Energy saving garbage disposal unit

A garbage disposal unit of the type that includes a cylindrical shell that has upper and lower ends and is disposed in a substantially vertical position below a drain opening in a sink and said upper end in communication with said drain opening, said shell having a masticated garbage outlet intermediate said upper and lower ends that is in communication with a waste line, said garbage disposal unit being characterized by being driven by pressurized water from a source thereof adjacent said unit including:

• a. garbage masticating means in said cylindrical shell, said garbage masticating means including a first bladed rotatable portion and a second bladed stationary portion secured to the interior surface of said cylindrical shell, said second portion defining a plurality of transverse spaces through which said first bladed rotatable portion rotates, said masticating means positionally mounted adjacent and in communication with said waste line, a first portion of said garbage being masticated, passing from said masticating means and a second portion of said masticated garbage passing below said mastication means;
• b. a housing displaced below said shell and in communication with said lower end thereof, said housing defining a circular confined space;
• c. a plurality of axially aligned turbine discs rotatably supported in said circular confined space below said masticating means, said discs being frusto-conical in contour having at least one set of axially aligned openings formed therethrough, aid frusto-conical contour defining an upward flow direction of water subsequent to said water interfacing with said turbine discs, said discs defining a plurality of radially extending spaces therebetween of sufficiently narrow width as to impose substantial drag on a stream of pressurized water flowing therethrough;
• d. first means in communication with said source of pressurized water being coupled to said housing for providing at least one high velocity jet of water inside said housing that impinges on said turbine blades at an angle to subsequently flow through said radially extending spaces at a reduced velocity and an increased pressure to impart rotational energy to said turbine blades prior to exiting from said turbine blades through said axially aligned openings defined thereby, with said water after exiting through said opening flowing upwardly in said shell to said garbage masticating means to flush masticated garbage outwardly through said discharge opening, said exiting water to contact said first and second portions of said garbage for removal into said waste lines;
• e. second means for transferring the rotational energy of said turbine blades to said first rotatable portion of said masticating means;
• f. third means in said shell for preventing garbage that has not been masticated from moving downwardly in said shell substantially below said masticating means;
• and,
• g. fourth means operatively associated with said first means and manually operable to control the flow of water from said pressurized source of water to said circular confined space in said housing, said fourth means including a first valve in communication with said pressurized water, said housing and a second normally closed valve, said second valve being manually operable to control flow from said source through said first valve and into said housing.