Home Owner Tips – Garbage Disposals
January 3, 2009
Every now and then, the garbage disposal goes on the blink and we surely do not want to pay those outrageous prices to have a plumber come out for simple problems.
Before we get started, you must know there are two types of garbage disposals, which are batch feed and continuous feed. Batch feed is activated by a turning a stopper and continuous feed is activated by a wall switch. The major problems seen with both types of garbage disposals involved leaks, clogs, or jams.
For any problem with your garbage disposal, the most important thing to remember is that you should put your hand in the disposal and always use tongs or pliers that might be stuck in the disposal. The second rule is never use a commercial drain cleaner such as Drano in a garbage disposal. The third rule is shut off power at the main electrical connector prior to working on any electrical connections.
Whirring noise or if the disposal stops working all of a sudden – the disposal is jammed. To fix the problem, turn off the garbage disposal and wait a few minutes. Next, press the reset button found on the bottom of the motor housing. This should do the trick.
If the above did not work, you should look at the disposal under the sink. Do you see a small crank or socket? If so, you can use an Allen wrench and turn the flywheel. Alternately, for the crank you can turn the crank to do the same thing.
If your disposal has neither, you can use a broom handle. Place the broom handle at an angle against the blade and move the blade back and forth until it moves freely. Now, press the reset button again and you are done.
If you have a clog in the garbage disposal, you will need to dismantle the trap. Once you have it ready you will need to use a snake to clean out the clog.
If you notice water dripping, under the sink from your garbage disposal it is more than likely a seal is worn and will need to be replaced.
Other common problems with garbage disposals:
Will not turn on – If this happens, you need to check and make sure power is going to the disposal. You should also check the fuse or breaker box, make sure the wall switch is working, or for batch feed disposals, and check the stopper switch.
If the motor on your disposal is humming but it is not grinding the flywheel could be jammed or you could have frozen bearings. If after freeing up the jam, you still have the same problem, you will more than likely need a new disposal.
If you cannot find the problem or are unable to fix the problem, it will be time to call an expert plumber.
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