Garbage disposals are an indispensable appliance in many modern kitchens and they are fairly simple machines. As long as the motor hasn't stopped completely, chances are what's wrong with your disposal is that too many starchy foods—broccoli and artichokes are notoriously hard for disposals to digest. Repairing a garbage disposal may thus be a simple matter of clearing a jam—is a straightforward process that most DIYers can do on their own.
Garbage disposals are an indispensable appliance in many modern kitchens and they are fairly simple machines. As long as the motor hasn't stopped completely, chances are what's wrong with your disposal is that too many starchy foods—broccoli and artichokes are notoriously hard for disposals to digest. Repairing a garbage disposal may thus be a simple matter of clearing a jam—is a straightforward process that most DIYers can do on their own.
Introduction
- Garbage disposals allow the home owner to grind up bits of leftover food and flush it out into the sewer system for your city, or the septic system for your house. Garbage disposal units are fairly straightforward, and not much can go wrong with them that you can't repair on your own.
Step 1: How a Garbage Disposal Unit Works
A garbage disposal has basically three parts: a hopper chamber, and a flywheel and rotors driven by an electric motor. The hopper chamber holds the food while the motor drives the flywheel and rotors against a shredder wheel. Water from the faucet flushes the pulverized food down into the waste line outlet and into the sewer system.
Step 2: Check the Garbage Disposal Operating Mechanisms
The problem may be a simple one of checking to make sure everything is plugged in properly
Check to see that the switch works
Check to see if a circuit breaker has been tripped
Push the reset button at the base of the unit
Step 3: Clear any Jams
Before attempting to clear any jams in your waste disposal unit, turn the power to the unit off. Remove the ring from the top of the disposal and pull out any mass of starchy material that may have collected in the hopper. If after trying to reset the disposal and clearing the jam doesn't work, you may simply have to call a repairman or replace the disposal. For more detailed information, see the links below:
How Stuff Works: How to Repair a Garbage Disposal
eHow: How to Fix a Jammed Garbage Disposal (Video) (Time 2:18)
DIY Network: Replacing a Garbage Disposal
Expert Village Videos: How to Repair a Garbage Disposal (Time: 1:44)
Conclusion
Garbage disposals are simple machines, and what usually stops them is when you put too much starchy foods in them at once. Clearing the jams should fix almost all problems with a disposal—and if that doesn't fix it, you should probably replace it.
