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The following are reprints of past articles that highlight HydroMaid. Click on any tag line to view the entire article.
New Garbage Disposal Runs on Water Power April 5, 1998 Back to top of News page
From a Times Staff Writer
Consider, for a moment, the lowly garbage disposal: Out of sight, out of mind, asking little, grinding much, making itself indispensable in the modern kitchen.
But pity it too: Since its invention 50 years ago, the evolution of the humble disposal has been frozen in its own jam-up. It's the same basic machine after all these years, powered by bigger motors. Until now, that is, with the advent of HydroMaid, a garbage disposal that runs on water, not electricity. You read that right-- water, not watts.
The HydroMaid disposal — 9.5 pounds of space-age plastic and stainless steel — uses water under normal household pressure to grind up kitchen waste.
Think of it as a food processor under the sink, its manufacturer says. Five stainless steel blades, driven by a water-powered piston, oscillate back and forth, mincing the food waste.
The technology enables HydroMaid to handle most disposal no-nos: chicken bones, nutshells, cornhusks, avocado pits, even pop-top tabs, according to its maker, HydroMaid International, Inc. of Draper, Utah.
HydroMaid is quieter by 20 decibels than electric disposals and uses about the same amount of water, said Ron LaFord, president of HydroMaid International, Inc., which bought the patents for the device from its inventor, a NASA engineer.
There is at least one drawback, LaFord said: The machine is slower by a third than the conventional disposal.
After 15 years of development and a year or two of testing in 200 homes in Utah, the HydroMaid made its debut at January's International Housewares Show in Chicago.
It became an instant darling of writers and TV crews fascinated when a Perrier bottle, cap included, was dropped into HydroMaid and ground to bits.
The new disposal may have been a big deal at the housewares show, but it drew a big yawn from the biggest player in the disposal business, In-Sink-Erator.
"Our files on this product go back 15 years, and it's very impractical," said David MacNair, vice president of marketing for In-Sink-Erator.
"It uses an enormous amount of water, according to our tests, and takes five times as long as an electric disposer to grind the same amount of food.
"It is an innovation, but we don't think it will work," MacNair said.
LaFord said that, while marketing deals are worked out to put HydroMaid in major retailers, the company is taking telephone orders at (888) 824-9376. The cost is $299.95. It comes with a l0-year unconditional warranty.
Chicago Tribune, January 25, 1998 Back to top of News page
Housewares manufactures take good ideas and run with them-sometimes a little too far.
By Karen E Klages TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
HIT: An exciting garbage disposal reads like an oxymoron. How can waste-chewer get a lady fired up?
The answer: When it is powered by water, not electricity. When it is designed to process the most forbidden kitchen waste -celery, banana peels, corn husks, nut shells, chicken bones, even a broken bottle, including the metal cap, if they fall in accidentally. And the thing comes with a 10-year warranty.
The HydroMaid display was one of the few revolutionary ideas that surfaced at the show. Powered entirely by water the HydroMaid operates with normal household water pressure and no electricity at all, it does not demand significantly more water than an electric unit. It also runs quieter than the electric disposals.
For most people though, the key feature is that it grinds the waste much finer than standard electric units.
The bottom line your pipes won't clog because you throw a no-no down the disposal.
HydroMaid has been refined and tested over a period of 15 years.
It costs $299 (installation not included) and is available by calling 888-824-9376.
The Detroit News January 17, 1998 Back to top of News page
Glenn Haege THE HANDYMAN
Space-age marvels come down to earth at Chicago housewares show
Chicago was the center of the House wares Universe earlier this week. All the biggies from Wal-Mart, Kmart, Target; Home Depot, True Value, Ace and Sears, plus all the specialty stores such as Williams-Sonoma, Bed Bath & Beyond, gathered Sunday through Wednesday for the National Housewares Show. I would say the two biggest trends were:
- the adaptation and use of high technology from our Space Program, and
- the attempt to make products more environmentally friendly.
Here are some of the hottest products I saw at the show:
Perhaps the most innovative product at the show was a totally non-electric, water-powered waste disposal made by HydroMaid, (801) 553-8790. No electrical hook-up is required. All parts, instructions and an installation video are shipped with the product. The Hydro Maid disposal is presently sold direct and costs about $299.
Building Products Bi-Monthly May/June 1998 Back to top of News page
I always see great examples of new technology at the International Home Builders’ Show.
This year's show certainly had it's share in every category but one new product that caught my eye wasn't one I normally associate with high-tech. It was the HydroMaid.
This water-powered garbage disposal was designed by NASA engineers. Powered by common household water pressure, it requires no electricity. Five stainless steel cutting blades oscillate back and forth, processing food waste into tiny particle-size pieces. Items such as celery, avocado pits, corn husks, chicken bones and nut shells pose no problem for the disposal, the company says.
