Run Cold Water in Garbage Disposal

Most of the time, we pour hot or boiling water down the drain to unclog light clogs. And initially, the clog even gets removed after running the hot water.

But very few of us know the disadvantages of pouring hot water into the garbage disposal.

And so, most of us tend to ignore the advantages of running cold water from the tap directly down the garbage disposal rather than using hot water.

And that is what I am about to highlight in this article. That is why you should use cold water in the garbage disposal instead of hot. Have a look!

Generally, most of us have been doing wrong by pouring hot or boiling water in the garbage disposal whenever there is a clog or deposition of grease in the drain or garbage disposal.

Because we have traditionally known that hot or boiling water cleans clogs, greases, and debris from the drain or garbage disposal more efficiently.

And that’s why we don’t even try running cold water instead. But it has been observed several times that running cold water with a good amount of force is enough to clear out the clog.

Not only that, it even cleans up the hardened fats and grease accumulated in the walls of the pipes faster than hot water if run with reasonable force.

The coldness of the water helps keep the fats and grease solid and hardened so that they can be chopped up quickly when they get into contact with the garbage disposal and washed away without sticking anywhere else.

How can Cold Water Help in Removing a Bulk Amount of Food?

If you need to dispose of a bulk amount of food but are scared of leading to clogs, running plenty of cold water can be an excellent solution for you.

Suppose you need to dispose of more than 1 pound of food. You can turn the garbage disposal off and plug the drain hole of the sink after throwing the food waste inside.

And then, turn on the tap with good force and fill up the sink with cold water, preferably one-fourth of its depth.

Next, pull out the drain hole plug and turn on the garbage disposal. This would help to clean out a bulk amount of food waste thoroughly through the garbage disposal.

Is it OK to Put Ice Down the Garbage Disposal?

It is an excellent option to occasionally put some small chunks of ice into the garbage disposal. Ice is just hard enough to sharpen the shredder blades without damaging them.

The good thing about ice is that it is not too hard and can’t be shredded by the garbage disposal. Again, it is not too weak solid as well.

It is hard enough to sharpen the garbage disposal blades while shredding them and further clean them away with the water produced after melting.

That is why there is no harm in putting ice down the garbage disposal. It is more advantageous for garbage disposal.

What Does Ice do for Garbage Disposal?

Putting small chunks of ice down the garbage disposal will be a great help in cleaning the blades and surroundings of the garbage disposal.

The ground-up ice will work like small scrubbers to clean down the areas with debris inside the garbage disposal.

Ensure you are using the drain stopper so that the flying particles while grinding up the ice in the garbage disposal do not reach the sink surface.

After putting ice into the garbage disposal, once they are entirely chopped, know that your job is done. Next, they will eventually melt away down the drain.

If you want, you can additionally run some cold tap water after that as well to wash out the scrubbed grease and food particles.

Is it OK to Put Boiling Water Down the Garbage Disposal?

You can pour boiling water down the garbage disposal when the garbage disposal is turned off. But it should be for a good reason, such as cleaning a clog down the garbage disposal.

Pouring boiling water down the garbage disposal occasionally without any specific reason is not a good idea. It can lead to further problems such as solid clogs down the garbage disposal.

Besides, you should never put boiling water down the garbage disposal while it is running. It can cause different accidents and damages.

Why Don’t You Use Hot Water in the Garbage Disposal?

Firstly, you should never use hot or boiling water when the garbage disposal is running because this might cause the hot water to spill up through the drain hole of the sink, causing accidents.

Moreover, if you use boiling water while the garbage disposal is running, it will spread all over the surround and might eventually cause damage or leaks in the drain pipe.

Secondly, suppose you use hot water more often in the garbage disposal without any specific reason. The solid fats and grease deposited on the pipe walls and the garbage disposal blades will melt away.

Now, that might sound like an advantage that the hot water is melting away the grease build-up and aid in cleaning.

But it does more silent harm than benefit. But how? After going down the drain before reaching the p-trap of the pipe, the melted-away grease gets again solidified with the contact of air.

Then, this solidified grease so much down the drain keeps accumulating there and further creates a solid clog, completely blocking the path of movement of the wastes to drain away.

That will make an even more complex issue for you since the clog will be too solid and stubborn, as well as in the lower portions of the drain where plunging or putting down drain cleaners will hardly help.

That is why, even though melting the grease using hot water sounds like a great idea, it is a silent killer for your drainage system.

Instead, you should use cold water with the full force of the tap, which will chop up the solidified grease on the walls of the pipe and clean it away without any fear of further build-up in the lower portions of the drain.

Final Words

What do you think now?

Which one is better, cold water or hot water, for the garbage disposal?

Cold water. Isn’t it? I hope I could explain why cold water is way better than using hot water down the garbage disposal.

But I know it is difficult to ignore that hot water quickly and easily cleans up clogs and other build-ups in the garbage disposal quickly and easily.

Moreover, while using cold water to clean the garbage disposal, you need to use a massive amount of water, whereas, in the case of hot water, just a pot of water is enough.

Thus, it is both time and water-saving. So, you can use hot water to clean up the clogs or build-ups inside the garbage disposal when it worsens.

Just make sure you are not using it too frequently.

And it is always better to try running the cold tap water first and see if it works. So, make your moves wisely.

James Miller

James is an organic fertilizer professional who owns a successful organic fertilizer company in new jersey. He is an expert in waste management in both houses and community cases. In his free time, he loves to write about his experiences in the field.