A garbage disposal is one of the most convenient kitchen appliances out there. It allows you to more effectively manage food waste and keep your sink clean. Unfortunately, all garbage disposals experience issues from time to time. Here are some key tips for troubleshooting your garbage disposal problem plus advice on when to call a professional plumber for repair service.
How Does a Garbage Disposal Work?
Before we dive into troubleshooting steps to get your garbage disposal working again, it’s important to understand how a garbage disposal functions. This appliance has an internal motor that spins an impeller plate or a flywheel at a very high speed. While your garbage disposal has blades, it doesn’t rely on their sharpness to cut up food.
Rather, it relies on the centrifuge force to compress the food scraps against stationary grinding rings to break them down into tiny particles. Then, it flushes these particles through your plumbing system with running water.
Not Turning On
One of the most frustrating garbage disposal problems you may face is when the appliance won’t turn on at all. If you flip the switch for your garbage disposal when you hear no hum or other sound, it’s likely not getting power. Start by pushing the small red reset button on the bottom of the appliance. If the garbage disposal is overloaded, it will trip its internal protector, and you will see the reset button pop out on the unit.
If the garbage disposal itself didn’t trip, maybe your circuit breaker that connects to it did. Start by checking your electrical panel box to see if the breaker tripped. If it did, simply reset it. If your circuit breaker or garbage disposal frequently trips, it could be due to a jammed flywheel. The flywheel may have jammed because something large is wedged inside it.
You can manually free up the flywheel by turning off the disposal and using a hex key to turn the hole at the bottom. As this rotates the impeller, you can free any stuck debris and get it working again.
Humming Noise
Another problem your garbage disposal may have is that it makes a humming noise but won’t grind up your food scraps. This typically indicates that there’s something jammed inside the disposal. It could be silverware, bones, or even fibrous food scraps. It’s best to shut the appliance off and use tongs or pliers to remove any visible debris.
Avoid putting your hand down into the garbage disposal. Instead, you may want to insert the hex key into its bottom hole and rock it back and forth to loosen up any further debris. Once you restore power to the garbage dispoal, it should go back to working like normal. If it doesn’t, the issue may be a seized motor due to excessive corrosion or natural aging. If you suspect a seized motor, call one of our professionals to find out if you need to replace the entire unit.
Slow Drainage
One other problem you may experience is slow draining or no draining at all at your disposal drain. This is typically the result of a clog in the drainpipe or P-trap for the disposal itself. This can happen when starchy food particles, like pasta and rice, build up inside the line. You’ll need to use a plunger at the sink drain to remove any debris stuck in the line. If that doesn’t work, disconnect the P-trap underneath the sink and try to manually clear it out. If neither of these solutions works, ask our plumbers for professional assistance.
Foul Odor
It isn’t uncommon to experience a slightly unpleasant odor from time to time when running your disposal. However, if you notice a persistent foul odor that doesn’t seem to go away, it can be quite frustrating. The issue likely lies with food residue clinging to the inside of the grind chamber walls, drain line, or splash guard. As the food residue starts to decay, it will emit a sewage smell.
You can try to remedy this problem by adding clean ice and coarse rock salt to the disposal. You can also try using half a cup of baking soda followed by a cup of white vinegar. Make sure that you let these substances sit for a few minutes before you flush them down with water. Avoid using harsh chemicals or bleach, as they can damage your disposal’s rubber components.
Leaking Water
If you notice water leaking from the garbage disposal, it could be coming from a number of different locations. It’s important to identify the exact source of the leak before trying to tighten or replace any component. Common leak locations include the sink flange, dishwasher connection, discharge pipe, and unit housing.
The sink flange is the seal that sits between the garbage disposal and the sink drain. Over time, this can deteriorate and require replacement. The hose that connects your dishwasher to the garbage disposal can loosen over time and need retightening. The pipe leading out of the garbage disposal to the drain is known as the discharge pipe and can crack over time.
If you notice cracking at this location, you need to have one of our professionals replace the pipe. If the leak seems to be coming from the unit housing itself, it may have faulty internal seals. It’s typically more cost-effective to replace the garbage disposal than to fix the faulty seals.
Grinding Noise
If your garbage disposal starts making a loud noise, like grinding or metallic clanking, it’s important to shut it off immediately. This typically indicates a foreign object stuck inside the disposal. It could be something like silverware or a bone. In other cases, the grinding noise may be coming from a misaligned impeller plate.
You may have loose mounting bolts or worn bearings inside your unit. Once you shut it off, you can try tightening the mounting screws at the top to see if that dampens the noise. If the grinding noise persists, call one of our plumbers for further inspection. Never continue to use a disposal that has this problem.
Repair vs. Replace
Most residential garbage disposals have a lifespan of eight to 12 years with proper care and upkeep. When you run into an issue with your garbage disposal, it’s important to take its lifespan into account when determining whether to repair or replace it. If the issue is something simple like a foreign object jammed in your disposal or a tripped circuit breaker, a repair is the ideal solution. However, if your aging garbage disposal is leaking, it may be time for an upgrade.
Expert Garbage Disposal Repair Service
Smedley Service offers expert garbage disposal repair service for the Layton, UT area. We can also assist with all your garbage disposal installation and replacement needs along with other plumbing services, like water heater replacement.
Call our team at Smedley Service today to book an appointment!
