I have read many of the pre-existing "stinky garbage disposal" threads
out there, all of which relate to odors caused by organic agents or
rotten food, but I have a new one. The previous owner of my house
apparently liked to dispose of his old ashes (cigarette, cigar,
pipe.... I do not know) in the garbage disposal. The upshot is that
whenever I run it there is a horrible smell of stale cigarettes that
comes from the unit. I am sort of lucky in that the smell comes form
the unit itself -- under the sink -- and not from the actual ingress to
the disposer. So if I do not open the doors of the cabinet under the
sink, then the smell is not too bad.

Still I would like to remedy this. I have tried all the old stand-bys:
- ice cubes
- backing soda followed by vinegar
- boiling water (although at least one poster said not to)
- bleach
- lemons

I have also manually cleaned all the accessible areas of the
drain/ingress (i.e. stick my hands in and scrub).

I suspect the problem is caked ashes somewhere in the unit.

An obvious solution seems to actually take the unit off and then
attempt to clean it. However I found that locking ring would not budge
(perhaps the subject of a future post). So I am looking for ideas that
do not involve taking the disposer apart.

Thanks

stor wrote:
I have read many of the pre-existing "stinky garbage disposal" threads
out there, all of which relate to odors caused by organic agents or
rotten food, but I have a new one. The previous owner of my house
apparently liked to dispose of his old ashes (cigarette, cigar,
pipe.... I do not know) in the garbage disposal. The upshot is that
whenever I run it there is a horrible smell of stale cigarettes that
comes from the unit. I am sort of lucky in that the smell comes form
the unit itself -- under the sink -- and not from the actual ingress to
the disposer. So if I do not open the doors of the cabinet under the
sink, then the smell is not too bad.

Still I would like to remedy this. I have tried all the old stand-bys:
- ice cubes
- backing soda followed by vinegar
- boiling water (although at least one poster said not to)
- bleach
- lemons

I have also manually cleaned all the accessible areas of the
drain/ingress (i.e. stick my hands in and scrub).

I suspect the problem is caked ashes somewhere in the unit.

An obvious solution seems to actually take the unit off and then
attempt to clean it. However I found that locking ring would not budge
(perhaps the subject of a future post). So I am looking for ideas that
do not involve taking the disposer apart.

Thanks


If you remove the unit, just get another one. Then it would be store
smelling fresh. Those lock rings just need persuasion... you need more
leverage.

"stor" wrote in message

I am sort of lucky in that the smell comes form
the unit itself -- under the sink -- and not from the actual ingress to
the disposer. So if I do not open the doors of the cabinet under the
sink, then the smell is not too bad.

Still I would like to remedy this. I have tried all the old stand-bys:
- ice cubes
- backing soda followed by vinegar
- boiling water (although at least one poster said not to)
- bleach
- lemons

I'd have to say you are unlucky as the usual treatments did not work. It
may be possible that the odor has permeated the housing and that has to be
taken off and cleaned.

I have tried all the old stand-bys:
- ice cubes
- backing soda followed by vinegar
- boiling water (although at least one poster said not to)
- bleach
- lemons

I have also manually cleaned all the accessible areas of the
drain/ingress (i.e. stick my hands in and scrub).

I suspect the problem is caked ashes somewhere in the unit.

An obvious solution seems to actually take the unit off and then
attempt to clean it. However I found that locking ring would not budge
(perhaps the subject of a future post). So I am looking for ideas that
do not involve taking the disposer apart.

If you have or can borrow one, a pressure washer could dislodge the
ashes that are probably trapped in nooks and crannies inside the unit.
Or maybe start with a garden hose...

stor wrote:

I have read many of the pre-existing "stinky garbage disposal" threads
out there, all of which relate to odors caused by organic agents or
rotten food, but I have a new one. The previous owner of my house
apparently liked to dispose of his old ashes (cigarette, cigar,
pipe.... I do not know) in the garbage disposal. The upshot is that
whenever I run it there is a horrible smell of stale cigarettes that
comes from the unit. I am sort of lucky in that the smell comes form
the unit itself -- under the sink -- and not from the actual ingress to
the disposer. So if I do not open the doors of the cabinet under the
sink, then the smell is not too bad.

Still I would like to remedy this. I have tried all the old stand-bys:
- ice cubes
- backing soda followed by vinegar
- boiling water (although at least one poster said not to)
- bleach
- lemons

I have also manually cleaned all the accessible areas of the
drain/ingress (i.e. stick my hands in and scrub).

I suspect the problem is caked ashes somewhere in the unit.

An obvious solution seems to actually take the unit off and then
attempt to clean it. However I found that locking ring would not budge
(perhaps the subject of a future post). So I am looking for ideas that
do not involve taking the disposer apart.

Thanks


I can't imagine a reason why putting butts and ashes INSIDE the disposer
could cause the parts of the disposer OUTSIDE the grinding chamber and
drain to smell that way. Except perhaps if there were a bad leak past
the shaft seal, in which case you ought to be seeing some evidence of
water leaking out of the motor, and that'll croak the motor pretty fast
anyway.

Methinks you've got a motor on its way out and what you are smelling is
burning insulation on the motor windings.

I'd stick in a new disposal pronto.

I'm suprised you can't budge the locking ring. I presume you already
sprayed it with penetrating oil and are using a BF screwdriver to lever
on it, and a hammer to whack that screwdriver with. If you really can't,
and have a Dremel tool with a cutting wheel plus patience, you ought to
be able to find a spot to slice through it enough to pry it off.

Personally I've never yet run into a disposer locking ring stronger than
me, but there's always the exception to the rule. G

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."

I presume you already
sprayed it with penetrating oil and are using a BF screwdriver to lever
on it, and a hammer to whack that screwdriver with.

ohhhh.... I didn't realize that's what it takes :-)

Seriously, I applied as much force as I thought was judicious (lacking
any experience with these things whatsoever). I thought when the lug
started to bend, that I was out of luck. Lacking any other solution, I
will attempt to be more "persuasive" on my next attempt.

stor wrote:

I presume you already
sprayed it with penetrating oil and are using a BF screwdriver to lever
on it, and a hammer to whack that screwdriver with.


ohhhh.... I didn't realize that's what it takes :-)

Seriously, I applied as much force as I thought was judicious (lacking
any experience with these things whatsoever). I thought when the lug
started to bend, that I was out of luck. Lacking any other solution, I
will attempt to be more "persuasive" on my next attempt.


Are you sure you are trying to rotate it the correct direction? It's
easy to get mixed up on that when you're jammed in under a sink with
your head twisted around. :-)

Jeff (Ducking....)

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."

stor wrote:
I presume you already
sprayed it with penetrating oil and are using a BF screwdriver to lever
on it, and a hammer to whack that screwdriver with.


ohhhh.... I didn't realize that's what it takes :-)

Seriously, I applied as much force as I thought was judicious (lacking
any experience with these things whatsoever). I thought when the lug
started to bend, that I was out of luck. Lacking any other solution, I
will attempt to be more "persuasive" on my next attempt.


The hammer is really what you need. It's like using an impact wrench on
a cars lug nut. The instantaneous force will "knock it loose".

Brad

"Brad Bruce" wrote in message

The hammer is really what you need. It's like using an impact wrench on a
cars lug nut. The instantaneous force will "knock it loose".

Brad

Yep, that'll do it. Keep in mind that once it comes out, it may not go back
the same way. The rubber gasket on mine swelled over a few years and had to
be replaced.

On Mon, 05 Sep 2005 01:32:09 +0000, Brad Bruce wrote:

stor wrote:
I presume you already
sprayed it with penetrating oil and are using a BF screwdriver to lever
on it, and a hammer to whack that screwdriver with.


ohhhh.... I didn't realize that's what it takes :-)

Seriously, I applied as much force as I thought was judicious (lacking
any experience with these things whatsoever). I thought when the lug
started to bend, that I was out of luck. Lacking any other solution, I
will attempt to be more "persuasive" on my next attempt.


The hammer is really what you need. It's like using an impact wrench on
a cars lug nut. The instantaneous force will "knock it loose".

A hammer works, but just *tap* the ears on the ring. It really doesn't
take much to get the ring free, or break something.


--
Keith