Garbage disposers take whatever we dish out, and that's not always a good thing. Keep your appliance grinding by learning proper care and common garbage disposal problems.
How Garbage Disposals Work
Garbage disposals pulverize food waste into particles. Water washes the particles down the drain lines and out of your house.
The motor drives a grinding unit that consists of a stationary shredder ring and a rotating plate. The shredder ring is a metal band with a series of sharp-edged holes that cut the waste into pieces. A rotating plate at the bottom of the grinding unit throws waste particles against the shredder ring as they enter the hopper. The particles are ground up and pass through the holes in the shredder ring into the waste pipe.
Disposals are secured to the base of the kitchen sink and connect to the waste plumbing upstream of the trap.
Caring for a Garbage Disposal
Watch Your Waste
A disposal is designed to grind things like everyday waste scraps, small bones, vegetables, soft foods and coffee grounds. Avoid blockages with these tips:
- Avoid grinding fibrous waste like corn husks, onions, pea pods or celery, or grind them along with other foods.
- Never try to grind glass, plastic, metal, Styrofoam, seafood shells, cardboard or similar items.
- Grind only small amounts of waste at a time and run a good flow of cold water. The water flushes the waste down your drain pipe, lubricates the seal around the motor and solidifies grease and fat for shredding.
Know What to Do in a Jam
If the disposer jams, the motor stops and hums. After about 30 seconds, the thermal overload protector should cut off power; if it doesn't, the jammed electric motor eventually blows the fuse or trip the circuit breaker.
1. Give your motor 15 minutes to cool down if the thermal overload protector has tripped, and then push the motor's reset button. Some disposals have a reset button on the motor, while others reset themselves. Replace or reset blown fuses or tripped circuit breakers.
2. Turn off power to the unit. Free the flywheel automatically with the "reverse" function, if your unit has one. If not, free it manually by turning it with a broomstick or service wrench — never, ever stick your hand into the disposal. If you can't free the wheel, dislodge what's stuck in the flywheel with pliers or a similar tool.
4. Grind ice to clean and freshen the disposer once you've cleared the jam.
Plugging In
If your disposal isn't wired in and plugs into an outlet, use a cord that's between 18 and 36 inches long and don't run it through the cabinet. If you're using flexible conduit, make sure it has a drip loop. Note that some jurisdictions won't allow non-metallic sheathed (Romex) cable.
Septic
If your disposer is connected to a septic system, some experts say you might need to clean the septic tank more often. Some experts advise against connecting to a septic system at all.
Common Problems
Doesn't Run
- Tripped fuse or breaker at main panel
- Tripped overload protector
- Faulty stopper or wall switch
- Faulty motor
Doesn't Grind
- Faulty motor
- Jammed flywheel
Grinds Slowly
- Insufficient water flow
- Dull shredder ring
- Broken flyweight
- Clogged drain line
Leaks
- Loose plumbing connection
- Defective gasket
Noisy
- Faulty motor
- Broken flyweight
- Loose metal object
- Loose unit
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