Derrick Jensen
Like any other home appliance, garbage disposals can malfunction and sometimes be in need of professional repairs. But in some cases, you can actually fix the problem yourself. Being an owner of a garbage disposal, it can save time and money if you learn how to troubleshoot and perform DIY fixes on your garbage disposal.
After you have installed your own unit garbage disposal, you might feel a little luxury because you are able to safely and cleanly dispose of your food waste. Now, consider this appliance as your kitchen’s key component, which means when this unit breaks down, you feel a great loss. Some of the problems may already require professional attention from a qualified repair servicer. However, other issues that are very simple can easily be corrected or fixed by yourself. Learn how to troubleshoot yourself and make it run again with a less disruption to your daily routine. Remember that in troubleshooting a garbage disposal, you should never put your hand down into its drain because you can only cut yourself on its blades even when it’s on or working.
Common Garbage Disposal Problems
- Garbage Disposal Isn’t Turning On – If your disposal is not turning on, then it is probably an electrical issue. Before you call a repair specialist for your disposal, you have to ensure first that your device is properly plugged in and the reset button on the unit’s bottom part is pressed in. If you have checked those 2 criteria and still, the device is not working, go to your circuit breaker and make sure that it has not tripped. Aside from troubleshooting, you can also try DIT fixes by replacing its power switch or the entire disposal unit. If you don’t have any experience in electrical repairs, then you can call in a professional to help you out.
- Leaking Garbage Disposal – You can fix this yourself depending on what part of the unit is leaking. The first thing that you should do is to get a wrench and tighten all the bolts around the area of leakage, whether it is on the discharge pipe or near the sink flange. You can also try to wedge plumber’s putty in the leaking part. If you have secured the bolts and you have tried the putty, but it is still leaking, then you must immediately contact a repair expert to avoid further damage.
- Garbage Disposal Isn’t Draining – If your garbage disposal is not draining properly, the only possible reason is that the waste material has clogged the drain pipe. You can use an ordinary house drain cleaner, but its toxic chemicals can possibly damage the delicate mechanisms of your garbage disposal. If you are familiar with the units repair and dismantling, especially if you are the one who installed the unit, you can try to remove its drain trap and look for obstructions and clogs on the pipe. But before doing this, you must put a bucket under its drain in order to catch the backed-up liquid and stacked food waste. If you don’t have any idea about its parts, then contact a plumber near you and let them handle the job.
The information above are the most common issues and problems of garbage disposals. If you found more technical problems, it would better to leave it to the experts. Once your unit is repaired, take some preventative measures to avoid the problems from happening again in the future.
Get more reliable information about garbage disposals here: Do’s and Don’ts Garbage Disposal Practices
