The week we see the most disposals
Between the big December dinners and New Year's, the kitchen sink does a month of work in ten days. Potato peels, stuffing, turkey skin, the bottom of the gravy boat, and a dozen helpers who each "just rinsed" a plate. The disposal takes it until it doesn't. Here's how to tell what happened from what it's doing now.
It hums but doesn't spin
Something is wedged between the impeller plate and the grind ring: a bone, a fruit pit, a piece of a jar lid, or a dense wad of peels. The motor is trying and can't turn. Turn it off and leave it off. Every second it hums while jammed, it's cooking its own motor windings. Don't put your hand in the chamber, and don't run water into it hoping it'll flush through. A jam is one of the quickest plumber visits there is, and it usually ends with the disposal working fine. A jam that comes back every few weeks means the unit is worn and should be replaced.
It does nothing at all
No hum, no light, no sound. Either the internal overload tripped from overheating (common right after a jam), the GFCI outlet it's plugged into tripped, or the switch or wiring failed. Give it a few minutes to cool before anyone tries the switch again. If it keeps tripping after a cool-down, the motor is failing or there's a wiring problem, and that's a plumber or an electrician, not a repeat of the switch.
It runs, but the sink fills up
The disposal is fine; the drain past it is clogged. Grease that cooled in the line, potato starch that set like paste, or the trap under the sink packed with everything from the last week. Running the disposal longer won't clear it; it'll push more into the clog. If the dishwasher is also backing up into the sink, same cause, because the dishwasher drains through the disposal. This is a drain cleaning visit, and if the kitchen line has been slow since the fall, the holiday just finished the job.
It leaks
Where from matters. A drip at the top where it meets the sink is the mounting seal and is repairable. A leak at the side where the drain pipe or dishwasher hose connects is a connection and is repairable. A leak from the bottom of the unit, from the housing itself, means the internal seal has failed and water has reached the motor. That one is a replacement; there's no repair for it. Put a bowl under it, stop using it, and have it swapped.
It grinds slowly or smells
Slow grinding usually means the blades (really, the lugs on the plate) are worn or the chamber is caked. Smell is food stuck under the splash guard and in the chamber. A handful of ice cubes and a cut-up lemon run through with cold water will clean and freshen a working unit. A unit that still grinds slowly after that is on its way out.
What makes all of this worse
- Hot water. It liquefies fat, which then re-solidifies further down the pipe where you can't reach it. Cold water keeps fat in particles that move.
- The wrong things. Potato and other peels, pasta and rice, coffee grounds, fibrous vegetables (celery, corn husks, onion skins), bones, shells, grease of any kind. Our full list.
- Feeding it fast. Small amounts, with the water already running, and water running for twenty seconds after it's clear.
- Chemical drain cleaner. It won't clear a disposal, it damages the seals and the pipe, and the plumber then has to work in caustic water.
Repair or replace
A disposal that's under about eight years old with a jam, a tripped overload or a top or side leak is worth fixing. A disposal that's older, leaks from the bottom, trips repeatedly, jams every few weeks, or has started to rust at the chamber is done. Replacement is a short visit, and the newer units are quieter and grind finer than what came out in 2015. If you're buying one yourself, a 3/4-horsepower unit is the sweet spot for a family kitchen; make sure it's the same mounting type as the old one, or tell the plumber what you have so they bring the adapter.
When it's an emergency
It isn't, usually, unless the sink is backing up with a house full of guests and nothing drains, or the leak is reaching the cabinet floor and the floor below. Either way, call 833-758-6911 and describe which of the five symptoms you've got. A live person answers on every holiday, and a union plumber from Plumbers Local 130 can be dispatched the same day. Get the price before any work starts.