YOU WANT TO DO WHAT! IN MY KITCHEN?

11/4/2014 9:08:00 AM by Aaron Kramer Plumbing

Could this be what Mrs. John Hammes exclaimed to her husband when he told her that he wanted to run some experiments at her kitchen sink AND that the ‘results’ of his experiments would end up in a ‘pool’ in their back yard, outside her kitchen window? “My dear, my experiments will make easier work for you and, hopefully, it won’t take me long to perfect my idea.” Well, after 11 years of experimenting under her kitchen sink and retrieving the ‘results’ of his experiments from the ‘pool’, he did come up with an invention that would make work easier, not only for his wife, but all households. John Hammes was first a farmer, then a carpenter, and finally a contractor turned inventor who began 11 years of experimenting with various models and motors of what became known as the ‘garbage disposal’. Various models were installed under his kitchen sink, food scraps put down, and the results piped into a pool in the backyard where he then retrieved the results in order to test how effectively each new model was grinding up the scraps. Mr. Hammes took out his first patent in 1935 and in 1938 the In-Sink-Erator Manufacturing Company of Racine, Wisconsin, was born. Mr. Hammes and his two sons built and sold 52 models that first year. Today, In-Sink-Erator is one of the most well-known brands in the country of a common household appliance. In the beginning, Mr. Hammes faced many obstacles to his invention. The greatest were the regulations of municipalities against having food waste put into their sewer systems. It took many years of meetings and lobbying with municipal leaders for him to convince them that the food waste would not clog their systems or sewers. One of the last cities to be convinced was New York City, and that was not until 1997! It was not until the 1970's and 1980's that the disposal was found in most high-end homes, and not until the first decade of 2000 that 50% of homes in the United states had a disposal installed. Disposals have a tendency to be loud and noisy, but thanks to new technology, the disposals on the market today are quieter, jam less, and grind the scraps even more. When in the market for a new disposal, keep these things in mind: check for the noise rating, how many grind chambers it has, and what size unit is recommended for your family size and for the amount of entertaining that you do. Having a disposal is a convenience that allows us to dispose of food waste quickly and effortlessly. Treated properly, a disposal can last a number of years. Following are some DO’s and DON’TS to keep that disposal humming and grinding along: DO: 1. put the food into the unit slowly. 2. occasionally put down small bones and small seeds into the unit. This will help keep the walls of the disposal clean. 3. run cold water only when processing food scraps and allow it to run for approximately 20 seconds after all the food has been processed. This will help keep the food from collecting in the unit and the pipes. 4. occasionally put in an orange or grapefruit peel to freshen the disposal. A small amount of dish soap can also be put down the disposal keeping the cold water running for approximately 20 seconds. DON’T 1. put bleach or any other caustic liquids, such as drain cleaners, into the disposal. 2. use hot water, only cold. Refrain from pouring boiling water into the kitchen drain. Add cold water while draining hot water (such as pasta water) into the sink. 3. turn off the disposal too soon after putting food scraps into the unit. Housewives are probably the largest group who are thankful to Mrs. Hammes for allowing her husband to install unit after unit under her kitchen sink, and for allowing him to have the ‘pool’ in the backyard. Perhaps after her first question of ‘you want to do WHAT in my kitchen”, she very sincerely said, ‘thank you, dear’. For further information concerning garbage disposals, or perhaps faucets, toilets, water heaters, clogged drains, sump pumps, or pipe leaks, please contact Aaron Kramer Plumbing. We would like to be your ‘Dayton, Ohio local plumber’.