Long term impact of not having a garbage disposal?

Question

Hi,

I have a SFH rental (no septic tank) professionally PM'd and the tenant is complaining that the GD keeps breaking and actually wants it removed or else they will move out (seriously ?).  The first time repaired last May , the root cause was not documented.  The 2nd time , it was documented that there was glass.

I've read older threads on this forum like this one  where it seems most people recommend not having a GD as it is an item that breaks frequently and is a repeat hassle.   I thought about having the PM putting language in the lease agreement for the tenant to not let food go down the sink , tenant would be responsible for any kitchen sink clogs going forward, and perhaps require use of a sink strainer but given there was glass found during the 2nd repair, I am not sure how careful or compliant the tenant would be anyway.

In addition.. let's say there is a clog in the kitchen sink with no GD, plumber takes care of it,  is there any concern about the impact to piping long term should residual food waste be allowed to accumulate in the pipes?  I am more concerned of big plumbing bill down the road .

Thanks in advance.

Dennis M. · Answer

@Warren Ang

Never had a garbage disposal in all my life in any house I ever lived in . Get that thing out of there especially if a good tenant is threatening to leave . If somebody is dumb and just lets food go down the drain then You may have to clean the grease trap every few years but that is 10 minute job under the sink . No one needs a garbage disposal

Warren A. · Answer

Thank you everyone for the input!   I took the feedback, discussed with my PM and we both agreed to remove the GD.  The PM made sure the tenant understood that she would be responsible for any plumbing issue determined to be tenant negligence.     The tenant seemed to be delighted and was ok with the disclaimer and asked to renew the lease.  So it seems it has worked out .

Thomas S. · Answer

Never have GDs, they are nothing but a continual pain in the butt. It is not a issue of clogged drains simply due to not having a disposal. Never had on and rarely have a issue that drain cleaner can not clear.

You are over thinking the managing of your rentals. The fewer the moving parts the less work. NO GDs no icemakers, no fancy unnecessary equipment.

If a tenant clogs the sink you charge them for the service call. They learn very fast not to be irresponsible.

Justin Kane · Answer

i used american 1.25 hp power GD in all my properties never had an issue once

Kelly N. · Answer

Hi,

What brand is the disposal?  We have Insinkerators everywhere, and never had ongoing issues with them...

About half our units have garbage disposals, and I haven't seen any major issues either way in the 6 years I have been doing this.  I have had to replace exactly 1 garbage disposal in a rental, generally when there is an issue I can either hit the reset button or use the tool to free the disposal (the funky allen wrench that comes with the disposal).  Once, before I knew about the tool, I stuck a wooden dowel in the disposal and ran it, which freed up the bottle cap that was jamming it, then I just pulled it out with my hand.   ANY of these items can and should be able to be handled by the tenant, except for replacing the disposal.  Biggest issue I have had is bacon grease in the drain (despite what the lease says, they put bacon grease in the drain), which I took care of once, and the second tenant that did it got to learn that lesson himself- I told him it was covered in the  lease and that there would be a charge if he wanted me to take care of it- especially since he waited a few days after it clogged to let me know- yuck.

At our own home we have one, we replaced it once in the last 18 years we have lived here, and generally haven't had any issues with it.  Just make sure they know how to operate it, not everyone is used to them.

Anna Watkins · Answer

I'm in the crowd that doesn't believe in garbage disposals in the sink -- would NEVER have one in my own home, don't want them in my rentals.  It's just another thing to break, and honestly, I think it encourages bad practice -- people will put all kinds of food down the disposal they wouldn't let go down a regular drain.

Take out the busted one right away and keep the tenant happy.  If you really like them, it's relatively cheap to replace with a new one for the next tenant -- you'll have all the wiring already in place.

John Patton · Answer

I have no GD nor dishwasher in none of the homes I have except for 1 house I bought brand new last year. I have even gone to the extent of taking dishwasher out of class B- and C+homes because they can break down And cost money to fix. I only have 2 older houses with refrigerators I provide. Good luck JP

Lane Kawaoka · Answer

@Warren Ang that dang garbage disposal always breaks and ends up being a 200 dollar repair that takes 10 minutes. I don't have them in my Class B rental in Birmingham, Atlanta, Indianapolis.

Jill F. · Answer

I'm considering adding them to even my cheapest rentals because I believe that they are likely to prevent large drain clogs and they are such a nice amenity. I would HATE to live without one.

Consumer reports likes the 1/2 HP waste king which are available on Amazon for 50-70 bucks. It takes my handyman 20-30 minutes to replace an existing disposal and I pay him for twelve hours a week no matter what so I just have him do it when there aren't more pressing issues. I have a bunch of disposals; they almost never break though I did recently have one that was over 30 years old start to leak and one other really old one froze up and my handyman just used a broom handle and forced it and it came back to life, though it probably will go before long.

I

Isabella Zhang · Answer

@Warren Ang

Good lucky!

Long term impact of not having a garbage disposal?

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