Large early 20th-century family homes, with farmland mostly converted to suburban housing by the 1920s after the tramway arrived in 1903. A waste disposal unit grinds food scraps into small particles that wash down the kitchen waste with the water. Used well, it keeps scraps out of the rubbish bin and the kitchen cleaner. Used badly, or fitted poorly, it can jam, leak or contribute to blocked drains.
Fitting disposal units in Epsom's early 1900s family homes
Epsom's housing is mostly large family homes from the early twentieth century, many with kitchens that have been extended or moved during later renovations. That history is the main thing we look at before installing a disposal unit. When a kitchen has been shifted, the waste pipe sometimes runs a long way at a gentle grade to reach the original drain, and that kind of run is fine for dishwater but struggles with ground food. We check the fall and the route before recommending a unit, and if it is marginal we say so. Big households also run units hard, so motor size and the quality of the grinding chamber matter more here than in a small flat.
Below the house, older Epsom drains are often earthenware, and the suburb's mature trees, from private gardens to the edges of Cornwall Park, send roots looking for the joints. A unit adds fine solids to that line. In a sound pipe they wash through. In a root-affected one they collect against the roots and speed up the next blockage. If your kitchen drain has blocked before, a camera inspection ahead of a new unit is money well spent.
The ground under Epsom is volcanic, sitting in a valley ringed by Mt Eden, One Tree Hill, Mt St John and Three Kings, and digging through scoria and rock to replace a drain is slow work. That is the practical reason to treat the unit carefully: cold water running while it grinds, no fats or oils, and nothing fibrous like corn husks or onion skins. With big kitchens and busy households, we usually suggest a more powerful model with a dishwasher inlet, wired to its own switch by a registered electrician.
Local tip: If your Epsom kitchen has moved since the house was built, ask us to check the waste pipe's fall before you choose a disposal unit.
For anything else, see our plumbers in Epsom.
Pricing: quotes are free, and every job gets a fixed price before we start, so there are no surprises on the invoice.
Waste Disposal Units Jobs We Do in Epsom
- Waste disposal leaking from the bottom
- Disposal unit replacement
Waste Disposal Units Epsom FAQs
Our Epsom villa kitchen was moved to the back of the house. Can it still take a disposal unit?
Often it can, but a relocated kitchen sometimes has a long, flat waste run. We check the fall and the route first and tell you honestly if ground food is likely to settle in it.
Can I have a waste disposal unit with a septic tank?
It is possible but needs care. The tank must be well maintained and sized for the extra solids. We check before recommending one.
Can a disposal unit connect to my dishwasher?
Most can. We fit the dishwasher inlet and check the connection does not leak.