You run your garbage disposal after rinsing the dishes to pulverize any food waste left in the drain. But the garbage disposal stopped working, much to your dismay. “Why did my garbage disposal stop running?” you mutter, wondering where you left your allen wrench and needle nose pliers.
Read Grasshopper Heating & Cooling’s brief garbage disposal guide below to quickly troubleshoot the problem. Our plumbing experts know what makes this appliance fail and shared their knowledge.
How You Can Tell You Have a Broken Garbage Disposal
Press the reset button when the garbage disposal stops working. This might help reboot it without a big fuss. Otherwise, look out for the following additional symptoms:
- The garbage disposal smokes.
- You hear a humming noise.
- The sink water is draining slowly.
- You can see leakage coming from the drain line.
These issues typically indicate something amiss deep within the system. But what do they mean, and how do they contribute to the garbage disposal not working?
Clogged Garbage Disposal Drain Trap
The problem might originate from the depths of the drain trap. The sink’s drain piping probably has excessive food waste trapped inside if the garbage disposal is not working. You need to unclog the sink drain pipe with a cup plunger to loosen and free the debris.
Otherwise, the issue might be deeper inside the drain system where the discharge drain line expels waste substances. The discharge tube or discharge pipe collects food debris from the disposal trap.
You might have small blockages in the discharge line or sink’s plumbing system with boiling water, baking soda, and white vinegar. But you should avoid pouring chemical drain cleaners down the sink since they can corrode plumbing materials.
Power Supply Problems
Electrical issues are sometimes responsible for a broken-down garbage disposal. Some examples include:
- A tripped circuit breaker: Power surges following an outage can trigger the circuit breaker in charge of your garbage disposal. Check the breaker box for flipped switches and restore power to them.
- Loose connections: Burnt wires or an unplugged power cord keep electricity from flowing the device. Securely plug the cord back in or request help from a plumber to tackle wire damage.
- Flipped reset button: The reset switch acts like an internal breaker. If the reset button flips in the wrong direction, it cuts electrical power.
- Malfunctioning disposal switch plate: You likely have a switch installed on a wall that lets you turn the disposal on without opening the sink cupboard. Sometimes that switch doesn’t work correctly and keeps power from flowing to the appliance.
Jammed Flywheel
“Why did my garbage disposal stop running?” You wonder, scratching your head as the garbage disposal hums without pulverizing food. The garbage disposal is not working because the flywheel might be stuck in one position. Tiny particles, like coffee grounds, can become wedged in flywheel.
One small, precarious piece of food can keep the unit from doing its job. You can try to free the foreign objects by inserting a wooden spoon into the drain. Tap the spoon on the blades to encourage the item to loosen. Tongs might work for larger substances.
Motor Issues
A motor frying, overheating, or dying might be to blame if your garbage disposal stopped working. Motors fail for numerous reasons, including:
- Age
- Improper use
- Fibrous food scraps tangled in the mechanism
- Grease weighing the motor down
These issues almost always require a skilled plumber’s keen eye.
Preventing Garbage Disposal Problems
What can you do to protect your garbage disposal and prolong its lifespan? Our team has a few recommendations based on our experiences in fixing these convenient appliances:
- Use a drain strainer. Drain strainers are metal covers that fit over the drain opening. You can lower the cover onto the opening before rinsing plates and cookware to capture large food particles.
- Rinsing the lower grinding chamber with cold water. Let cold tap water flow through the drain system after every disposal use. This leaves a clean pathway for your next operation.
- Grind more modest amounts of food. Never grind more than one cup of food at a time. Doing so could overheat the system.
- Dispose of destructive substances in other ways. Things like egg shells, rice, oil, and celery can destroy a garbage disposal faster than anything else. Read through a list of things to throw away versus grind up with the disposal unit.
Grasshopper Heating & Cooling Fixes Out-of-Order Garbage Disposals
“Why did my garbage disposal stop running?”
Grasshopper Heating & Cooling can figure it out. We can also install a new garbage disposal unit if your old one burns out. Call 518-545-3271 for service from NATE-certified plumbers.
