Closing on a house in a couple weeks, and it has the usual list of stuff
that needs to be seen to. Pretty high up on the list is replacing or fixing
a basically dead (non-draining) dishwasher, and a rotted trap assembly under
kitchen sink. I noticed sink has no disposal, which isn't uncommon in
septic-system houses of the vintage. But I was wondering, since I'll have it
all apart anyway, and this would be a convenient opportunity to add a
disposal, what is current thinking on the subject? I don't use disposals to
grind bones or leftovers or anything. Anything big enough to scrape goes in
trash can. Is trivial food waste like post-scraping plate residue really a
problem for septic systems? Or does pre-cleaning the plates make a disposal
a moot point?

Open to hints on the dishwasher, too, by the way. Seller claims soap cup
latch being busted was only problem, but when inspector ran it empty after
sitting for several months, it didn't drain. Any chance it something trivial
like a clogged screen, or dried crud in corrugated drain line which goes in
a big loop (to act like a P-trap, I assume) under kitchen sink before it
goes into adapter right under strainer? Brand is Hotpoint, or one of the
corporate twins. (At least the inside looks just like the 1992 Hotpoint here
in the apartment. I was considering snatching a parts machine out of
dumpster first week of June, when the idiot repair guys fix the busted
appliances in the newly-emptied units, by replacing them. I won't spend
repair money on a 13 year old dishwasher, but if I can get parts free and
fix it myself before I move mid-June...)

I'm sure I'll be asking a lot of dumb questions on here next few months- I
may have grown up in the business, but that was a lotta years ago, and the
details grow foggy...

aem sends....