Reasons Why the Garbage Disposal is Not Working

If you’re a homeowner, you probably enjoy the convenience of a garbage disposal without a second thought. However, when the garbage disposal is not working, you probably have to work hard to keep your sink clean and the foul odors at bay. If your garbage disposal is not working, there are many reasons why it might be broken.

While a broken garbage disposal is difficult to deal with on your own, our professional plumbers know how to fix it in no time. If your garbage disposal is not working like it’s supposed to, call the experienced plumbers at Central Plumbing to get it back running.

Reason Why the Garbage Disposal is Not Working #1: The Power Source

It’s clear something is wrong if you’ve flipped the switch to turn your garbage disposal on and it doesn’t turn on. If you don’t hear any grinding or humming, there is likely an issue with the power source of the garbage disposal.

Before calling Central Plumbing, check whether the garbage disposal is still plugged into the outlet and whether the wire or plug looks damaged. If your disposal has a reset button, you can press it to see if that fixes the issue. If not, one of our plumbers can come to your home and assess the unit and its electrical connections. They will determine why the garbage disposal is not working, fix the power supply, and address any other problems causing the garbage disposal not to work.

After the professional plumbers at Central Plumbing get your garbage disposal working again, you will be free to get rid of waste in your kitchen as needed.

Reason Why the Garbage Disposal is Not Working #2: The Flywheel is Jammed

What if the garbage disposal is humming, but you don’t hear any grinding noises breaking down the food? Humming with no grinding is a big sign your garbage disposal is not working correctly.

When the garbage disposal is not breaking down food, the flywheel located inside the disposal system may have gotten jammed from an item that is not supposed to be there. A flywheel is a small part in the garbage disposal that rotates the blades that shred the food waste. As soon as the garbage disposal starts humming without grinding, turn off the disposal immediately and unplug it. If it continues to run while there’s a jam in the machine, the motor may burn out and damage the unit permanently.

After turning the power off and unplugging the disposal, use a kitchen utensil handle to manually turn the garbage disposal blades. The manual turning can help dislodge the item jamming the flywheel. Never put your arm down the garbage disposal system – even if power is not connected. After the object is dislodged, turn the power back on, run cold water for a few minutes, and try turning on the disposal.

If the humming continues without grinding, it is time to call Central Plumbing. Another problem may be preventing the disposal from working, requiring deeper investigation and possible part or unit replacement.

Reason Why the Garbage Disposal is Not Working #3: The Motor is Fried

As soon as you see smoke coming out of the sink drain, you should turn off the garbage disposal. The most likely reason why the garbage disposal is not working if you see smoke is that the motor inside the device has fried. The circuit breaker might also have been tripped.

Check the circuit breaker first. If you reset the circuit breaker and the garbage disposal is still not working, the motor is the problem.

If the garbage disposal motor is not working, it is best to replace the garbage disposal. Call the plumbers at Central Plumbing at 225-925-8552 for a quick garbage disposal replacement.

Other signs it is time to replace your entire garbage disposal:

Regularly resetting the unit
Frequent clogs
Poor performance – not breaking down food
Water leaks

Reason Why the Garbage Disposal is Not Working #4: Something is Clogging Up the Unit

There are certain food items you should never put down a drain or you risk clogging your garbage disposal system.

Fats, oils, pasta and bread, coffee grounds, seafood shells, and fibrous vegetables should not go into the garbage disposal. They can clog the disposal by getting caught in the blades or damaging them badly enough to break them.

You can dislodge a clog by using a kitchen utensil handle to move any items away from the blades. If there is a clog and removing it is too difficult, the Central Plumbing team can help you get it out.

If the Garbage Disposal is Not Working, Central Plumbing Will Fix It

As licensed and experienced plumbers who have fixed garbage disposals for over forty years, we know how to fix the most complicated garbage disposal issues plaguing homeowners. When you call Central Plumbing, we will assess the system to see why the garbage disposal is not working and fix it so you can get back to business as usual. Don’t wait for your garbage disposal issues to get worse – contact our master plumbers today at 225-925-8552.