Signs that your Garbage Disposal is not working or broken.
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How To Fix a Garbage Disposal
Garbage Disposal can be a nice addition to your kitchen until they are jammed, clogged or just not working. At this point, they are anything but nice because of the cesspool rising in your sink. However, I will try to help you with a few quick things to check before calling a plumber and the first thing they should look at for this particular service call. Usually, there is a red reset button on the bottom of the unit and may need to be pressed to reset. After pressing the button firmly in try to run the disposal again.
Garbage Disposal Not Working NO Noise
Determine if the unit has power by unplugging the unit from outlet and plugging in a hairdryer or some type of device to see if you have power to the outlet. If the garbage disposal is hard-wired with no outlet and cannot be unplugged then I would recommend getting and Non-Contact Voltage Tester. The one I have is inexpensive it is made by Klein. This is also a very good tool to have around the house. You do not need to test bare wire when using the tool however, always Use Proper Caution with electricity. Read the instructions for the voltage tester and use the tester to determine if there is power. Put the tester directly to the wire going to the garbage disposal to see if there is power (you may need to remove the little metal wire cover on the bottom of the disposal and use caution not to touch the wire with anything but the tester). You can cross-check your tester to make sure it is working correctly by testing a known outlet that has power. If there is no power going to the garbage disposal, check the breaker (hopefully it is labeled) to see if it has tripped. If the breaker is tripped and will not stay in the on position it might need to be replaced and so an Electrician would be recommended for the job. After having the breaker replaced the garbage disposal itself might very well be good to go.
How to fix a garbage disposal that is humming in 2020
If the disposal is making a humming noise the blades may be jammed by a piece of broken glass, bone or some type of hard object. If the blades are jammed and not spinning you’ll need to free them up by inserting the proper size Allen Wrench (usually 1/4 inch) into the hole in the bottom of the disposer in the very middle. Turn a couple of times to free blades and if you can try to retrieve with caution the hard particle that could jam it again (flip breaker off while retrieving). Usually, the disposal will be very funky so use gloves or what might be a better idea, especially if you do not have any rubber gloves available, is to stick your hand in a kitchen garbage bag to retrieve any hard foreign objects that do not belong in the disposal and may be jamming the blades.
If the disposal blades are spinning when you’re turning the Allen Wrench and there doesn’t seem to be anything jamming it and it is still not working then it probably needs to be replaced due to too much corrosion in the blades or that the motor is just burnt. Usually, it’s not cost-efficient to have it repaired assuming you could find someone to do so.
How to choose a New Garbage Disposal
We tell our customers not to choose the cheapest one available. You can get a brown bag special for 60-80 bucks for some supply houses but be assured you’re getting exactly what you pay for in most cases. Regardless of how many people live in your household, the minimum horsepower I would go with is ½ hp but if you can afford to spend a little extra, definitely spring for the ¾ – 1 hp and you’ll get more life out of it. No less than ½ hp though. Cheaper is not usually cheaper in the long run.
How To Change A Garbage Disposal
Ok enough with the coaching and all. I have to say that a garbage disposal is one of those projects that if a handy homeowner wanted to tackle themselves they could do so. Maybe the only semi challenging thing would be when you are putting the retainer ring on the bottom of the sink adapter (some disposals sink adapter do not have retainer rings)l. The way to do this is to have someone firmly hold down the sink disposal adapter from the top while you get the retainer ring. With a little finesse, you can use a flat-head screwdriver to pry and work the ring around while holding the other side of the ring with your hands. Note: it is usually always better to replace the sink adapter when changing the disposal which the disposal comes with one in the box and I would use it. Other than that just duplicate what you see when taking the old disposal off. Definitely make sure the power is off to the unit before any work beings and then connect the black wire with black and white with white and connect the green ground wire to the disposal itself with the screw provided. Another point would be to make sure all plumbing fittings are tightened and double-check for leaks.
Hope this helps someone and Happy Trails