How To Fix Your Garbage Disposal

February 21st, 2011 by Mike

Garbage disposals can be your best friend since they take care of the dirty work for you, but they are not so fun when they break! This article contains some common problems that occur, and simple ways to fix them.

Garbage disposal not making noise?

That is certainly a problem! The first thing to check is the reset button, which is located at the bottom of the unit. Push it and see if it solves the problem. If that doesn’t work, find your electrical service panel and investigate the circuit breaker. If switching the circuit breaker does not work, then either your garbage disposal or switch that operates it is damaged. First try replacing the switch that operates the disposal, and do not forget to shut the power off before doing that! If that doesn’t work, unfortunately the garbage disposal needs to be replaced.

Have a slow drain?

It is important to remember to never use a chemical drain cleaner in a disposal. That will cause damage to the disposal, as well as a lot of unnecessary work to clean it out! To first fix a slow drain, locate the bolts holding the discharge pipes to the disposal and remove those. Disconnect and remove the drain trap, as well as the discharge drain pipe and look for a clog or obstruction. If nothing is found, there must be a clog in the sink, so your next step would be to look into that.

Need to fix a leak?

Leaks can occur at a number of places surrounding your garbage disposal. If your disposal is connected to a dishwasher, a leak can occur if the hose is not connected tightly. If the hose is leaking, replace it. A leak can also occur at the sink flange. After turning off the power, turn the disposal clockwise to remove it from the mounting flange. Make sure the three bolts are tight. If the bolts are tight, that may be a sign to add plumbers putty. Force a good amount between the sink flange and sink, going completely around the flange and then tighten the mounting bolts. Be sure to wipe away access putty. Reinstall the disposal and turn the power back on to check if the leak is fixed.

It would be great if our garbage disposals never broke, but that is simply not reality. Hopefully this helped solve your garbage disposal issue!

Here are some more great resources on how to fix your broken garbage disposal: