under-sink waste disposal units

artful_codger

hi folks, does anyone have a waste disposal unit they can comment on? as i live in an apartment i'm thinking of getting one of these because the bin is too smelly, so it'd be nice to flush all the food waste down the sink.
Have you had any problems with them, are they noisy, do they need cleaning, replacing parts etc. Any particular brands recommended?

any advice much appreciated.
thanks

Scubachick

We got one last October. I cant remember the brand name. It has given us no trouble at all and we have not had to maintain it in any way. It is about as noisy as a hoover, but it is only on about 1-2 mins per day. We dispose of nearly all organic material - cooked meat, dairy, used kitchen towels etc. It takes more stuff than a compost heap. It doesnt take hard fruit stones, like peach kernels. Some of the larger stuff, like broccoli stalks need to be chopped up a bit before going down the disposal unit. There are no smells, as everything is flushed down the drains with the water.

We had a little problem at the start as the kitchen outlet pip outside didn't go right down into the drain, but a quick DIY job with a pipe adapter fixed that! It needs both a plumber and an electrician to fit it and takes up a bit of under-sink space, but definitely the best €250 we spent.

artful_codger

thanks Scubachick, i think i'll go ahead and get one then. i'm a little concerned that they could be responsible for blocking drains, but seeing as people pour oil and grease down normal sinks, i don't think organic food waste is going to be any worse.