What do you do with food scraps? Instead of filling up your trash with smelly leftovers, why not pulverize them into mush and let your wastewater system take them away? Let’s take a look at two best-selling food waste disposers to see which one will be the best for your home.
InSinkErator Badger 5, 1/2 HP Food Waste Disposer
The Badger 5 is an inexpensive light-duty garbage disposal for a small household. It’s easy to install with InSinkErator’s Quick Lock sink mount. This allows you to twist the disposer into place under your sink. It runs off ordinary household current (110V, 60Hz). Full installation instructions are available in the owner’s manual and in a video online.
The ½-horsepower induction motor grinds peels, leftovers, and other food scraps into paste and lets you wash it away down the drain. It uses about a gallon of water per person per day when it’s operating. It’s not quiet, but the galvanized steel grinders work at 1725rpm to get the job done.
Once you’ve installed the disposal and wired it to a switch on the wall, you shouldn’t need to do any other maintenance. The internal bearings are permanently lubricated. If there is a problem, the Badger 5 is covered by a two-year warranty where a repair person visits your home to fix it for free.
InSinkErator, Badger’s manufacturer, gives two tips to care for your Badger 5. First, if you notice an odor coming from your drain, you can use a solution of baking soda and warm water to clean the disposal. You can also grind citrus fruit peels. Complete directions are included in the user manual.
Second, if the disposal jams, turn off the switch and the water from the faucet. Use the wrench included in the box. Insert the wrench into the hole at the bottom of the disposer and turn it one full revolution. Use tongs to remove any items jammed inside the disposal. Once the motor has cooled down, hit the red reset button (also located on the bottom).
The Badger 5 is made to be used with cold water and doesn’t handle grease and fat very well. Take it slow if you have a lot of food to grind up. The disposer’s grind container only holds 26 ounces at a time. The rubber baffle that keeps food refuse from splattering into your sink is not removable. If you need to clean it, make sure the disposer is turned off. Use a scrub pad and dish detergent to wash the baffle.
Having a food disposal is better for the environment than you thought. For one, it keeps more trash out of landfills. It also doesn’t use much electricity at only 4 kilowatt-hours a year. That’s less than 80 cents for 12 months. If you’re curious about other advantages of sending scraps down the drain, check with your local wastewater treatment plant to see if food waste is turned into fertilizer or used as an energy source.
More features of the Badger 5 garbage disposal:
- 2-year warranty includes in-home repairs
- Made in the USA
- Offers 1 level of grinding
- Draws an average of 6.3Amps of current
- Weighs 14 pounds, measures 12-5/8” tall
- Comes with a Quick Lock Sink Mount, Jam-Buster wrench, tailpipe, tailpipe gasket, sink stopper, and instructions
InSinkErator Badger 500-1/2 HP Continuous Feed Garbage Disposal
You may notice that the Badger 500 looks very similar to the Badger 5. Indeed, they are virtually the same food disposal. There are two differences. One, the 500 draws a slightly higher amount of current: 6.9Amps instead of 6.3Amps like the Badger 5. Two, the Badger 500 was made to be marketed through hardware stores. It’s basically the same disposer but with a different name.
For an up-close look at the disposal, check out the section above that describes the Badger 5.
More features of the Badger 500 garbage disposal:
- 2-year warranty includes in-home repairs
- Made in the USA
- Comes with a Quick Lock Sink Mount, Jam-Buster wrench, tailpipe, tailpipe gasket, sink stopper, and instructions
Recommendation
Since these are basically the same food disposal under different model numbers, simply choose the one with the best price.
If you have a small household and want to dispose of food waste in the sink, either the Badger 5 and 500 is an inexpensive solution for you.
Click here to purchase InSinkErator Badger 5 on Amazon.com!
Click here to purchase InSinkErator Badger 500-1/2 on Amazon.com!