Hearing that awful sound of crunching metal or worse, nothing, when you run your garbage disposal? Don’t fret, it happens to the best of us. Unfortunately, a broken garbage disposal is not an issue you can necessarily ignore. Your sink will clog and hold food in it. Sometimes, a garbage disposal malfunction necessitates a replacement, but oftentimes, it is an easy fix you can do at home.
Before we discuss how to DIY fix the spinning metal blade in your kitchen, let’s review a quick safety reminder.
Never put your hand in a garbage disposal. The sharp blades inside can severely unjust yourself and the disposal. Any and all maintenance should be done while the disposal is off. This doesn’t just mean flipping the switch. To safely ensure your garbage disposal is completely off, unplug the power cord and turn it off at the circuit breaker.
How to Prevent a Broken Garbage Disposal
First things first, a garbage disposal, unless it is quite dated, is fairly easy to maintain. Following the usage guidelines can help you avoid a broken unit. Here are our tips:
- Only grind small quantities of food scraps
- Let the water run for a few seconds after the food is ground
- Avoid large amounts of food like pasta, rice, meat and coffee grounds
- Do not pour fats or oils down your sink drain
How to Troubleshoot a Broken Garbage Disposal
Before fiddling with your disposal blindly, we recommend consulting your user manual to see if there are any model specific fixes or guidelines. Each disposal unit works differently and checking your resources before hand may turn what would be a larger issue into a minor fix!
Check the Power Source
If your disposal will not turn on, you may have an issue with the power source. Check your circuit breaker and make sure that the switch for your disposal is in the on position. Also check under your sink to make sure that your disposal is plugged in. Additionally, in most models, there is a red button in the bottom of your disposal unit. If this button is sticking out, it means that the unit’s breaker has been tripped causing it to automatically turn off. In this case, you can press the button until it stays in. Often times this happens because the unit is overloaded.
Let Your Disposal Cool Down
When you flip the switch on your disposal and you hear humming but no food is being ground, it means that the motor is on but the blades are not spinning. This is generally caused by overheating or clogging. Turn off your disposal and let it rest and drain. Try resetting the unit with the button on the bottom. If neither of these options are working, pour baking soda vinegar and hot water into the drain to break up the clog.
Clear the Drain Pipe
Sometimes, the problem is not with the disposal itself, but with the drain pipe. If your garbage disposal is grinding food but draining slowly, there is probably a clog in your drainpipe. For this issue, try these steps in order:
1. Run water and flip your disposal on and off a few times
2. Use a plunger with medium pressure
3. Remove visible blockage with a pair of tongs or pliers
4. Check your drainpipe by unscrewing the pipe from the unit and clear out the pipe as well as your disposal’s drain trap.
Still Need Help? Call the Garbage Disposal Professionals
If you are uncomfortable with any of these DIY fixes or none of them are working, contact a garbage disposal and drain specialist to handle the issue. You can contact us at (858) 293-4110 or visit coreplumbing.com.
.svg)
