It all started 2 days ago when I was cleaning up the kitchen. I had a 1 gallon container of dry white rice that I found a dead bug in. I was going to throw it all in the trash and thought it would make it heavy and maybe tear the bag, so I thought I would just pour it down the disposal. I realize that I have several degrees, but none of them came in handy when needing to remember that rice expands. The sink backed up and just sort of vomited all over my kitchen. When Todd started working on it, I asked if it could be the rice that I put down the disposal...he said naaaaa. BOY WAS I RELIEVED! About an hour later he said....did you put DRY RICE down there? I nodded yes...and then he realized what I had done.
He worked 2 evenings until midnight trying to fix the problem....When he told me Friday morning that it would cost 125 dollars, I said call em! He said...That is a lot of money. So I stayed quiet. This morning, he finally sent up the white flag and called. They guy said it was like concrete! It even broke a piece of his equipment. Todd worked beside him the whole time to speed up the process. He finally left 3 hours later and I asked Todd how much it cost...he smiled and said..."That was the best 250 dollars Ive ever spent." I let him celebrate by letting him go buy a Wii Nintendo. He said next time he will listen to me when I say to call the professional....I say..."we'll see!"
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
the rules of the disposal:
1. Keep anything too hard out of the disposal. The shredder will dull and not be efficient. If something's really hard, just put it in your trash can. Some items to avoid are:
* large or heavy bones (very small and soft ones are okay)
* hard shells from fish
* unpopped popcorn kernels
2. Be careful when putting fibrous or starchy items in the disposal. Both can cause particularly stubborn drain blockages (fibers get tangled, and starches get thick). The following items should be put in the disposal in minimal increments, preferably cut into small pieces, or not at all:
* banana peels
* celery
* artichoke leaves
* potato peelings
* corn husks
* onion skins and egg shells (unless you're especially careful to completely remove the thin membranes of each, which can wrap around the shredder ring)
* pasta
* rice
* flour
* cornmeal
* bread
3. Cut large items into smaller pieces. If they are too large, like the skins of melons, cut them into smaller pieces and put them one at a time into the disposal instead of trying to shove a large amount in at once.
4. Run cold water while the disposal is on. Cold water keeps the motor, bearings and shredder assembly from overheating. It also lets the waste go down easier because the water is pushing it down. Don't use hot water, because it can melt fat and allow it to re-solidify as a blockage further down in the drain.
5. Throw some ice down once in a while. While ice will not sharpen the shredders (as is commonly believed), it does knock off any debris build-up on the sharp edges that keeps them from grinding food properly. For better results, make special ice cubes from pure lemon juice or vinegar or alternate with cleanser. Be sure to run cold water at the same time.
6. Clean it regularly.
* With the disposal off, clean the inner side of the rubber in the center of the sink leading to the disposal. It gets very dirty, and gives off an odor when not cleaned. Just wipe it with a paper towel.
* Sprinkle a powdered cleaner like Ajax into the disposal while warm water trickles in from the faucet. Turn off the water and disposal before all of the cleaner is flushed away. The mixture of cleaning powder and water will be scattered inside the disposer cavity and if left there, it will kill odor-causing bacteria. Alternatively, baking soda can be used.
7. Dispose orange peels, or any citrus fruit peels, to freshen the disposal and keep it smelling clean, but cut them into slices first as large pieces of citrus peel, e.g. half a lime, can jam a disposal.
lol pretend I didn't just mess mine up today! even though I already knew this!!! lol
You know, between all those science classes with Dr. Payne and Dr. Sowards, you would think that one of them would have come up with some sort of rice experiment.
I would have done the same thing though. Freddie clogged up the disposal in the old house with onion skins--on Thanksgiving, of course, with ALLLLLL of his family coming. When we moved into the new house, the builder actually gave us a lesson on what can and cannot go down the disposal, but I don't think rice was mentioned.
Post a Comment