How Do Trash Compactors Work?
Trash compactors can be a great help in many situations. In larger households or industrial settings, trash can accumulate at a fast pace, making garbage collection expensive. Garbage bags fill up quickly and must immediately be taken out at repeated intervals, making dealing with garbage a tedious chore. Trash compactors are the perfect solution for this. A trash compactor is a motorized appliance that functions to compress trash and to help reduce how often you have to take out the trash and how much trash you actually have to get picked up by your local garbage service. A trash compactor looks like any other trash can, but is just more high-tech –it can be turned on to compress the trash inside the bag, thereby creating more space. More space means greater capacity to hold more trash.
How Trash Compactors Work
Inside every trash compactor is a motor. When turned on, the motor functions by having a press lowered into a receptacle. As the press reaches the topmost layer of the trash, it will begin to compress it. After compressing, the press goes back to its original position. The trash compactor uses special compactor bags, specially manufactured for the appliance. They are different from the usual garbage bags that homes use. They can either be in plastic or paper forms. The paper type will have a protective lining inside it to make it sturdier and to prevent leakage of liquids. The plastic type, on the other hand, is very durable, and is usually produced in multiple plies.
The intensity of the compressing power will depend on the capacity of the motor. Typically, trash compactors will have motors that can handle 2000-5000 lbs of ram force. The motor power you will need depends on the amount of trash you generate daily.
After the trash has been compressed, you can then add more trash to it. Most models of trash compactors have features that will warn you when it is full. When given the alert, you can then change the bag with a new one. The trash can be taken out and, if your garbage services limits the number of bags or charges for more bags than normal, you can save money thanks to your trash compactor and the reduced amount of garbage you now face.
Just like any other appliance, trash compactors will need proper maintenance as well. Whenever you are cleaning a trash compactor, be sure to unplug the appliance first. Always wear gloves while cleaning its insides. Cleaning can generally be done by wiping the insides or vacuuming its inside walls. Use soapy water, preferable with anti-bacterial properties, when cleaning. Have it completely air-dried before placing a bag and using it. While this will work with most trash compactors, to be safe, always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when cleaning.
Maintenance will also involve making sure that the trash compactors’ odor control system is properly functioning. Most trash compactors have charcoal filters in them, so you may need to occasionally clean or replace them. You may also attach deodorizers to the unit.
Trash compactors can easily be installed at a kitchen counter top or near the oven. They are great investments as they reduce the space for outgoing garbage and the number of times garbage has to be taken out.