Does garbage disposal use cause plugged sewage lines--apartment landlord claims some tenants' use of their garbage disposals is causing backups of sewage lines. . . huh?

Answer 1

Yes!! I am a property manager and this happens ALL the time. The el-cheapo disposals they put in apartment communties don't grind up the food as well as they should and tenants are generally not as responsible about proper disposal use as they should be. Plus, several apartments share the same sewage lines, so all that junk from several units goes down the same line. Grease, food residue and food particles get built up and clog the line. In a worse case scenario, the downstairs units back up and overflow every time any of those shared units use their sink. (All of this also applies to bathrooms.) This is much more common in older apartment communities, since many newer places are built to avoid such hassles, but it still can happen anywhere.