WASTE DISPOSER OPERATION
A waste disposer isn't rocket science, but a summary of its
operation is
in order. Here's a simplified drawing of the machinery involved:
Here's how it works: when you toss a bunch of stuff in
the hole,
it ends up sitting on top of the turntable. When the disposer is
running, the stuff is slung outwards against the shredder ring.
It's
not clear in this illustration, but the shredder ring has a series of
slots
in it, the edges of which are sharp. The lugs, which are loosely
attached to the turntable so they can swivel around and jingle, help
bash
the stuff against the shredder ring. As the stuff is dragged
along
the shredder ring, small chips are shaved off and go through the slots
and fall into the chamber below the turntable. With a good flow
of
water, all these chunks are stirred around under the turntable until
they
make their way out the outlet into the waste piping system.
Since the slots in the shredder ring are pretty small, the
shavings
that come through it should also be pretty small -- small enough that
you
wouldn't expect them to cause any problems down the pipes.
However,
it is possible for stringy stuff, like some types of beans, artichoke
leaves,
corn husks, things like that, to get in here and make a real mess of
things.
The stringy parts can get pulled through the slots in the shredder ring
lengthwise, then get wrapped around the shaft of the motor, or head on
down the pipe and congregate in a trap and plug the drain.