How To Fix Garbage Disposal? – [Complete Details & Guide]

how to fix garbage disposal

Before you buy a garbage disposal for your kitchen sink, you should know the ways and techniques on how to fix the garbage disposal. Because, without having knowledge about it, you may face several problems. All garbage disposal users must have knowledge regarding garbage disposal problems and solutions.

As we know that the function of garbage disposal is to crush and break down the hard elements of waste material into smaller pieces so that the drainage of waste material may be carried out smoothly. Garbage disposals help to remove the clogs and such kind other blockages in the drainage system of a kitchen sink.

Garbage disposals during their working may face several problems even if you use them carefully. These problems may include clogs, leakages, inability to work and etc. In case of these problems, garbage disposal won’t turn on when you want to turn it on.

That’s why you should have knowledge about the problems related to garbage disposal and their solution. Some of these problems and their solutions are given below.

Contents

How To Fix Clogs Problem?

In some cases, the clog formation occurs in the garbage disposal or drainage pipe due to the accumulation of oily and greasy waste materials like soap and other parts of waste material. There are several methods to overcome this problem. But the most common of them are using the natural cleaner.

If you want to solve this problem, you need to follow the following steps:

  • The first step is to unplug your garbage disposal so that you may not suffer from an electrical shock or laceration of the hand or fingers.
  • The second step includes pouring natural cleaner. You can prepare a natural cleaner by mixing half a cup of baking soda with half or one cup of vinegar. After pouring the natural cleaner, leave it for a few minutes.

After that rinse your garbage disposal with water in order to drain the dissolved clogs.

How To Fix Overheating And Burning Out Problems?

If there is much more working load on the garbage disposal and it can not sustain that working load, then it may get overheated.

We know that the working of garbage disposal is to push hard the waste material along its walls in order to crush it. And the motor of garbage disposal is heated due to the nature of its work.

When there is an excess of waste material that needs to be drained and the working load is beyond the capacity of the motor, then the garbage disposal gets overheated.

Read: Can Garbage Disposal Catch Fire?

You can fix this problem by using a motor with more horsepower. If the garbage disposal is needed for a house where there are more people than 8, you will need garbage disposal of at least 1 horsepower.

In case the persons living in the house are more than 8 and the garbage disposal has to work continuously for hours, then garbage disposal of 2 horsepower will be required. In this way, you can tackle the problem of overheating garbage disposal.

What To Do If Garbage Disposal Does Not Turn On?

If your garbage disposal does not turn on when you plug it, then there can be two main causes given below.

Firstly, you need to check the circuit breaker, because in some cases the circuit breaker trips off due to sparking or any other issue. If the circuit breaker has cut down the electric supply by tripping off, turn it on.

Read: Garbage Disposal Leaking from Bottom

If the problem is not due to a circuit breaker, then you need to check the reset button of the garbage disposal. Because, in case of jamming or overloading of the garbage disposal, the reset button turns it off. There is a red-colored reset button on the lower side of the garbage disposal.

In this case, you have to press the reset button so that the garbage disposal may continue its working. If garbage disposal doesn’t start working even after pressing the reset button, just wait for a few minutes. It will turn on automatically.

How To Fix Humming Garbage Disposal?

Sometimes, you turn your garbage disposal on, and the motor starts humming but it does not start it’s working. In this case, the humming of the motor indicates that there is any blockage or jam in the garbage disposal blades. So, you should know how to fix humming garbage disposal.

Jam is the result of any stuck foreign object in your garbage disposal. This foreign object can be a bone, plastic material, or any fibrous food.

How to fix humming garbage disposal

It is necessary to take some precautionary measures before you start removing the objects causing the jam. For example, unplug the garbage disposal and avoid putting your hand into the garbage disposal.

You can fix the jamming problem by removing the foreign object with the help of pliers. You can also use a Hex wrench if needed. After removing that object turn the garbage disposal on in order to crush and drain any other stuck material. Thus, the jamming problem gets resolved and your garbage disposal is ready to use.

How To Fix The Leakage Problem?

If you observe the leakage problem in the pipes below the garbage disposal, you can fix it by tightening the connections of the pipes. In case the leakage is at the point of connection between the garbage disposal and sink, then you can resolve this problem by replacing the mounting screws on the mounting assembly.

Conclusion:

With the help of this article, you can be able to know how to fix garbage disposal clog and other problems related to the functioning of garbage disposal. If you have a garbage disposal wrench, pliers, and other tools, you can easily fix the garbage disposal problems without consulting a plumber.

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