Troubleshooting Your Garbage Disposal
Sun, May 20, 2007
Appliance Maintenance, Appliance Repair Help, Garbage Disposal Accessories, Repair or Replace
You know this time that you didn’t drop a spoon or knife into the garbage disposal, but it seems to be stuck or simply not working anyway. There are so many parts and areas that could be the root of the problem that you aren’t sure where to start. Troubleshooting your garbage disposal can be a simple process, if you have a checklist of items to evaluate.
When troubleshooting your garbage disposal, it is important to remember the cardinal rule of repair – never stick your hand in the hopper (into the drain where the disposal is). This is the most important safety precaution for the entire process.
If your garbage disposal is not turning on and is making no noise whatsoever, you probably have some sort of electrical issue. Start by pressing the reset button on the bottom of your unit (all garbage disposals have them). If that doesn’t work, you may need to verify that the circuit breaker has not been tripped back at your main electrical panel. If neither of these are the issue, you have either a faulty disposal or a bad switch. Find the switch powering your disposal, then turn off the circuit breaker that powers it. Replace your switch and return power, testing the switch to see if it functions properly now. If the unit still won’t turn on, you will have to replace the unit.
If your garbage disposal won’t run and you hear a humming noise upon flipping the switch, you should turn the switch off as soon as possible. If you leave it on, you will quickly either cause the reset button to pop out and stall the disposal or trip either the fuse or circuit breaker itself. Typically, this means you have something stuck in between the impeller or impellers and the shredder ring, causing the flywheel to be stuck. To repair the damage, turn off the circuit breaker, use the offset wrench that came with the unit, inserting into the flywheel turning hole on the bottom of the unit, and turn it clockwise to dislodge the stuck impeller or flywheel. If you would rather, you could use a wooden broom handle or other long, thin device that is similar to try and free the object through the drain at the top of the unit. Remember, never stick your hand inside the drain.
If your disposal leaks, there are several problem areas to check. If it leaks at the sink flange, you should check that the bolts are tight enough. If this is not a problem, you may have a leak in the plumbers putty that needs to be repaired. If the leak occurs at the dishwasher connection, tighten the clamp on the hose or replace the hose itself if it is leaking.
If you have a problem with slow drainage, you should check for clogs and obstructions. Never use a chemical cleaner to clean out the garbage disposal; try giving it more time to grind up the garbage, or remove it and clean out the blockage.
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March 18th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
I was able to successfully unblock my garbage disposal by loosening the bottom screw. I did this while garbage disposal was still installed in the sink. Now the garbage disposal is clear and it works. However, I can’t tighten it back now. Seems like I have to hold the bolt that is on top of the disposal if I wish to fasten the grip from the bottom.
June 11th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
The reset button and offset wrench worked for me, thanks!
August 31st, 2008 at 7:50 pm
What could it be if the leak is coming from a hole in the side of the garbage disposal casing (which apparently was manufactured there intentionally)? When I run water through the disposal without the power being on, no leak; but as soon as I turn on the disposal, water spurts out this hole.
September 9th, 2008 at 2:09 am
Thanks for the fix. My Flywheel was stuck due to something lodged between. I rent an apartment where the offset wrench wasn’t available and the Maintenance team here is really below average. So, I used a broom handle and it worked like a charm. Thanks Again.
December 8th, 2008 at 3:06 am
Used the broom method and my disposal now works like a charm. Thanks for a succinct tips.
May 18th, 2009 at 2:50 am
The broom handle worked great for me! Thanks!!!!
I was already thinking of calling a handyman tomorrow! My wife didn’t believe it will work, but it worked like a charm!!! God bless you!
July 28th, 2009 at 11:49 am
How easy was that! We moved in, never received the manual for the garbage disposal - thank goodness for the Internet! Now I don’t have to spend one dollar and have someone come out.
September 21st, 2009 at 11:56 pm
kenmore 3/4 hp disposer. will not drain. I checked the trap and it is clear. it must be in the disposal. do i need to take it out and clean it?
December 2nd, 2009 at 1:53 am
My garbage disposal turns and hums , but it still won’t operate. Any suggestions?
January 4th, 2010 at 8:38 pm
Our Kenmore 1/2 disposal hums but does not run.
The impeller wheel spins freely.
I can find the bottom part of the offset wrench.
Any ideas of what is wrong?
January 4th, 2010 at 8:47 pm
At another site I read,
Most garbage disposers have a port at the bottom, which you can use to insert a 1/4″ Allen wrench (usually supplied with the disposer) and free up the disposer by turning the wrench back and forth.
I was a able to move the shaft freely. But the disposal still hums and will not run.
Humm?
January 19th, 2010 at 2:26 am
My 1/2 white -westing -House garbage disposal will only hum. I pushed the rest button to rest the jam, but it still hums. I can not find the fly wheel hole for this model to free the jam. It is not located on the bottom for this model. What do I need to do?
January 23rd, 2010 at 3:56 pm
I used the broom method. Thank GOD for the internet and the people on here that is willing to give out this information for free. GOD Bless!!!
January 24th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
my disposal just broke , thought the wife got a spoon stuckin it , but it was a piece of rubber , but cant figure which part it came off , any suggestions , thanks , its sunday morn , and all i want is peace
February 5th, 2010 at 10:49 pm
Thanks for the great post. Worked very well. Mine didn’t have a bottom screw so I had to keep working on trying to turn the wheel with the end of a wooden spoon. I was scared to put a lot of pressure in case I broke something, but I kept trying to get good angles against the opening and it finally moved. It took me several turns to make it run freely, but it finally did! I never found what was lodged there, but it works. Thanks so much!
March 19th, 2010 at 7:35 pm
I cannot turn the allen wrench back and forth when inserted in the bottom, it will only turn in a circle. Is my disposal toasted?
May 28th, 2010 at 3:27 am
Used the advice and worked worked worked! My disposal was making a humming noise so I stuck a long screwdriver in there and turned saw a Popsicle stick and cube. Thanks kudos… Great advice thanks!
July 24th, 2010 at 12:50 am
This was SOOO helpful. My husband is deployed and this advise was a LIFESAVER!! I would have never looked for a reset button without this article, thank you.
July 27th, 2010 at 1:53 am
My Kenmors garbage disposal did not drain - I used a plunger - now it drains. Except now when we run water thru it it leaks at the electrical connection - where the Romex connects to the disposal. The disposal runs - and drains properly - except it now leaks. It didn’t leak before this incident. It also leaks when the disposal is not turned on. Please help.
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