Rice, Can garbage disposal grind up rice?

Restlis · Aug 17, 2011

I see lots of blogs say that food waste disposal will be very diffculty to grind up rice. Because rice is expandable under water, and it is very likely to block the sewer system?

I wonder is that true? So we just don't pur rice in the disposal or what?

Jadnashua · Aug 17, 2011

Uncooked rice WILL expand when it gets wet, and that could be a problem For that same reason, the (western?) tradition of throwing rice at a wedding is now discouraged as the birds can get a real surprise when they clean up!

But, also, with all of the starches in rice, it IS sticky, and if your pipes aren't really smooth, it can act like a glue or cement, if it dried out there after being ground up (the sewer pipes generally don't dry out). So, probably not the greatest idea to put much down there. A little bit, probably won't hurt anything, but a lot...maybe.

Sponsor · 2022-01-29T12:20:58-0800

SteveW · Aug 17, 2011

Is there really much of a need to get rid of uncooked (raw) rice?

That's the stuff that expands.

LLigetfa · Aug 17, 2011

My mother always told me to eat all of my rice. Now that she's no longer with us, any leftover rice goes to the dog. We don't even have a garbage disposal gizmo.

Jimbo · Aug 17, 2011

I have been called to some MAJOR clogs, caused by cooked rice. First, it is small enough that it mostly goes right through the disposer grind chamber intact. Secondly, cooked rice DOES continue to absorb water and expand. Fill a trap bend with that, let it sit...send for dynamite!!!!!!!

Jadnashua · Aug 18, 2011

Rice is mostly starch...starch is used in lots of glues...it can make a mess.

hj · Aug 18, 2011

Disposers like to "beat" things until they are small enough to pass through the sizing ports. Rice is soft and all it does is bounce it around. I installed a 1000 gallon interceptor in a Chinese restaurant, and two months later it was filled with rice, right up to the manhole covers.

BobL43 · Aug 19, 2011

hj said:
Disposers like to "beat" things until they are small enough to pass through the sizing ports. Rice is soft and all it does is bounce it around. I installed a 1000 gallon interceptor in a Chinese restaurant, and two months later it was filled with rice, right up to the manhole covers.

That must have been an ugly thing to see, except for the rats

jfarnold · Aug 19, 2011

Does the restaurant just live with that? Is there a solution to that problem?

Rice, Can garbage disposal grind up rice?

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Restlis

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