A garbage disposal that won’t work can not only be annoying, it can also lead to a smelly mess after a while. While most garbage disposal repair jobs usually need to be taken care of by a professional technician, there are some times where do-it-yourselfers can handle it themselves. At Benjamin Franklin Plumbing® of Dallas, we’d like to share some tips that could possibly save you time and money. If you’re not comfortable trying these fixes, though, give us a call and we’ll take care of you.
The Disposal Doesn’t Run and Doesn’t Make Noise
This usually indicates some sort of problem with your electrical supply. Here’s what to do:
- First, make sure the unit is plugged in. This sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how easily garbage disposal can be unplugged from its outlet under the sink.
- Next, Check your reset button. Push it in and try running the unit again. If it pops out again, you probably need to call a professional for your garbage disposal repair.
- Then, Look at the circuit breaker which supplies the unit. Reset it if it has tripped. If the breaker continues to trip, this is a sign of a more serious issue and you should call a pro.
The Disposal Doesn’t Run and Makes a Humming Noise
The first thing you need to do in this instance is to turn the unit off immediately. Although the reset button should trip before any damage can occur to the motor you don’t want to take any chances. More than likely, you have a jammed flywheel.
- Turn off the power, both at the unit and at the electrical panel.
- Use either an Allen wrench or the wrench that came with the unit to manually free the flywheel. Put the wrench in the proper hole and turn it clockwise until the flywheel freely moves.
- If you don’t have a wrench, try inserting a broom handle into the unit. Push down until you feel the flywheel break lose.
- Turn the power back on and see if that solves the problem.
If none of the above suggestions work, you may need a more extensive garbage disposal repair. Contact Benjamin Franklin Plumbing® of Dallas online or call us at (972) 895-7775 and we’ll send someone out to take care of your problem. Do you have other garbage disposal do-it-yourself repair tips? Share them with us by clicking one of the social media buttons on this page.