The problem is in the name – garbage disposal. It leads people to believe they can shove any ol’ thing down that rumbling hole in the sink.
Au contraire, mon frere. Behind the illusion of modern convenience is a potential plumbing nightmare. Knowing how to care for a garbage disposal – along with other appliances, tools and electronics – can mean the difference between weeks of penny-pinching because of costly home repairs or money in the bank for household thrills like high-end candles and gourmet groceries.
Disposal depression
Garbage disposals are designed to eliminate tiny bits of food, not crudités ruffage or last night’s leftovers.
“I’m a firm believer that no one should have a garbage disposal,” says Ace Hardware Helpful Hardware Man Lou Manfredini.
Bold words, and for some, unrealistic. But when this DIY author and host of “The Mr. Fix-It Show” on WGN Radio in Chicago was queried about simple things homeowners can do to avoid pricey repairs, Manfredini quickly conjured a certain food-grinding thorn in his side.
“(Garbage disposals) are bad for plumbing because people misuse them,” he says. “And they’re bad for the environment because they put so much more waste into the system.”
But Manfredini concedes that this is a garbage disposal world.
And in that case, know thy appliance.
Overloading the disposal, especially with porous foods like potatoes and fruit, will stop up household plumbing. This is especially true in older homes with galvanized pipes..
“Thanksgiving is called Black Friday by plumbers,” Manfredini says. “The No. 1 thing they’re called on to fix? Clogged disposals.”
Dishwasher duties
The humble dishwasher is similarly misused. Most come with tiny food grinders, but that part needs to be cleaned about twice a year. Manfredini says there is generally a screen hiding the globs of food that accumulate after numerous washes. Underneath that, a rubber gasket. Periodically cleaning these parts with a brush and hydrogen peroxide not only helps keep the dishwasher running smooth, it prevents stinky bacteria buildup.
Clutter decombustion
Stacking movies, magazines, newspapers and various other media debris atop a VCR or DVD player almost always ensures that the machine will overheat. When that happens in this age of $30 Wal-Mart electronics, they are often replaced. But simply avoid yet another big-box store purchase by finding another resting place for those items. Surge protectors also help protect and lengthen the life of home electronics.
Gas it up
Manfredini says the trick to easy use and less repair of gas-powered outdoor equipment – lawn mowers, trimmers, snow blowers and the like – is to treat their fuel prior to long months of storage.
“Gasoline, as it sits, starts to gum up and gel,” he says. “That gelatinous fuel will freeze up the inner workings of the carburetors in most of these engines.”
He prefers the fuel additive StayBil. By running most of the fuel out of an engine and adding the recommended amount of additive before refueling, gas-powered tools will purr after long months of hibernation.
Tooling around
Grown-ups should think about tools the way kids hopefully will think about toys: If you want to keep it, care for it.
Most people who accumulate hearty tool collections – including gardening tools – should realize they need to be protected. Problems arise with the rest of us, the folks who toss their tools into junk drawers or store them like crayons in a rusty coffee.
First rule: Tools should never get wet. Second rule: You get what you pay for.
Maintaining a tool box is more important than ever, Manfredini says, “with the way everything needs to be put together now, especially when buying (furniture and furnishings) online.”
In his opinion, the basic tool box should a sturdy five-in-one screwdriver, a good tape measure, a set of pliers, Allen wrenches and a quality hammer.
Primetime
Celebrity designer Doug Wilson of “Trading Spaces” fame said the No. 1 decorating misstep he sees is the failure to identify and prime old oil-based wall finishes. “You can’t put latex paints over oil-based glossy surfaces because it’s just going to crack and cause all kinds of problems,” Wilson says. When priming is skipped, the only way to fix that peely surface is to re-plaster it and then paint again. Worst-case scenario without priming: entire walls and ceilings need to be replaced.
“Primer is not just an extra coat of paint,” Wilson says. “Its real purpose is to seal and protect.”
Fabric frustration
In Wilson’s world of high-end design, another common misconception leading to wasted dollars is the idea that furniture can be covered with any fabric.
“Know what fabrics work for what purpose,” Wilson advises. “It may look pretty and seem like an upholstery fabric, but if it’s not going to wear, you’re in trouble.”
Read up on fabrics before buying them, he says. And learn a retailer’s return policy before your purchase. “If you do find a fabric that you just have to use, you can have it treated,” adds Wilson, who opted for that choice when redoing a New York City apartment in Pucci fabric and prints.
“I had custom laminations treated so they could be used as upholstery,” he says. “You can even treat fabric so it becomes wallpaper… You’ve just got to be an educated consumer.
Keep a step ahead of the plumber
Just getting a plumber to show up can cost anywhere from $80 to $150, according to Ace Hardware Helpful Hardware Man Lou Manfredini. Besides properly caring for hardware and appliances once you’re already in a home, prospective homeowners can do a number of things to make sure the plumbing in their dream house is up to snuff. The following plumbing guide for prospective homebuyers was compiled by Mr. Rooter of Greater Denver. It’s meant to keep plumbing problems from “throwing a wrench” into the house-shopping experience:
Examine all faucets for drips.
Open cabinet doors and check under sinks for leaks.
Turn water supply valves on and off to test for leaks.
Look for rust and erosion on all plumbing features (sinks, pipes, etc.).
Flush toilet to see how fast it flushes, if water backs up in the bowl or if it runs.
Inspect the base of the toilet for signs of water damage or soft floors.
Run the garbage disposal to see if it is working properly.
Check the first four digits of the water heater’s serial number (they are the month and year it was made) to make sure it isn’t more than 10 years old.
