5 Common Reasons Your Garbage Disposal Fails

You, like many other homeowners, may rely heavily on your garbage disposal to prevent waste matter from clogging up the kitchen sink. However, you probably won’t know something is wrong with the garbage disposal until it stops working. It is important to have a working garbage disposal to grind up food waste before it enters the drain, without it you could be having to fix more serious plumbing problems.

But where to start figuring out what is wrong with the disposal? Here are 5 common cases in which the garbage disposal stops working, and how you can fix it.

Garbage Disposal Failures and Fixes

It Won’t Start

If you suddenly realise something is wrong with the garbage disposal because it won’t start, then something has most likely gone wrong with the power supply. Check if the garbage disposal is unplugged. Plug it back in, give it a minute to reset, and test it. If it’s back to normal, you can blame a bad circuit.

All Noise

If the garbage disposal is making its normal noise but nothing is happening, then something is preventing it from working. The problem could be that the flywheel is stuck because something is clogging it up. Don’t use your hand to free the wheel, rather unplug and dismantle and clean the whole garbage disposal following the user manual, or call a professional.

Overheated

Depending on how often you use your garbage disposal, it could have simply overheated, and needs to be switched off to avoid further problems. Find the reset button underneath the disposal and press it to see if that makes any difference.

Leakages

When you find a leak, don’t use the disposal, rather turn it off and cut the power until the leak is fixed. You can try tightening the bolts to stop any leaks, however, you might need plumber’s putty to help seal any large cracks.

Total Failure

If none of the above advice works, your garbage disposal has suffered a total failure, and it’s time for a new one. Check if you are still under warranty before you start looking for the next best priced garbage disposal.

If you believe that while your garbage disposal was out or order that food debris or kitchen waste went down the drain, it is important to make sure it is not forming a blockage. Inspector Jet is able to conduct a plumbing maintenance camera inspection to ensure you will not have any unexpected plumbing problems in the future.