Garbage Disposal Not Working? What To Do, In Order

Every safe disposal repair starts the same way, because the risk here is not water - it is a motor that can restart while your hand is in the grinding chamber. Do these three things first, every time, no exceptions.

1. Turn the disposal switch OFF. If it has been humming, leave it off - running a jammed motor cooks the windings.
2. Kill the power at the source. Unplug the unit under the sink if it is plugged into an outlet, or switch off its breaker at the panel if it is hard-wired.
3. Never put your hand into the chamber. Use tongs, pliers or a wooden spoon handle to retrieve anything you can see, and keep your fingers above the splash guard.
4. Clear the cabinet under the sink so you can see the unit, the drain connections and the dishwasher hose.
5. Put a flashlight on it and look into the chamber from above before you touch anything - a spoon, a bottle cap or a peach pit is often visible straight away.

A hum with no rotation means the motor has power but the impeller plate cannot move. Something hard is wedged between the plate and the grind ring - usually silverware, a bottle cap, a fruit pit, glass, or a build-up of fibrous material like celery or artichoke.

With the power off, most disposals can be freed from below with a hex wrench in the socket at the center of the base, or from above with the long-handled tool the unit shipped with. Work it back and forth both directions until the plate spins freely by hand pressure, remove whatever comes loose, then restore power and press the reset button underneath before testing it.

1. With power off, insert the hex wrench into the socket in the center of the unit's underside.
2. Turn it firmly back and forth in both directions until the plate rotates freely through a full turn.
3. Look into the chamber and remove the object with tongs or pliers, never by hand.
4. Press the red reset button on the bottom of the unit until it clicks.
5. Restore power, run cold water, and switch the disposal on in short bursts.

No hum, no click, nothing at all usually means the unit is not getting power or has protected itself. Disposals have a thermal overload cut-out with a red reset button on the underside, and it trips after a jam or a long grind. That button is the first thing to check and it solves this complaint more often than anything else.

If reset does not do it, work outward: the breaker at the panel, the wall switch, and the outlet under the sink - which on many kitchen installs is switched, and on some is shared with the dishwasher. A plug-in unit is easy to test by plugging a lamp into the same outlet. If the outlet is dead with the breaker on, that is an electrical problem rather than a plumbing one.

A disposal that clicks and stops, or trips the breaker every time it starts, is usually telling you the motor or its capacitor has failed. At twelve or fifteen years old, replacement is the normal answer; these are not rebuildable appliances.

• Red reset button underneath - press it first, it fixes this most often
• Breaker at the panel, then the wall switch, then the outlet under the sink
• Clicks or trips the breaker on start - likely a failed motor or capacitor
• Burning smell - stop, cut power, and plan on a replacement

If the motor spins freely and water backs up in the sink, the disposal is working and the problem is downstream. The usual spot is the P-trap directly below or the horizontal run behind it, packed with ground food and grease - and in a kitchen island, that horizontal run is long and unforgiving.

Do not reach for chemical drain cleaner. It is ineffective against a packed food-and-grease plug, it sits in the chamber and the trap while it waits, and it makes the whole assembly hazardous for whoever opens it next - which may be you in ten minutes. Clearing the trap into a bucket is the mechanical fix, and it is within reach of most homeowners.

One more check specific to disposals: if your dishwasher backs up or drains poorly at the same time, the dishwasher drain hose connects to the disposal and the plug in that inlet may still be in place after a recent install, or the hose may be clogged where it joins.

• Water backing up with the motor running freely - a clog downstream, not the disposal
• Check the P-trap first; island sinks add a long horizontal run
• Dishwasher backing up too - check the disposal's dishwasher inlet and hose
• Skip chemical drain cleaner entirely on a disposal

Where a disposal leaks tells you whether it is worth fixing. A leak at the top, where the unit meets the sink flange, is usually the plumber's putty or the mounting assembly and is repairable. A leak at the side, where the drain or dishwasher hose connects, is usually a gasket or a loose connection and is repairable. A leak from the bottom of the housing means the internal seal has failed and water is inside the motor - that unit is finished.

Dry everything, put paper towels under each of the three locations, run water briefly, and see which one is wet first. That takes five minutes and decides whether you are buying a gasket or an appliance.

Stop if the unit leaks from the bottom of the housing, if it trips the breaker repeatedly, if there is a burning smell, if the sink backs up after the trap has been cleared, or if the disposal is hard-wired and the electrical side is in question. Stop as well if more than one fixture in the house is draining slowly - that is a main-line symptom and the disposal is a bystander.

Dallas Best Plumber is a free referral service, not a plumbing company. Tell us what the disposal is doing - humming, silent, leaking, draining badly - and we match you with a licensed, insured local plumber who repairs or replaces disposals and clears the drain behind them, with a free, no-obligation quote. There is no cost to use the matching service.