Blog - Bower Power

Disclaimer – Thanks to Moen for sponsoring this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

One of the most exciting things about tackling a space for someone else is being a messenger for some pretty amazing products. When we first took on the Pedraza project, we could only hope that other people would have a heart for this loving family who is putting most of their savings toward an adoption…the savings that they had previously set aside for a kitchen update. As we traveled through this journey of updates, it has been mind-blowing to see so many great companies step forward to donate their best products. It reminds me that these giants in the home improvement industries really have the biggest hearts.

Moen is one of those companies.

One of the things that happened right before we started the kitchen was a big unexpected expense. Apparently the people who had been living in the Pedraza house before them had been flushing all sorts of stuff down the toilet and pouring stuff down the sink. That’s a huge no-no when you have a septic tank (the majority of us in the south in the suburbs do have septic) because it is like angering a giant. A very disgusting, very expensive giant that can make your yard smell like poo and back up into your home. Over the years, they had normal flushing habits but eventually those past sins resulted in a tank that just quit.

The Pedraza’s tank had to be pumped and repaired to the tune of $2400. Yikes. Needless to say, they were given very specific instructions that the microorganisms in the tank can handle very small food particles (and they should put some down there to get the bacteria well fed and active) but to limit paper waste. It’s a common thing here for people to have disposals (both to limit food waste in the trash and to puree the food that gets rinsed off dishes) but the Pedraza’s did not have one. And that is where Moen came into our lives.

Moen is usually known for their sinks and faucets – we have a lot of them in our house and their reputation is one of excellent quality. So to hear they came out with a garbage disposal is really exciting news in the home improvement world. Yes, I am a DIY nerd. loud and proud baby! When a big company like Moen comes out with something new, it’s NEWS.

Moen also asked us if we needed anything else and they donated a big beefy beautiful sink and one of their MotionSense faucets.

I will give you the lowdown on installation of the sink when I talk about the countertops. It is part of that whole process so I thought I should group that separately.

The one we picked was this double bowl squared off version. And no. Never in my life have I ever felt so much sink envy. Shoot. Some people think Bachelorette finalists are hot….no….they are not….I like a completely different type of hairless chiseled stud 🙂

As far as the faucet goes – it is a motion activated one. You probably have seen this commercial….

Isn’t that ridiculously cool?! Its water conscience which is AMAZING (I swear I yell “TURN OFF THE WATER” like ten times a day so I completely understand the draw here) and it is super easy to install. The hardest part is figuring out which end of the battery has a + on it 🙂 Other than that, it is really plug and play.

The faucet we picked out was this bronze Brantford. It has all the bells and whistles – the pull down head, a traditional profile and a one hole installation for simple and clean counters….and it does that whole motion activated thing…perfect for kids! (I photoshopped the wall so that it wasn’t so distracting!)

Once we had the sink and the faucet in, it was time for the garbage disposal. I really didn’t know what to expect for this process….I assumed it would be a little tricky and I would have lots of how-to pictures and meaningful tips to share. But apparently the Moen folks wanted their disposals to literally be SO easy that anyone could do it.

The entire thing comes assembled in a box….and you have to remove the valve attachment. It quite literally involves loosening three screws and popping a tension ring off.

Once it is in place on your sink drain, you stick the drain pipe in the side (cue Jeremy)….

The top gets tightened onto the drain valve (like I said – only three screws!) and then you twist the disposal till it locks in place. The drain pipe gets screwed onto the P trap and that’s it. It’s really REALLY easy.

The great part now is that any little food pieces won’t sit in a drain or pipe or be a problem for their septic to digest. The garbage disposal will grind it up with it’s full horse power motor and the water will flush it down to keep their tank healthy and happy.

I know that some folks might be thinking – well I don’t need one….we don’t put food down the drain. But the thing is, you are probably scraping large food items into the trash and then rinsing your dishes in the sink. And those food bits need to be as fine as possible so that the microorganisms in your tank can do their job. Otherwise you could be contributing to the sludge at the bottom of your tank. And the other thing is – most people don’t know WHAT the condition of their tank is. They don’t know if it’s healthy or has a scum problem or a build up of sludge. They don’t know what previous homeowners did. This is just prevention.

So if you are in the market for a new disposal then I would highly recommend this one because it was so easy to install. Nobody has time for disposal drama. And definitely check out the full line up (so many options!) and what they do….plus, they have a stout warranty.

And now lets talk tank drama….I know you guys probably have some epic septic tank stories….let’s hear them. My personal favorite is my parents house….that had a toilet that was flushing waste into the backyard….the previous homeowners decided that it would be cheaper to bypass the tank altogether….thankfully it didn’t take long to realize that the basement bathroom was creating a poo scented mosh pit and my parents brought in a pro to fix things! Talk about drama!

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