches it to both the drain pipe underneath as well as the stopper and hopper on top of your countertop.

Sink flanges are an integral part of the garbage disposal that provides a sturdy connection between the sink and unit. When leaks in your garbage disposal begin to pop up, it is usually because there has been some damage to this area. The three screws mount directly into either stainless steel or plastic through holes on the top of the disposer’s collar.

When you are replacing or repairing your disposer, be sure to release the sink flange from it. The sink flange is a vital part of the unit and thus must not get lost when you need to take apart any section of your disposal system.

Mounting ring

The mounting ring, also known as the mounting bracket, is a small but crucial piece of the disposal that allows it to attach to the sink. You have to mount this part correctly to make sure that no leaks will happen and that everything will function as it should.

The Hopper

The hopper is the hollow cylinder where you have your grinder and motor. It’s located under the sink, inside of a cabinet. Food drops into this area for grinding before it leaves through tubes leading to other parts of your disposal unit.

It is comprised of two parts also known as chambers. The food first enters the top chamber. From there, it is pushed down to two sets of shredders through which running water runs and washes off any residue stuck as they head towards a drain at the bottom.

The lower hopper is the powerhouse. It has a motor and it also connects to the waste line. When the disposal system grinds food waste at an upper chamber it will then push it to this part of the unit. It will then be let out.

The clamping ring of a garbage disposal system is the part that attaches the hopper to its stopper. It’s also where the hopper ends.

The internal parts of the disposer

Flywheel, shredders, and impellers

In order to function, the disposal system must have these three parts that work together, as they can’t function one without the other. They are part of the actual system to grind the food.

The shredder ring is a metal stationery piece with grooves and teeth that stands between the lower hopper chamber and upper hopper chambers. This part of the disposal unit happens to be at its center, just after where you’ll find the clamping ring.

The grooves are designed to efficiently process food waste on the flywheel. The size of the particles must be reduced enough so that they can pass through without getting caught in between the shredder ring sides.

You will notice that the flywheel has two impellers on the sides of the wheels. The flywheels will start to turn only when the motor is insulated, then then the grinding process will be able to begin. This means that the flywheel part will have to get catch the food and take it to the rotating impellers.

We call the blades of the disposal impellers. When you have your disposal on, they rotate to grind the waste into tiny pieces that are pushed through shredder ring holes towards a drainpipe situated below.

The motor

A garbage disposal’s motor is the powerhouse of the unit that allows it to grind up food waste. The more powerful a trash disposer’s motor, the better job it can do at grinding your leftover scraps into tiny bits and pieces. It will be in charge of turning the impellers and flywheels at your desired speed.

The Connections

The dishwasher connection

Dishwashers are pretty common nowadays, but what you may not be aware of is that they actually have a specific outlet to connect to the garbage disposal unit. If you take a look at the side of your garbage disposal unit, there should be an inlet for it here where dishwasher pipes can be attached.

Waste line connector

The waste line connector is the essential part of a garbage disposal. It’s it sends food waste to your drain pipes for proper removal, after it was properly shredded.

The downside of the disposer

This is a part that can help you when you will need the disposer to work but for any reason, it stopped or is jammed.

The reset button

Fix Garbage DisposalWhen the garbage disposal jams and will not start, you should press its reset button. This restarts its motor manually and in a forced way.

Flywheel turning hole

You can also fix the disposal unit with the help of a wrench if it is jammed. All you have to do is use any hex wrench on the flywheel hole. If there’s an obstruction then this will help loosen it so that we can restart and reuse the machine.

Electrical cover plate

Inside the cover plate, there is a power supply cord that connects to all of the wires in order to run your disposer. This allows you to connect and disconnect it from an outlet for easy use.

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