- A garbage disposal is attached under the sink drain so that it can catch food that is washed down. The container that holds the food is called a hopper. The purpose of the disposal is to chop food up into small pieces or even to a liquefied state so that it can flow down the drain easily without clogging the pipe.
- The chopping of food is done by a shredder ring which is just above the impellers. The impellers are L shaped, flat metal pieces attached to a wheel in the middle of the hopper. The wheel spins, connecting the impellers with the food. Water is used from the sink to keep the food suspended so that it floats toward the center of the hopper where the impellers are. The food is then flung into the shredder ring where it is sliced up. A pipeline is connected to the hopper just below the middle of the hopper where the food is flushed out. Some foods should not be put into a disposal, such as celery. These are stringy and can get wrapped around the moving parts causing it to get stuck.
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The wheel that the impellers are attached to is connected to the motor, and the motor is what spins it. The wheel spins at around 2,000 rpms, which is why the food can be smashed so thoroughly. The motor is located below the hopper. The motor is normally hard-wired into the electrical system and can be turned on and off with the flip of a switch, although sometimes it is plugged into an outlet that is wired to a switch.
When a unit stops for no apparent reason, the first thing that should be checked is the reset button, generally located at the bottom of the disposal. Sometimes a power surge trips the unit and pushing the button will fix the problem.
