Garbage Disposal Repair and Replacement in Phoenix

It hums but won't turn: it's jammed

A hum means the motor has power but something is stopping the plate. Usually it's a fruit pit, a bone, a bottle cap or a piece of glass wedged between the plate and the wall of the grinding chamber. Running it in that state burns out the motor, so stop and turn it off.

Here's the fix most people can do:

1. Turn the switch off. For safety, unplug the disposal under the sink or turn off its breaker.
2. Look under the disposal for a six-sided hole in the center of the bottom. The disposal came with an Allen wrench for it, and a 1/4-inch one from a hardware store fits most.
3. Put the wrench in and work it back and forth until it turns freely all the way around. That frees the plate.
4. Pull out whatever was jamming it with tongs, never your hand.
5. Press the red reset button on the bottom. It pops out when the motor overheats.
6. Run cold water and turn it on.

If it hums again right after that, the motor has seized and the disposal gets replaced.

It does nothing at all

Start with the red reset button on the bottom. It trips when the motor overheats, which happens after a jam. Then check that the disposal is plugged in. Most are on a cord to an outlet under the sink, and the cord can work loose. Some are wired direct to a switch instead. If the outlet is dead too, a GFCI or breaker has tripped.

If it's plugged in, the reset is pushed, the outlet works and it still does nothing, the motor is dead. That's a replacement.

It leaks

Where the water comes from tells you what's wrong:

• From the top, where it meets the sink: the mounting ring has loosened or the putty under the sink flange has failed. Both can be resealed.
• From the side, at a pipe: the drain connection or the dishwasher hose has loosened. Tightened or resealed.
• From the bottom: the seal inside the motor has failed, and water is running through the housing. There's no repair for that. The disposal gets replaced.

A leak that's been going for a while often leaves the cabinet floor swollen. That gets looked at too, and a water-damaged sink base floor can be replaced.

Replacing a disposal

A new disposal has to match the mount on your sink or be swapped with its own. Most brands use one of two mounting systems, and the new unit usually comes with its own. We match it to what you have, or bring the right one.

Horsepower is the main choice. A 1/3 or 1/2 horsepower unit handles light use. A 3/4 horsepower unit grinds finer, jams less and runs quieter, and it's the one we'd pick for a family kitchen. A 1 horsepower unit is for heavy use. Bigger motors are also bigger units, so under-sink space matters when a filter system or a pull-down faucet weight is already down there.

One step people miss when they replace a disposal themselves: the new unit has a plug inside the dishwasher inlet. If the dishwasher drains through the disposal, that plug has to be knocked out before it's connected, or the dishwasher fills the counter the next time it runs. We take care of that, connect the dishwasher hose, reconnect the drain, and run it with water to check for leaks.

Adding a disposal where there wasn't one

A sink without a disposal can usually get one. It needs an outlet under the sink and a switch on the wall, or an air switch on the counter that doesn't need wall wiring. If there's no outlet under the sink, one can usually be fed from the one already in the kitchen. Some cities want a permit for that, and the quote says so. The drain piping under the sink gets reworked to fit the disposal.

Keeping it running

Run cold water before, during and for a few seconds after. Cold water keeps grease solid so it grinds and flushes instead of coating the pipe. Skip fibrous things like celery and corn husks, and starchy things like potato peels and rice, which turn into paste. Ice cubes and citrus peel clean the chamber and cut the smell. If the whole sink is draining slowly, the problem is past the disposal, further down the drain.

Problems we fix on this page

• Disposal won't turn on at all
• Reset button keeps tripping
• Disposal is jammed
• Disposal leaks from the bottom
• Disposal leaks where the dishwasher hose connects
• Disposal leaks at the sink flange
• Grinding or rattling noise
• Disposal drains slowly
• Switch for the disposal doesn't work
• Want a new disposal installed
• Want the disposal removed
• Want a quieter or stronger disposal
• InSinkErator disposal leaking from the bottom
• Waste King disposal jammed
• Moen disposal not turning on
• Badger disposal needs replacing
• Should I repair or replace my garbage disposal
• Disposal flooding the cabinet

How it starts

Send a photo of the disposal under the sink, showing the cord or wiring and the pipes. Tell us what it does when you flip the switch: hums, nothing, or runs but leaks. You'll have a fixed price before anyone shows up. We can install a disposal you've already bought. Levi does the work himself.