Difference Between Continuous Feed and Batch Feed Garbage Disposal

If you are thinking about buying a new garbage disposal, you must have met the terms: batch feed garbage disposal and continuous feed garbage disposal. What do these actually mean? What is the difference between batch feed and continuous feed garbage disposal? Let’s find out.

These are the two types of garbage disposals available in the market. The main difference lies in the functionality. Many people say a batch feed is safer than the continuous feed. Other says Continuous feed is more popular and convenient. So, which one should you buy? It will be easier to decide when you know the what a continuous feed garbage disposal and a batch feed garbage disposal is.

Batch vs Continuous Feed	Continuous Feed Garbage Disposal	Batch Feed Garbage Disposal
Advantages	More Popular & more models are available in market	Safer option
	Less time consuming	Less Chance of Accidents
	More Convenient use	Not risky for homes with small children
Disadvantages	Less safer than continuous feed disposals	More time consuming

What is a Batch Feed Garbage Disposal?

A garbage disposal eats up all the food substances you throw inside it. It works like a grinding machine inside the chamber. A garbage disposal holds swivel impellers that are sharp blades which spin in a high speed and break up the chunk of foods and make it easy to drain with the sewer line, so the pipes don’t get clogged.

A batch feed garbage disposal simply grinds down the food waste in “batches.” Batch feed disposals come with a stopper. You need to put the waste inside your disposal unit and close it up with the stopper. Then turn the disposal on, and it will start processing the waste. So when the disposal is working, you cannot insert more waste into it. Once it is done working and turned off, you can throw the second batch.

Advantages

It is less popular with the users than continuous feed garbage disposals, but not less efficient. You can say it is a safer option. As I said, your disposal will turn on just when you cover it and turn it by yourself. So, there is no chance of accidents (the chances are lower, to say the least). If you have small children who tend to place their hands anywhere in your absence, you should be extra careful with your disposal unit (better to be safe than sorry, right?).
The risk of unwanted materials like plastic, paper, glass, metal, your hand jewelry or even cutleries can fall inside the disposal unit. This can cause severe harm to your disposal blades and you may need to replace your whole disposal.

Disadvantages

A batch feed disposal is less popular because people think it as a less convenient option. Each time you need to dispose of something, you need to cover it up and turn it on. This can take a bit more time than a continuous feed.
As batch feed disposals are thought as time-consuming, it is less popular in the market. That is the reason why manufacturers make less batch feed disposals. There are a lot of variations available in the continuous feed, but not in the batch. So, you do not have a lot of choice over batch feed garbage disposals.
Thinking of convenience and saving time, one may think of filling the disposal with waste for a long time and then grind it up. But it may not be a healthy if one forgets to turn on the disposal and leave it like that overnight, it will begin decomposing and smell like hell. Insects and bacteria also can attack in that case.
People with very large families who need lots of trash to dispose of, may not feel it as a convenient option. Because it takes more time than continuous feed to clean all the waste.

Example: Waste King 9930TC Legend Series 1/2HP

A great example of a batch feed garbage disposal is Waste King 9930TC Legend Series 1/2HP Batch Feed Operation Waste Disposer. Here are some details:

Waste King 9930TC is a great batch feed garbage disposal. Possibly one of the best on the market. The ½ HP motor runs at 2600 RPM at 115 volts. This particular disposal comes with a 36” power cord, so you don’t need to purchase it separately. Since it uses a batch feed operation, there is no need for a wall switch. The grinding chamber is made of stainless steel and the grinding components are rust free.

Waste King offers 5-years in-home warranty & lifetime corrosion warranty. The product’s dimensions are 9 x 9 x 17 inches (23 x 23 x 43 cm) and the weight is 11.25 pounds (5.1 kg).

A more comprehensive review of Waste King 9930TC can also be found in our website.

Pros

Great if you don’t want to line a switch into your kitchen
Easy Installation
Grinds the food as expected
Stainless steel grinding chamber
Quite quiet

Cons

The on switch can be a little annoying

What is a Continuous Feed Garbage Disposal?

A continuous feed garbage disposal works continuously. It means that when you turn it on, it runs continuously from then. You can put waste inside it and it will instantly start grinding. It does not come with any stopper. So when the waste is grinding inside the sink, the neck is not covered. You can continuously throw more waste while it is operating without any issues.

Advantages

Continuous disposals are very popular among all kinds of users. They are less time consuming, as you don’t need to turn the switch on and off repeatedly.
It is a more convenient option to process a huge amount of waste at a time. So, large families with lots of members may find it more useful (or an individual who just cannot stop eating).
It’s very easy to operate and maintain. You can instantly throw out whatever waste occurs while cooking or washing dishes, no need to wait to fill up the chamber and then turn it on.
Because of the popularity, you will find more options of continuous feed disposals in the market. It comes in many sizes and with different features that can be easier to choose from.

Disadvantages

The one disadvantage that you will not find in batch feed disposal, but you will find in continuous is the safety issue. You may always be careful, but there is always a chance of something going accidentally inside your grinding chamber. If something metallic or hard falls inside to the chamber while grinding, it can totally ruin or even break your disposal. So you need to be extra careful with your hands when you have this kind of garbage disposal turned on.

As I have mentioned early, most garbage disposals come with continuous feed and if you would like to review some of them, here you can find some of our guides:

Conclusion

Beside these few points, there isn’t much of a difference between batch feed and continuous feed garbage disposals. Both come with differently powerful motors; both grind the food in the same way. You need to clean up both the disposals after a particular time. Regarding installation and replacements, both are similar. So the difference only lies in the disposing system.

If I am asked, which one is better among Continuous Feed Vs Batch Feed, I’ll say it depends on one’s preference. If safety is more concerned, then the batch feed is better; and if convenience is more important, then continuous feed it is.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed the comparison and that it helped you in some way or another.