Advice From My Plumber (Garbage Disposals And Hot Water Heaters)

I had to skip out on y’all yesterday morning because I was meeting with the plumber. He got here earlier than expected, and then while he was here, I got his input on some other things as well. My kitchen sink still isn’t fixed, but he’ll be back today to do all of the work.

I actually learned a lot from him yesterday, so while this isn’t quite as exciting as a room makeover or my painted console table in the entryway (which I’ll share tomorrow), I wanted to pass along all of the great info he shared with me yesterday because I think many of you might find it helpful.

First, on his advice, I decided to go with a new garbage disposal. As several of you said, the single basin sink isn’t the issue. The issue was the garbage disposal and the pipes underneath the sink. In the past, I’ve always gone with with one of the cheaper Insinkerator garbage disposal that’s available at Home Depot. It’s the one called Badger 500 and it’s a 1/2 horsepower garbage disposal. He said the two problems with the lower end Insinkerator garbage disposals are (1) the lower horsepower and (2) the material that the inside components are made out of.

He always recommends a 3/4 horsepower garbage disposal, but more importantly, he always recommends getting one with stainless steel grind components. To be honest, I had never even paid attention to this. I had no idea what made some Insinkerators cost $149 and others cost $269 or more. Because I’m cheap, I’ve just always bought the lower end ones without actually comparing them to see what makes them different. I always assumed it was just the horsepower that made the price difference.

So this time, I read the boxes to compare the differences. I noticed that the Badger 500 that I usually purchase not only has galvanized steel grind components, but it also has something called a single stage of grind. Others had two-stage grinding, and others had three-stage grinding. I had never noticed this before, and I didn’t know what it even meant. I mean, I could probably assume what it meant. Obviously, the more stages of grinding, the better. But I still consulted ChatGPT when I got home to understand it better. Here’s what it said:

The “stages of grind” on a garbage disposal refer to how many times the food waste is processed before it leaves the disposal and goes down the drain. More stages mean the waste is broken down into progressively smaller particles, which helps prevent clogs and can handle tougher food scraps.

So a single-stage garbage disposal is meant only for soft foods (like vegetables and small scraps). But it can struggle with fibrous foods, bones, and larger quantities of food. And I’ll be honest. In the past, I haven’t paid much attention to what I put down the garbage disposal. If it’s food, I would put it down the garbage disposal. That’s probably why I burn through the cheap garbage disposals much faster than I should.

A three-stage grind breaks the food down into much smaller particles before they are sent into the plumbing pipes. It’s like running the food through a blender until it’s almost liquid. And a three-stage garbage disposal can handle bones, fibrous foods, and peels. I’m not suggesting that we should be putting those things down the drain, but if one happens to get away from you and go down the drain, a garbage disposal with a three-stage grind can handle it. And because they pulverize the food to an almost-liquid state, they’re safe for homes with older plumbing, homes with septic systems, and homes that have long runs of drain pipe under the home.

While he was here, I also asked the plumber about the best way to clean a garbage disposal and keep the pipes under the sink cleared out. Because I’m easily influenced by specific influencers, I had purchased this Disposal Cleaner on Amazon (affiliate link).

I asked him if products like this actually work. He said…no. Well, that’s not totally true. He said that they’re actually good for deodorizing and keeping things smelling fresh. But beyond that, the claims of deep cleaning, protecting, and anything along those lines, are overblown.

While he was here, I also asked him about tankless water heaters. My next big project is still going to be turning the guest bathroom into a storage room, and I would love to put a tankless water heater on the wall directly opposite the doors so that I can have a full wall of cabinets on the left and a full wall of storage area for Matt’s equipment on the right.

But in trying to figure out what kind of hot water heater I want, I haven’t been able to nail down whether or not I can put a gas tankless water heater on an interior wall. So I got his input while he was here, and he assured me that I can have a gas tankless water heater on an interior wall. There are some caveats. It has to be one that’s enclosed, but that doesn’t mean I have to build an enclosure around it. I just have to purchase one that is enclosed. I’m still not exactly sure what that means, but I’ll rely on him guide me in purchasing the right one.

I’ve been waiting to start that project because I haven’t felt inspired to start on it. I’ve been focusing on other fun, random projects while waiting for inspiration to hit. And I think that part of my lack of inspiration has been my confusion over the whole hot water heater decision. I really wanted gas tankless, but from what I was reading, it didn’t seem like I could do that on an interior wall. So I wasn’t sure which direction to go, and since I felt confused, I felt uninspired.

But after he left yesterday, I was finally starting to feel that inspiration and excitement about that next big project well up. So I’m almost there (mentally speaking). I’m almost to the point where starting on that project doesn’t seem horrible and overwhelming and laborious, but it feels exciting and fun. I’m not 100% there, but I’m getting there. I still want to get the front porch skirting done and then finish up a couple of other outdoor projects before I start. But once those are done, I know I’ll be ready to get in there and start tearing out that bathroom. And I’ll be excited about it!

Anyway, I’ll be back tomorrow to show y’all the painted entryway console table. It looks so good! Painting it was definitely the right decision (for me).