Solved! This Is What to Do When Your Garbage Disposal Stops Working

First, turn off power to the garbage disposal then take these troubleshooting steps:

Help – My Garbage Disposal Stopped Working!

The Short Answer Is: The most common reasons for a kitchen garbage disposal not working are jamming, overloading, and electrical issues. Jamming occurs when foreign objects or tough food scraps obstruct the disposal’s blades. Overloading the disposal with excessive waste can trip its safety mechanisms, while electrical issues like a tripped circuit breaker or a faulty switch can disrupt power supply, causing the unit to stop functioning.

If your garbage disposal is not working and you don’t know why, it’s natural to feel frustrated. A broken garbage disposal means more inconvenience as you use your kitchen, at least until it’s repaired. But, why wait for a plumber when you don’t have to?

When you know the common issues that cause garbage disposals to stop working properly and how to fix them, it’s not so big of a deal that your garbage disposal stopped working – quickly troubleshoot the problem and fix it yourself!

Mr. Plumber explains what causes common garbage disposal problems Indianapolis area homeowners often face, as well as what you can do to correct them without a call to us. If your garbage disposal stopped working, we recommend you give our troubleshooting tips a try before giving us a call. If you find you do need a plumber’s help to solve the problem, just contact us and we will quickly dispatch a skilled plumbing technician to assist you!

Why Is My Garbage Disposal Not Working? Check The Following

If your garbage disposal stopped working and does not turn on at all, problems with the unit’s power source are possible causes. Or, it is likely that the garbage disposal was overloaded, which causes its reset switch to trip in order to prevent damage.

1. Verify That the Garbage Disposal Is On and Plugged In
2. Locate the reset button beneath the garbage disposal – if the button has popped out, it is likely that the garbage disposal stopped working because it tripped its built-in circuit breaker, probably due to overloading. Press in the reset button – if it does not stay depressed, wait about 10 minutes and try again. If the reset button stays in, flip on the garbage disposal’s power switch to see if the unit starts back up.
3. Check the circuit breaker at your home’s electrical panel – verify the garbage disposal’s circuit has not been tripped and reset the breaker if necessary.
4. Check the garbage disposal’s wall switch – remove the switch plate and check for loose connections, tighten them if necessary.
5. Check the point where those wires connect to the unit. They may have come loose due to the garbage disposal’s vibration and need tightening.

If your garbage disposal stopped working and still does not turn on after you take these steps, call your plumber for assistance. Your plumber is able to assess the unit and its electrical connections to determine where the issue has occurred that prevents the unit from running. If the issue cannot be repaired, your plumber helps you select a new unit and installs your new garbage disposal.

Unit Hums, but Garbage Disposal Stopped Working

When you flip the power switch on, if the garbage disposal makes a humming noise yet does not do anything, the flywheel within the disposal is most likely jammed. If you experience this problem, stop the garbage disposal right away! If it continues to run while there is a jam, the motor may burn out and permanently ruin the unit, and then you’ll need a new garbage disposal.

Before you attempt to troubleshoot this possible reason why your garbage disposal stopped working, turn off power to the unit at your home’s electrical panel to prevent accidents. Verify the power is off at the electrical panel and also turn off the garbage disposal’s wall switch.

1. Use the wrench that was included with your garbage disposal – stick it into the turning hole at the bottom of the lower grinding chamber.
2. Turn the wrench clockwise – this works to dislodge items jamming up the garbage disposal’s flywheel or impeller. If the jam is dislodged, you will be able to freely turn the wrench.

1. Find a long stick, such as the handle of a wooden spoon or other wooden kitchen utensil, and stick it down through the drain opening. Maneuver the stick as a lever to dislodge the jammed flywheel. If this works, the flywheel will easily rotate.
2. Shine a flashlight into the garbage disposal and look for the material that caused the flywheel to jam – oftentimes, it’s a bone or utensil that accidentally made its way into the drain.
3. Use a Pair of Pliers to Grasp the Item and Pull It Out

After you have dislodged the jam, turn electricity back on at the home’s electrical panel. At the garbage disposal, press its reset button, located on the bottom of the unit. Run cold water down the drain for a few minutes while flipping the wall switch on and off in short bursts. This should wash material left in the chamber down the drain and out of the garbage disposal.

If your garbage disposal does not work after attempting this process, call your plumber for repairs. He or she is able to remove difficult items if applicable. Or, your plumber examines your unit to identify other causes of a jammed flywheel, such as rust or corrosion.

Garbage Disposal Smokes

If you experience the humming noise and jammed flywheel situation described above, the unit may start to smoke as the garbage disposal stopped working. The smoke may have been produced by the motor frying, in which your garbage disposal needs to be replaced. Or, it could be from a fried circuit, which may be fixable.

First, turn off power to the garbage disposal then take these troubleshooting steps:

1. Remove the Lower Cover of the Garbage Disposal
2. Examine the wires that connect to the garbage disposal – are there burnt wires?
3. If wires have burned, remove the burnt portion of wire and damaged wiring insulation.
4. Reattach Wires to the Correct Connections
5. Replace the Lower Cover
6. Restore Power and Test the Unit

If this does not fix the problem or you are not comfortable working with the wires after your garbage disposal stopped working, call your plumber. Your plumber is able to assess if the unit can be repaired or if the motor is in fact fried and the entire garbage disposal needs to be replaced.

Garbage Disposal Does Not Drain

If your garbage disposal stopped working to clear waste down the drain, there is likely a clog. When the unit turns on but water backs up into the sink or doesn’t flow into the drain at all, this issue points to a clog either within the garbage disposal or the sink’s drain piping.

To troubleshoot this reason why your garbage disposal stopped working, try these steps:

1. Remove the waste left in your sink. Scoop it out and throw away in the trashcan.
2. With about 2 inches of water in the sink, use a cup plunger to plunge the drain. Use medium pressure and maintain a strong seal with the plunger fully covering the drain opening. This may clear the clog entirely, but if it does not, continue with the following steps.
3. Look down into the drain for obstructions. If you see anything, use pliers or tongs to remove it. After removing material, run water and turn the garbage disposal back on to see if the drain flows smoothly. If not, continue.
4. Go underneath the sink, place a bucket below, and unscrew the bolts that fasten the discharge pipe to the unit.
5. Disconnect the garbage disposal drain trap and pull out the disposal trap along with the discharge drain line. Examine for obstructions in this line and clear them out. If no obstructions are found in this line, the clog may be in the sink’s plumbing.
6. Use a Sink Auger in the Drain Line to Clear the Clog
7. If you are able to remove the clog, reassemble the drain trap and discharge tube.
8. Run water and flip the garbage disposal’s power switch on to test the drain.

If your efforts to clear a clog and restore drainage through your garbage disposal don’t work, it’s time to call a plumber for help. There is likely an obstruction further down in the drain line that needs to be removed before your garbage disposal is able to properly drain.

Avoid clogs in the future and prevent a situation where the garbage disposal stopped working by practicing good garbage disposal use habits.

A lways use plenty of cold water when operating the garbage disposal.

Garbage Disposal Repair Service from Mr. Plumber

If your garbage disposal stopped working and you are unable to troubleshoot the issue, it’s time for professional plumbing repair. Mr. Plumber’s licensed plumbing technicians will have a look at your equipment to determine the exact reason your garbage disposal stopped working and make the necessary repairs to get it back up and running again, or install a new unit if you choose.

For garbage disposal repair or replacement in Indianapolis and throughout the Central Indiana region, call Mr. Plumber today!

Solved! This Is What to Do When Your Garbage Disposal Stops Working

Sometimes a faulty garbage disposal only needs a nudge to get back up and running. Other times, the fix is more involved. Try these fixes before calling a repair person.

By Tony Carrick and Glenda Taylor | Updated Sep 30, 2023 1:59 PM

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Q. After dinner, I rinsed off the dishes in the sink like I always do, and flipped the switch for the garbage disposal to grind the food scraps. The garbage disposal was not working. How can I fix the garbage disposal—or is it beyond fixing?

Your garbage disposal won’t turn on? While there’s a slim chance that you might have to replace your disposal, it’s unlikely. Odds are that the problem is something you can fix, often in just a few minutes. These troubleshooting tips, which are roughly in order from easiest to more involved, should help you get your garbage disposal back up and running.

1. Check the power supply.

Whenever an appliance like a garbage disposal is not working, the first thing to do is to check whether it’s still plugged in. While this step might sound overly simplistic, think for a moment about the under-sink area in your home: If you store cleaning supplies or a wastebasket under your sink, the garbage disposal plug can easily get knocked loose or pushed out of the outlet. Plug it in, and you’re back in business!

2. Check the electrical circuit.

In newer homes, local building codes typically require an electrician to run a single circuit for the garbage disposal and the dishwasher to share. In homes where additional outlets are on the same circuit, however, running the garbage disposal while something else is operating, such as a toaster or countertop griddle, can cause the breaker to trip.

Before you locate the tripped breaker in your home’s main electrical panel and flip it back on, test how many other outlets in the kitchen still have power. Plug something small, like a desk lamp, into the other kitchen outlets; if the disposal isn’t the only thing that isn’t working, it’s likely that too many outlets are on the same circuit.

A temporary workaround is to run the disposal only when no other appliance is running. A more permanent fix is to hire an electrician to run one or more additional circuits in order to prevent overloading the one that powers the garbage disposal.

3. Reset the garbage disposal.

If the garbage disposal is getting power (and you’ve confirmed that it’s plugged in), the solution may be as simple as pressing the reset button. Overloading the garbage disposal with food scraps can cause it to overheat and trip the reset button.

To reset the garbage disposal, you first have to find the button. The garbage disposal reset button is usually on the side or the bottom of the under-sink part of the unit, depending on the model you have. You may have to feel around the back of the unit to locate it. When you find the button, press it once—firmly—and release.

4. Rotate the flywheel and impellers.

A garbage disposal uses impeller arms attached to a flywheel that’s surrounded by a shredder ring. When the flywheel spins, the impellers and ring work together to shred anything that comes into contact with them.

Sometimes pieces of metal or other materials that are too hard for the impeller arms to break down become caught in the impeller, or between the flywheel and the shredder ring, jamming them. If this happens, you’ll need to remove these objects from the garbage disposal. (A clue that it’s jammed: The garbage disposal hums when you turn it on.)

Here’s how to fix the jam:

• Cut the power to the garbage disposal by unplugging it (or by flipping the power breaker, if the appliance is hardwired).
• On the bottom of the outside of the garbage disposal, in the very center, is a small depression that receives a ¼-inch hex-head wrench. Fit the garbage disposal key or wrench in the depression and twist it back and forth firmly to rotate the flywheel and impellers to free the stuck item.
• If necessary, use a broom handle to dislodge whatever object is caught inside the disposal in the impeller blades and then use needle-nose pliers to remove it. For obvious reasons, you should never put your hands inside the garbage disposal. Even if you’re sure power to the garbage disposal is off, whatever object is stuck inside—or even the impellers—can cut your hand.
• Once you’ve cleared the foreign object, reconnect the power then turn on the faucet and test the garbage disposal to see if it works. You may need to press the reset switch (see above) before the garbage disposal will come back on.

Pro Tip: If you don’t already own a hex wrench set, get one! A good set of hex wrenches is handy for everything from IKEA furniture assembly to common home repairs like this one.

5. Check for leaks.

If the problem isn’t that the garbage disposal won’t turn on but rather that it’s leaking, you’ll need to locate the source of the leak. Here’s how to go about it:

• Move everything out of the undersink area.
• Next, unplug the garbage disposal to prevent the risk of electric shock.
• Examine the plumbing around the garbage disposal. The most common places to check for a leak are in the lines that run to and from the garbage disposal.
• Check the discharge tube that connects from the disposal to the sink drain line.
  • If water only seems to leak when the dishwasher is running, check the dishwasher drain line, which connects to the disposal near the top of the unit.
  • If the leak is coming from one of the lines, the fix is fairly easy: Tighten the connections. If that doesn’t work, you’ll need to replace the lines.

  6. If all else fails, replace the garbage disposal.

  

  While the above steps will fix most garbage disposals, they won’t fix blown motors, factory defects, or leaks from a cracked housing. Contact the manufacturer if the broken unit is relatively new—your garbage disposal replacement could be covered by warranty. If the garbage disposal is not under warranty, you’ll need to replace it. The cost to replace a garbage disposal is usually between $75 and $950, depending on the replacement unit you choose and whether you install it yourself or hire someone else to do it. Removing a garbage disposal and installing a new one is a fairly easy job most DIYers with a basic knowledge of plumbing can handle.

  Another option is to look into getting a policy from one of the best home warranty companies, such as American Home Shield or AFC Home Club. A home warranty can help cover repairs (and sometimes replacements) on major appliances, including garbage disposals.

  How to Maintain a Garbage Disposal

  To avoid fixing a garbage disposal in the future, remember this: It works wonders grinding up soft bits of food that remain in the sink after meal preparation, but it’s not designed to chew through certain foods. Avoid putting animal bones, nuts and certain shells, seeds, and potato peels down the garbage disposal. Even chunks of fibrous food scraps, like raw celery, carrots, or cabbage, will wear down the impellers or strain the garbage disposal’s motor.

  Particular foods can also create clogs. Avoid sending coffee grounds down the grain as they can build up in the drain pipe. The same goes for grease, oil or fat, which can stick to the insides of pipes.

  Rather than putting food in the garbage disposal, put the bulk of these scraps in the trash can, or better yet—if they’re non-meat scraps—the compost pile.

  Always run the garbage disposal with plenty of cold water and allow the unit to run a few seconds after the food grinding is complete to clear away residual bits of food that can cause odors.