Is it wrong to look for stuff to destroy?
Written: Mar 21 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: easy to install, quiet and powerful
Cons: none that I can see
The Bottom Line: If you need a medium-powered disposal that is really quiet, be sure to check this one out.
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| martytdx's Full Review: In-Sink-Erator 555ss Garbage Disposal |
Many months back, my wife and I noticed that the garbage disposal had gotten quite loud and didn't seem to be doing as good a job as we expected. The culprit - one of the grinding pieces had broken off and was getting chewed up by - and doing a fair job of chewing up - the second grinder. I pulled out the piece of metal and we made a note to go get a new disposal. Several weeks went by and we hadn't gotten around to it until the second piece also broke off - rendering our disposal quite useless. So, off to trusty Home Depot to pick up a new one.
We studied, we compared and in the end we picked the
In-Sink-Erator 555ss Garbage Disposal garbage disposal for 3 reasons: price, power and low grinding volume (sound-wise, that is). It fell to me to install it, and while my wife was out grocery shopping, I began my quest to impress the heck out of her upon her return.
[ • why get a DISPOSAL? • ]
Getting a garbage disposal is usually based on people thinking of either convenience or environmental soundness. A garbage disposal works by grinding up food into smaller particles which can then be safely washed down the drain and into a sewer system to be treated later. It helps with cleaning plates because you can scrape them right into the sink while rinsing them, and it leads to less stinking garbage when most of the food ends up being washed away.
But there are some factors to consider before getting one. First, if you have a septic system, a garbage disposal isn't for you since you will be putting a vast amount more solids into your tank, filling it up more quickly - in general, most places restrict the use of garbage disposals on properties with septic systems anyway.
Environmentally, in an ideal world, your food scraps should get composted, if possible, if you want to be environmentally sound. However, if where you live won't allow that or that's something you aren't ready to try, there are some factors to consider in your decision.
If you have a sewer system, you have more freedom to get a disposal. For convenience, it is a slam-dunk - less trash in bags, and easier to clean plates, etc. However, depending on what kind of sewer system you have, the environmental soundness can vary. According to the January 2005 Outside Magazine¹, if your municipality contributes to a wastewater treatment plant that uses the methane produced from sewage treatment and sells the dried (and purified) sludge as fertilizer, the garbage disposal is as or more environmentally-friendly than having it in the trash for a landfill. If the treatment plant just processes it and sends the sludge to the dump, you'll save energy by just putting it in the trash yourself. For us, our municipality falls into the former category, so it was a no brainer - we have dogs and a composting site isn't in the cards, at least not yet.
[ • installation of our MONSTER MACHINE • ]
There are two situations when installing a garbage disposal - first time and replacement. First time can be a nuisance from what I understand, although being able to pull out your sink definitely helps in many ways. However, I was simply replacing our old one, so I got VERY lucky. In fact, the replacement portion of this whole process was simple - once I got the old one off - that was a bear since it was on so tight. But once I got it on, following the directions was simple, and I had the new unit installed and hooked up in about 15 minutes.
[ • first the bread and peels, then THE ARTICHOKES • ]
Okay, don't tell the wife this, but I 'tested' our disposal on a few things that probably didn't need to be disposed of. In fact, I know that they didn't. But I had to test it, right? And this disposal worked as well as I had anticipated - maybe even better.
And that performance has continued ever since. The 3/4-hp motor might not seem like much, but it is more than enough to grind up everything we have given it - fruit, veggies, asparagus stems, peach pits, banana peels, meat scraps - all of it succumbs quickly to the jaws of death in the In-Sink-Erator's bowels. The large capacity of the grind chamber (50 oz.) allows us to pack quite a bit in there, too, and it never seems to even hesitate when doing the job - everything gets sucked in, ground up and spit out the sewer easily.
The dishwasher goes to the disposal as well, allowing us to get more food out through this single device. Things too large to actually go down the pipe sit in the disposal until we run it the next time. However, we do need to run this every time before we use the dishwasher since the water level can sometimes go into the sink. Any debris in the disposal at the time ends up sitting in the sink basin if it hasn't been run.
And this machine, as strong as it is, is a quiet purr when running. Okay, not really, but it is definitely a lot quieter than our old one. The In-Sink-Erator company has obviously added some more sound-dampening padding to the unit, reducing the noise level to noticeable but not annoying. You can even talk over it without having to shout, which is nice when you are cleaning up together.
[ • chomp, CHOMP • ]
As a whole, this was a great buy. We didn't have a choice in buying one, but I think that we got both a great deal and a good product from In-Sink-Erator. We had an earlier model from them, so that was why we chose to get this one, and they have in return earned our business somewhere down the road - although I hope it is WELL down the road. Our old disposal was almost 8 years old, so I'm not at all surprised that it finally died, and I have expectations that this one will do the ol' grind for us for many years.
[ • plumber SPECS • ]
Type of Feed: Continuous
Power: 3/4 HP, 120 volts, 60Hz, 8.1 amp
RPM: 1725
Grind Chamber: 50 oz. capacity stainless steel
Size: 12 3/4" high, 8 1/2" wide
Weight: 18 lbs., 7 oz.
Controls: Wall Switch On/Off Control
Lubrication: Permanently lubricated upper and lower bearings
Dishwasher Drain Connection: Yes, 1 1/2" Cushioned Slip Joint
Warranty: 5 Year Parts And Service Warranty
Average Usage: Water - 1/4 gallon per person per day; Electricity 1/2 KWH per month
Notes
¹ to read the question and answer, check out http://outside.away.com/outside/features/200501/wildfile.html
Special Thanks to the Home & Garden leads for adding this to the database for me - sorry it took me so long to actually post it!!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
martytdx
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Member: Marty
Location: New Jersey
Reviews written: 482
Trusted by: 179 members
About Me:
Doing what I can to try new places, restaurants, books and beers.
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