A few months ago we installed a new Waste King Legend EZ Mount garbage disposal. And I love it. But I have one problem with my new garbage disposal. The water in the sink is now extremely slow to drain. Clean water from the faucet pools and accumulates in the basin. The rubber strainer (technically called a garbage disposal splash guard or shield or baffle) is not letting water down fast enough. So how did I fix it? Read on…
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What is a Garbage Disposal Baffle?
This rubber flange is referred to either a splash guard, shield or baffle. It’s purpose? It is specifically designed to:
- Muffle garbage disposer noise
- Prevent water and food particles from splashing up
- Stop utensils and other small items from entering the garbage disposal
But sometimes these new garbage disposal splash guards slow down the water flow down your sink’s drain.
Why is My New Garbage Disposal Splash Guard Slow to Drain?
Taking a look at the water as it pools into my sink, I see two potential causes. Either our new garbage disposal splash guard is too stiff. Or the openings are not big enough to let water and smaller food particles flow fast enough down the drain. (Pic here taken after I snipped a little off the center, but you can see that the radial slits are on the smaller side).
I do know that the drainage problem isn’t caused by another part of the garbage disposal. Why? Because when I pop off the garbage disposal splash guard, water and food flow quickly down into the garbage disposal canister.
Popping off the splash guard every time could be a solution, but I’ve been doing it for a few months now and it’s gotten quite annoying.
I know, I know, cry me a river. #firstworldproblems
How to Remove Your Garbage Disposal Splash Guard
We have the Waste King Legend Series with the EZ Mount System, which has a removable garbage disposal splash guard. No tools required to install or remove (aka why it’s so easy for me to pop out).
And in doing online research I found other Waste King customers that their garbage disposal splash guard slow to drain as well.
But you might not have a garbage disposal model where you can just pop out your garbage disposal baffle like mine.
If so, check out this video with a tutorial on how to remove your garbage disposal splash shield. If that doesn’t help, check out this article in Family Handyman.
3 Ways to Fix a Stiff or Garbage Disposal Splash Guard
If you have the same problem, try these 3 ways to
1. Bend Rubber
My first solution to fix this slow drainage? Bend the stiff rubber pieces back and forth to loosen them up. Manipulate all the rubber pieces individually back and fourth.
I did this every day for almost 2 weeks. Every time I finished washing dishes.
Might work for you, but for me – No luck.
2. Dishwasher
My second solution? Run through the dishwasher – maybe hot water would loosen up this new garbage disposal splash guard.
I did this about 5 times.
Might work for you, but not for me – No luck.
3. Rock, Paper, Scissors!
Finally, I gave up and just grabbed a pair of scissors. The holes and slit on our new garbage disposal rubber splash guard are pretty small.
So I started with a slight trimming to enlarge the holes and slits, and then slightly widened the larger center circle.
If you decide to try this, don’t go crazy. I did small snips, then reinstalled the shield back into the sink and tested it out.
It took about three rounds of snipping to get widen the openings enough for water to freely flow through it and stop significant accumulation in the sink.
Remember – don’t go crazy. Start by cutting just a little out, you can always cut more if you need to.
If you cut out too much the garbage disposal splash guard, it no longer serves its 3 purposes of keeping unwanted items from falling into the garbage disposal, preventing food from flying up (that sounds like a fun cleanup) and deadening the disposal’s motor sound (I have 3 young kids, I don’t need anymore unnecessary noise in my house ?).
And remember, replacement garbage disposal splash guards are fairly inexpensive and widely available, so you goof up and overcut your splash shield, you can always buy a new one! Here’s a few highly rated ones on Amazon (just make sure they fit your model).
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