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Sometimes Even the Best Garbage Disposal Clogs Up. What Do You Do?

Almost Every Garbage Disposal Clogs Up At Some Point

Garbage disposals can be a helpful tool in your kitchen if used properly. They make cleaning up after dinner and rinsing dishes off a snap. But they all have a tendency to get clogged upif a few basic rules aren't followed.

The Best Garbage Disposal

People often ask what is the best garbage disposal to get to avoid these problems. Without going into a full blown garbage disposal review, my recommendation is to choose a model with as much horsepower as your budget allows. And make sure the model you pick has a way to free things up manually if it gets jammed.

It Makes A Difference How You Use It

No matter whatkind of garbage disposal you have, how you use it has more to do with keeping it working properly than what brand or model it is. Even the best garbage disposal clogs up sometimes, especially if it gets a lot of heavy use.

You ShouldAlways Turn The Faucet On First

So how should you use a garbage disposal? First of all, always run water in the sink when you are using your garbage disposal and leave the water running several seconds after you turn the disposal off. Remember, everything that you put through the garbage disposal goes directly into your drainage piping so make sure you use enough water to wash it down the pipes.

Easy Does It

The second rule is that you probably shouldn't try to put too much of food through the disposal. I've seen garbage disposal clogs created by someone trying to grind what looked like whole carrots. All of the drain piping under the sink was packed with grated carrot.

Asking For Problems

It is certainly inviting to just dump everything into the garbage disposal and flip the switch, but that is asking for trouble. I actually know of one case where someone was dropping eggshells down his disposal. He must have eaten a lot of eggs because the ground up shells coated the inside of his 3" drain pipe and finally stopped it up completely. The whole drain pipe wound up having to be replaced.

Put The Big Pieces Somewhere Else

Hopefully that story reinforces why you should be careful how you use your garbage disposal. Put bigger portions of food in either the garbage can or a compost pile and use the disposal for the small stuff that would otherwise get rinsed down the drain. Your drain pipes will thank you.

Garbage Disposal Clogs

Sometimes no matter how careful you are the garbage disposal clogs up anyway. No problem,it's pretty easy to learn how to unclog a garbage disposal. There are just a few basic steps to follow.

Does The Motor Need To Be Reset?

First, find out if the motor is locked up. If you turn on the switch and the disposal just hums, it is most likelylocked up. If you leave the switch onthis usually results in the motor cutting off, so many garbage disposals have a reset button (usually on the bottom). Turn the switch off, wait several seconds and push the reset button.

Find For The Wrench Hole

The next step is to unjam the disposal. Most garbage disposals have a place in the bottom where you can insert an "Allen Wrench" into the end of the shaft and turn the shaft by hand to get it spinning again. Sometimes the wrench is included with the disposal. If not, a standard "Allen" wrench will do the trick.

How To Unclog A Garbage Disposal With A Wrench

Make sure the power switch is off before trying the next step! If you're not sure or if you have an air switch, turn off the breaker that feeds the disposal. Turn the water on and insert the wrench into the hole for the shaft in the bottom of the disposal. This hole should be in the center of the bottom of the garbage disposal. Now rotate the wrench back and forth a few times until you can turn the shaft all the way around easily.

What If There's No Wrench Hole?

If the disposal has no hole for a wrench at the bottom you can always try using a broomstick. Take about a 2 foot long piece of broom stick, stick it in the top of the disposal and try to rotate the grinding head while pushing down. While this doesn't usually work nearly as well as the wrench method, on some garbage disposals it's your only choice.

I Thought I Left My Rings On The Sink

Once you've got the shaft turning, turn the switch back on. The disposal should drain now. If not, or if you weren't able to get the shaft unstuck,there may be some sort of foreign object ( hopefully not a diamond ring) causing the jam. Making sure the switch is off, look down inside the disposal. It will probably help to use a flashlight. If you can see anything inside, try to remove it with a pair of needle nose pliers.

The Final Solution

If you can tell there is something inside but can't get it with the pliers it may re wire removing the disposal. If the shaft won't turn at all, then the next step is learning how to unclog a garbage disposal.

Removing A Garbage Disposal

The trick to removing a garbage disposal is taking your time. The drain fitting usually attaches on the side with a clamp that just needs to be unfastened, so take this apart first. If the sink bowl is backed up and full of water make sure you have a container ready to catch the water.

Disconnect It From The Sink

Once the drain is undone remove the mounting assembly that connects the disposal to the sink. This will be either a big nut, a bracket held in place with screws or, on Insinkerator disposals, a clamp ring that twists down. Once the bracket is loose you should be able to remove the disposal from the sink, take the rubber splash shield off and look inside.

Remove Whatever Is Jamming The Blades And Put Everything Back Together

Now you can get whatever is jamming the blades out and then, before you put everything back together, turn the switch on for a minute and make sure the blade spins now. If everything works, put it all back together. Be careful and get all of the seals back like they were and then run some water through and check for leaks. Try the switch once or twice to make sure it works and clean up your mess.

That's How East It Is To Unclog A Garbage Disposal

You now know how to unclog a garbage disposal. If your garbage disposal is working fine right now you may be thinking "so what?". The odds are that one day you will need this information. When the time comes to fix your garbage disposal, review this article and it will be a breeze.

About the Author

Bryan Stevens is a Licensed Master Plumber with a knack for teaching
homeowners how to do their own basic plumbing repairs themselves. He has an amazing mini-course
called "How To Unclog A Toilet And Other DIY Plumbing Tips". To claim your FREE copy,
visit: How To Unclog A Toilet

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