
Without water, your disposal motor can burn up.

Your garbage disposal has a reset button for this function.įind the button on the unit underneath your sink. Turning machines off and on again is one of the universal fixes for many problems. Give them a few good turns, remove the spoon handle, make sure everything is clear of the disposal. The spoon handle acts as a lever to get the blades moving. Use a wooden spoon handle (not your hands!). If the wrench didn’t help, try turning the blades from above. Sometimes a few turns help dislodge any remaining debris to get the blade going again.Īfter a few turns, try the disposal again. Manually turn the wheel using the wrench. You’ll find the flywheel turning hole at the bottom of the unit. However, if you don’t have one, try a large Hex wrench or find a replacement at your local home improvement store. These wrenches come with all garbage disposals. Next, using the offset wrench that came with the garbage disposal, insert it into the flywheel turning hole. Run water through the sink to make sure no debris remains. When you’ve removed the piece of pipe, water (and maybe some debris) will fall out.Ĭlean out the detached piece of pipe, then reassemble. Make sure you have a towel and bucket handy–this gets messy. With everything turned off (including the water), loosen the curved part of the drain pipe underneath the sink. This calls for a little plumbing know-how, but it’s not difficult. If the blades still don’t spin and the disposal still makes a noise, turn it off and unplug it. Make sure everything (including your hand) is clear of the disposal. Using tongs or pliers, remove the debris from the garbage disposal. If you can see food or other debris, chances are you have a clog. With the disposal unplugged from the power source, use a flashlight to look inside the disposal. Like any drain, a clog can keep your disposal from working correctly. You’re ready to proceed with caution to avoid injury when following these nine tips.

If your garbage disposal hums when you turn it on, it does have power.įollow these three critical steps before Before doing anything to check for an issue or make repairs: Most often, your disposal hums when something obstructs the blades.Įither too much food is overloading the unit, or a foreign object (like a spoon) fell into the disposal.

When it’s time to fix a problem, follow these tips for troubleshooting garbage disposal issues. Your garbage disposal can be a hazard when mishandled.
Garbage disposal not working movie#
What do you do when your garbage disposal doesn’t work, or it starts making a humming noise? The idea of sticking your hand down into the disposal is a horror movie ready to happen. It’s a must-have when it’s working well, but when it breaks, you imagine all sorts of horrific scenes about what could go wrong. To some, the garbage disposal is one of the most frightening kitchen appliances.
