How many Amps do garbage disposals use 

A garbage disposal is an essential component of any modern kitchen, especially when it comes to disposing of food scraps efficiently and conveniently. However, like any other home appliance, it’s important to determine its power consumption and other specs before installing one. After all, it’s only after knowing these details that you can do the necessary wiring for your garbage disposal. Moreover, this will help you ensure that the electrical system in your home can handle the use of garbage disposal. To determine the power consumption of these appliances, you’ve got to ask yourself; How many amps do garbage disposals use? 

Well, that’s what we’ll be looking at in this article, including the factors that can impact the power consumption of garbage disposals! 

A simple Guide to understanding garbage disposal power; volts, watts & Amps 

Amps, volts, and watts play a crucial role in determining the electrical requirements and compatibility of garbage disposals. For that, it’s important to understand what each aspect entails to know the power needs of garbage disposal. 

Amps (Amperes)

Ampere is a unit of measurement for electric current passing across a circuit. In short, it refers to the rate at which electricity flows through an electrical appliance. 

In our case, garbage disposal determines the rate of electricity passing through garbage disposal during operation. Typically, the amperage for residential garbage disposals ranges from 4.5 to 12 A, depending on the model and how much power it needs, but more on that later. 

Volts 

Voltage determines the potential difference or electrical pressure difference in a circuit. In that regard, power outlets in most US households have a standard voltage of 120V. Nonetheless, it’s important to confirm that the voltage of your home’s electrical system is compatible with the garbage disposal. Luckily, you can find the exact voltage, wattage, and amperage specs for your garbage disposal on the manufacturer’s specifications. 

Watts 

Watts measure the amount of electricity an electrical appliance consumes. To calculate the wattage of any device, you need to multiply its amperage (Amps) by the Voltage (volts). For instance, if your garbage disposal is operated at 120V and 8A, its total wattage will be 120V X 8 A= 960W. This parameter helps to calculate the total power consumption of the garbage disposal.

How many Amps do garbage disposals use? 

As already mentioned, the amount of electricity drawn by a garbage disposal is measured in Amps. Ideally, garbage disposals require a 15A dedicated circuit. Also, garbage disposals can work on a 20 A circuit, especially seeing that most homes have a 20A GFCI outlet under the kitchen sink. 

However, garbage disposals do not use as much as 20 A to run. So, if you have a 20 A GFCI outlet under the kitchen sink, you can connect it to the garbage disposals and dishwasher. 

That said, the amount of electricity that garbage disposals draw tends to vary depending on the motor size and model. Most household garbage disposals operate on 120V and draw about 5 to 10 Amperes of current. For instance, a typical 1 ⁄ 2 HP garbage disposal draws around 6A of current. On the other hand, some larger and more powerful modes can take up to 10 – 12 A. 

Whichever the case, it’s important to ensure that your home’s electrical system can support the power draw of the garbage disposal before installing a new unit. More importantly, make sure you check the specifications of the disposal unit to determine its power consumption. After all, different garbage disposal models consume varying amounts of electricity. Not to forget that understanding how many amps your specific models use will help you determine if it is compatible with your home’s electrical system. In some instances, you may need to install a separate/ dedicated circuit for the garbage disposal to avoid overloading the electrical system. 

Factors Affecting Amps Usage of Garbage Disposals 

Some of the factors that affect the amount of power a garbage disposal consumes include; 

• Motor size & power 

The power rating and size of a garbage disposal’s motor can significantly affect its amp usage. In general, larger motors with more horsepower require more amperes to run since they’ve got a greater amount of work to do to get rid of food scraps. Overall, a ¾ HP garbage disposal is ideal for most homes as it offers a good balance of power use, cost, and grinding ability. 

• Frequency of use 

How often you use your garbage disposal will also have a significant impact on its power consumption. For instance, if you use your garbage disposal frequently, it will consume more power over time as it experiences more wear and tear. 

• Age & condition of the garbage disposal 

• Type of material being ground up in the disposal 

The type of food scraps you put in the garbage disposal can also impact the amount of power that the device consumes. For example, tougher food items like fibrous vegetables and bones may require more power to grind up, resulting in higher amp usage. On the other hand, softer food items like fruits and pasta will typically need a lower amount of energy to process. 

Amp Usage of Different Garbage Disposal Models 

• 1/3 HP garbage disposal models 

1/3 HP garbage disposals are typically the least powerful and smallest models available. On average, ⅓ HP garbage disposals consume about 4.5 A when running. This makes them an excellent choice for light use or smaller households. 

Despite being the least powerful garbage disposal model, this unit generates enough power to handle soft food scraps without any issues. So, if you’re a couple or live alone, it’s the perfect option for you. However, if you produce a lot of food waste or do a lot of cooking, consider a garbage disposal with more horsepower rating. 

• 1/2 HP garbage disposal models 

½ HP garbage disposals are some of the most common disposal models on the market. Thanks to their ability to provide the perfect balance between affordability and power. Even better, they can chop and grind various food scraps with ease, making them ideal for a couple of small households of 3- 4 people. 

Either way, 1/2 HP garbage disposals generate enough power to shred whole vegetables and seeds. At the same time, they use an average of 9.8 A, which is almost twice the amp usage of ⅓ HP disposal units. Moreover, the amp usage of ½ HP garbage disposals may vary depending on their efficiency and how long they’ve been running. 

• 3/4 HP garbage disposal models 

On average, a ¾ HP garbage disposal uses about 13.8 Amps when running. More importantly, these garbage disposal models generate enough power to handle heavier tasks than ⅓ and ½ HP units. For instance, most ¾ HP garbage disposals can shred meat, vegetables, fruits, seeds, and pits. However, it’s important to consider what to put and what not to put in your garbage disposal. 

Getting back to the issue of amp usage, ¾ HP garbage disposals draw more amps than the recommended 80% that 15 A circuit breakers can handle. For that, it’s important to ensure you have a larger circuit breaker if you intend to install a ¾ HP garbage disposal in your kitchen. 

• 1 HP garbage disposal model 

Unlike the other models we’ve looked at so far, 1 HP garbage disposals use up to 16 Amps when running. For that reason, this type of garbage disposal will require a larger circuit breaker setup than all its predecessors. 

On the bright side, 1 HP garbage disposals can handle almost any type of food scraps you throw at them. Plus, they have a high shredding power, which makes them ideal for commercial kitchens or households that generate a lot of food waste. 

As you would expect though, all this power comes with a higher electricity consumption and energy bills. Surprisingly, the consumption rate of garbage disposals is not as high as you would think as demonstrated in the next section! 

How much electricity do garbage disposals use? 

Most garbage disposal models use about 500 to 1800 Watts of electric power, depending on their power rating. Therefore, these units do not need a lot of electricity to run, especially when compared to other home appliances. 

Plus, you don’t need to operate garbage disposal all the time, making their electricity consumption even lower. As a result, some garbage disposal models may use as low as 3 to 4 kWh of electricity per year. 

One thing you need to note though is that garbage disposals may need 6 times more to start up than their average amperage. For that, it’s important to ensure that you don’t overload the unit with food waste to avoid putting too much strain on the motor. Otherwise, the disposal will take longer to grind up food scraps or even cause the motor to overheat and break down. 

Final Word; How many Amps do garbage disposals use? 

Overall, garbage disposals don’t consume loads of power as they use an average of 5 to 10 Amps. However, this can vary from one unit to another depending on the model and brand of the garbage disposal.