My Garbage Disposal Stopped Working

Jammed

• A jammed garbage disposal is not uncommon. After all, a garbage disposal's job involves jamming semi-solid foods into a small opening. Occasionally, the operator might drop in something the disposal is unable to grind up and flush away. This commonly involves coins, twist ties, pieces of broken glass, soda can tabs or other objects not meant to be put into a garbage disposal. The result is the motor continues to hum, but will not spin the blades. Turn off the power immediately to prevent damage to the motor. Make sure the main power source is disconnected from the disposal, and insert a 1/4-inch Allen wrench into the bottom port under the sink to wiggle masher plate back and forth. This will usually dislodge the foreign object. With the power still disconnected, you should be able to remove the object through the drain opening.

Reset Button

• Sometimes the motor in a garbage disposal will get overloaded. When this happens, the disposal will shut itself down and may appear to be broken. Check under the unit beneath the sink and locate a small red reset button. If it has popped out, you can press it back in and the disposal will likely start working again. If it doesn't work, this may indicate a larger problem with the motor and more serious repairs may be in order.

Clogged Pipes

• Not everything left on your plate or on the cutting board is appropriate for the garbage disposal. Wrappers from food, hard or stringy food parts like celery stalks or nut shells, and many other items can get lodged in the disposal or the pipes below and cause the sink to back up because of a clog. Also, the spinning blades make a slurry out of the food you put into the disposal, and if you do not turn on enough water to flush it down, it can become a large mass that clogs the pipes. If this happens, the most likely place for the clog is in the p-trap beneath the sink. You'll have to put a bucket under the trap, disconnect the pipes and clean them out with an auger to allow the disposal to work properly.

Power

• If your garbage disposal won't come on at all, then a possible reason is a lack of power. Check to be sure your disposal is connected to an outlet and that your circuit breaker is turned on. If you find the disposal is connected properly and there is no tripped breaker switch, you must assume it is a wiring problem or that the motor has stopped working. Professional repairs or replacement will be needed in either case.