Garbage Disposal Repair

This garbage disposal repair guide was written to help you repair the most common types of garbage disposal failures. Obviously in some cases, the disposal will not be able to be repaired and will have to be replaced (see Garbage Disposal Replacement.)

Garbage Disposal Repair - Jammed Flywheel

A jammed flywheel is the most common types of garbage disposal failure. The flywheel is the horizontal metal plate that holds the grinding hammers or impellers. The garbage disposal works when the electric motor turns the flywheel, and the implellers grind up the food into small particles that are able to flow down the drain. Sometimes an object will get snagged or wedged between one of the impellers and the wall of the garbage disposal causing the fly wheel to jam and the garbage disposal to stop working. The following steps describe how to fix this situation.


Steps:

  1. First make sure that your garbage disposal is actually jammed by swithing it on and off. If the moter hums without moving then the impeller is jammed. If the motor does not hum, then power will have to be restored to the disposal (see the next section below.)
  2. Use a flashlight to find the obstruction in the grinding chamber. Using tongs or pliers try to remove any obstructions (Note: never use your hands to remove anything from grinding chamber.) If you remove the obstruction then skip to step 5 otherwise continue with step 3.
  3. Use one of the following methods to manually move the flywheel and dislodge the obstruction:
    • From below: Most disposals have an opening the bottom where you can insert a 1/4 inch Allen (hex) wrench and move the flywheel/motor to clear out the obstruction. If your model has an opening for an Allen wrench, insert the wrench and move it back and forth until the motor and flywheel turn freely. Otherwise you will have to move the flywheel from above:
    • From above: Insert the handle of a broom into the grinding chamber and press it against one of the impellers. Jam the broom in both directions until the jam breaks loose.
  4. Once the obstruction is dislodged remove it using the tongs or pliers (Note: never use your hands to remove anything from the grinding chamber.)
  5. Run cold water into garbage disposal and turn it on to clear out any additional debris left inside.

Garbage Disposal Repair - No Power

Your garbage disposal can lose power for a number of reasons. Use the following steps to troubleshot and restore power to your disposal:


Steps:

  1. Most disposals have an overload switch that autmatically trips when the motor starts to overheat. This prevents the motor from being damaged. To see if your disposal has a reset switch, look for a red button on the bottom of the housing. If you find it, push it in to reset the overload switch. If your disposal doesn't have the reset button or pushing it didn't restore power then continue on to step 2.
  2. Reset the circuit breaker or replace the fuse that serves the disposal.

If after following all these steps the garbage disposal still won't run, then the motor is more than likely burnt out and the entire unit will have to be replaced.