My kitchen sink has a 15 year old Kitchenaid garbage disposal unit. Recently the drain pipe below has been plugging with ground vegetable matter almost daily. The sinks drain into 2" (od) PVC, which in turn drain into a 2-1/4" cast iron pipe. The clog seems to be in the same place in the iron pipe, although there is not seam, joint or bend that would make this a suspicious location.

Could my problem be the disposal unit, i.e. it's getting old and doesn't properly shred the material, leading to the clogs?

Why the clog happens at the same location in a straight section of pipe s]is beyond me.

Right now my plan is to cut out the iron pipe and replace it with PVC in the hopes that there is something inside the pipe causing the clogs.

Anyone have any other suggestions?

Thanks,

Ian

On 5/27/2012 6:19 AM, Ian wrote:
My kitchen sink has a 15 year old Kitchenaid garbage disposal unit. Recently the drain pipe below has been plugging with ground vegetable matter almost daily. The sinks drain into 2" (od) PVC, which in turn drain into a 2-1/4" cast iron pipe. The clog seems to be in the same place in the iron pipe, although there is not seam, joint or bend that would make this a suspicious location.

Could my problem be the disposal unit, i.e. it's getting old and doesn't properly shred the material, leading to the clogs?

Why the clog happens at the same location in a straight section of pipe s]is beyond me.

Right now my plan is to cut out the iron pipe and replace it with PVC in the hopes that there is something inside the pipe causing the clogs.

Anyone have any other suggestions?

Thanks,

Ian

Don't put uncooked vegetable matter down the disposal. How is the drain
vent?

On Sun, 27 May 2012 03:19:00 -0700 (PDT), Ian
wrote:

My kitchen sink has a 15 year old Kitchenaid garbage disposal unit. Recently the drain pipe below has been plugging with ground vegetable matter almost daily. The sinks drain into 2" (od) PVC, which in turn drain into a 2-1/4" cast iron pipe. The clog seems to be in the same place in the iron pipe, although there is not seam, joint or bend that would make this a suspicious location.

Could my problem be the disposal unit, i.e. it's getting old and doesn't properly shred the material, leading to the clogs?

Why the clog happens at the same location in a straight section of pipe s]is beyond me.

Right now my plan is to cut out the iron pipe and replace it with PVC in the hopes that there is something inside the pipe causing the clogs.

Anyone have any other suggestions?

Thanks,

Ian

I have to wonder if the iron pipe is rusting and catching the solids
somehow. How are you clearing hatter pipe? A snake would open it,
but not get rid of the actual cause if corrosion is closing down the
diameter.

Ian wrote:
My kitchen sink has a 15 year old Kitchenaid garbage disposal unit.
Recently the drain pipe below has been plugging with ground vegetable
matter almost daily. The sinks drain into 2" (od) PVC, which in turn
drain into a 2-1/4" cast iron pipe. The clog seems to be in the same
place in the iron pipe, although there is not seam, joint or bend
that would make this a suspicious location.

Could my problem be the disposal unit, i.e. it's getting old and
doesn't properly shred the material, leading to the clogs?

Why the clog happens at the same location in a straight section of
pipe s]is beyond me.

Right now my plan is to cut out the iron pipe and replace it with PVC
in the hopes that there is something inside the pipe causing the
clogs.

Anyone have any other suggestions?

Get the pipe properly cleaned using something with a cutter to remove major
problems, and lots of water to flush it clean.

Bob F wrote:
Ian wrote:
My kitchen sink has a 15 year old Kitchenaid garbage disposal unit.
Recently the drain pipe below has been plugging with ground vegetable
matter almost daily. The sinks drain into 2" (od) PVC, which in turn
drain into a 2-1/4" cast iron pipe. The clog seems to be in the same
place in the iron pipe, although there is not seam, joint or bend
that would make this a suspicious location.

Could my problem be the disposal unit, i.e. it's getting old and
doesn't properly shred the material, leading to the clogs?

Why the clog happens at the same location in a straight section of
pipe s]is beyond me.

Right now my plan is to cut out the iron pipe and replace it with PVC
in the hopes that there is something inside the pipe causing the
clogs.

Anyone have any other suggestions?

Get the pipe properly cleaned using something with a cutter to remove
major problems, and lots of water to flush it clean.

Personally, in my 90 yo house, I just never use the disposal. I haven't had a
single problem.

On May 27, 6:19*am, Ian wrote:
My kitchen sink has a 15 year old Kitchenaid garbage disposal unit. *Recently the drain pipe below has been plugging with ground vegetable matter almost daily. *The sinks drain into 2" (od) PVC, which in turn drain into a 2-1/4" cast iron pipe. *The clog seems to be in the same place in the iron pipe, although there is not seam, joint or bend that would make this a suspicious location.

Could my problem be the disposal unit, i.e. it's getting old and doesn't properly shred the material, leading to the clogs?

Why the clog happens at the same location in a straight section of pipe s]is beyond me.

Right now my plan is to cut out the iron pipe and replace it with PVC in the hopes that there is something inside the pipe causing the clogs.

Anyone have any other suggestions?

Thanks,

Ian

How much stuff are you feeding into the disposal at a time ?

How long are you letting it run after you grind up the food waste
before shutting it off ?

You could be using it wrong and causing part of the problem...

On Sunday, May 27, 2012 12:19:00 AM UTC-10, Ian wrote:
My kitchen sink has a 15 year old Kitchenaid garbage disposal unit. Recently the drain pipe below

That grinder will need replacing soon anyway, so go ahead. I hope you don't have to
disassemble the pipe for every clog... I posted a miracle fix for using a plunger on
disposal sinks. If you have a dishwasher connection that breaks the suction, you
can whittle a cork to fit in there and make the plunger work like magic.