Garbage disposal issues are generally relatively easy to fix, especially if your disposal is in relatively good shape or new. The key however to fixing an issue within the disposal is to ensure that you are working smart, and keeping safety as a high priority. If you don’t think about safety above anything else, your chances of being seriously injured are extremely high. The first step is to check to see what the problem is. If you turn on the disposal and it makes a noise, then most likely it is just jammed. If it doesn’t make a noise, then there is a possibility that the circuit breaker has been tripped. Check your electrical panel, and reset the circuit breaker. Now look under the unit, and you’ll see a small red reset switch. Press this button or flick the switch and it will turn the unit back on. Turn on the disposal again and it should either hum to designate that it is jammed or it should work properly. If it still doesn’t turn on, then you have a much bigger issue and should contact a professional in order to remedy the issue. The first step when doing anything with the disposal is to ensure that the power is shutoff to this area of the house. This means that you are going to wait to turn off the circuit breaker, located in the electrical control panel. Once this is in the off position, flip your disposal to on to release any remaining power in the line. You’ll hear you disposal slightly engage, hum, then nothing. This is a sign that it is completely off and that all the power is purged from the line. After doing this, I generally turn off the water as well. You really don’t need to do this, but as a common practice, I have just gotten used to doing it. This prevents you from accidentally turning on the water in the process and creating a mess to go with your problem. After you have done both of these steps, take a long handle, like a broom handle or something similar and place into the disposal. NEVER USE YOUR HANDS! While placing it in there, gently try to rotate the blades. If you can easily rotate the blades and don’t feel anything in the way, there is something bigger wrong with your disposal and you should call a professional. If you notice blockage, then you have an obviously jammed disposal. To clear the jam, take an allen wrench and attempt to clear the jam manually by inserting it into the bottom of the disposal spinning the blades until they come free and can rotate completely. Now again take the broomstick handle and jab at the jam downwards to make sure you clear it from the blades. After you have done this, you can reach down inside the disposal with a set of long nose pliers and pull out whatever is causing the blockage. I generally wear nose plugs because I often get sick by the smell and sight of what comes out. It can be pretty disgusting at times. Now, turn the water back on and turn on the cold water. By doing this, you will harden any grease inside the disposal, which will allow the disposal to break it up, which it can’t do when the grease is loose and warm. Turn on the electric, test it out and it should work. If it doesn’t work, then repeat the process ensuring that you have indeed removed all of the blockage. If the problem persists it is a sign of a much bigger issue and will require a professional for assistance. WARNING : Never use chemicals to clean out your disposal, this could cause a variety of issue within the system. For more articles by this author, go to Helium .
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Tips for Installing a Garbage Disposal