Imagine there is no garbage disposal attached with your sink to stop large chunks of debris from clogging the drain pipe. It’s horrible. A garbage great disposal ensures everything drains and reaches its designated place. In return, you need to maintain it and ensure that it will remain in its pristine condition.
But, what if it is somehow malfunctioning and needs repairing or replacement?
This post is dedicated to understanding different issues that often cause trouble to the disposal, how you can repair them at home.
Finding The Problem
As with every fixture or appliance, finding the problem at first reduces the repairing time and puts your mind at ease. It clears the path to solve the problem in a technical fashion.
For ailing garbage good disposal, look for the obvious and concealed symptoms.
Here are some scenarios and the resulting inference;
Does Not Do Anything
This is one of the obvious symptoms that are easy to spot. If your garbage disposal is not even humming or showing signs of receiving power, it means that either the breaker is tripped or the circuit is off, somehow.
Strained Hum Or Noise
If you hear a jammed hum or noise every time you push the button of your garbage great disposal, it means something is stuck inside.
Water Backing Up
In case water is backing up the sink from the garbage great disposal, it means there is something stuck inside the drainpipe of the disposal.
Does Not Grind Well
Garbage disposal cuts the garbage that comes its way into little pieces so that it can move easily through the drain pipes, without clogging anything. If it is not grinding well, then it is safe to assume that something is wrong with the blades.
Leakage
This is another one of the common causes that make it troublesome for owners to deal with garbage disposal. The first thing to do in case of leakage is to find its origin. Look at the joints and connections and determine the source before plugging it for good.
Knowing what is going on inside the garbage disposal can help you in fixing one. Now, let’s turn broken disposal into a working one.
Solving The Problem
Before handling garbage disposal, make sure you cut the power supply to save yourself from getting electrocuted. Wear protective gear and mind the safety of other people around you.
Does Not Do Anything
In this scenario, locate the rest button of your garbage disposal. There are chances that it may start working after pushing the restart button. If this does not do the trick, check the power delivery ports.
First, connect another appliance like a beater or blender in the outlet and see it works or not. When an electrical power outlet is not providing the necessary current, go to the circuit board and reset it. In all hopes, this will get your disposal grinding.
Strained Hum Or Noise
When you hear strained noise or hum coming out of the garbage disposal, or if it starts for a second and then comes to a halt, it all indicates something stuck or jammed inside it. In that case, avoid starting garbage disposal over and over as it may burn the motor out.
The culprit here could be some hard material, like bone or a metal piece, that may get stuck inside and causing the jam. Opening the panel and thorough cleaning often does the trick.
If you experience water backing up in your sink, this is the method to get rid of the issue.
Does Not Grind Well
There are three possible causes to this;
- You are not running enough water through the garbage disposal. In turn, the grinding process makes too much friction for the blades.
- You are grinding materials that should be grounded in the garbage disposal, like metal pieces or sticky items.
- The blades of the disposal are not working properly, especially if you hear it running without grinding properly.
For a DIY enthusiast, it is definitely not cost- or labor-effective to deal with any of the scenarios. The best course of action in these cases is to replace the older unit with a new one.
Leakage
Tightening loose connections is the only way to solve this issue. From replacing unions to gaskets or cleaning seals, you need to plug the leak before starting the disposal.
If the unit is somehow noisy or clogged, make sure you clear the lines and pipes to avoid further damage.
Garbage Repair Disposal Cost
The best thing about repairing malfunctioning garbage repair disposal is that you can handle it yourself.
But, there are cases when things are way beyond your expertise, you need to call the professionals, which means paying money for repairing.
The cost of garbage disposal repair varies depending on the make of your hardware, your locality, and the overall fee structure of your contractor.
According to estimates, it takes around $50 to $350 to get a new disposal. Then, there will be installation charges which are dependent on the dealings between you and your contractor.
Garbage disposal is a great help. The ideal scenario is to take care of the hardware by regularly cleaning and maintaining it. Still, if it fails you, you can go through this post to find the cause and solution of its malfunctioning.
