Garburator Archives - Always Plumbing & Heating

When the garbage disposal in your kitchen malfunctions, it can cause a huge headache for homeowners. In addition to the nuisance of having a fixture that isn’t working properly, leaving this in disrepair can lead to bigger problems down the line such as a blocked pipe. If your garbage disposal isn’t working properly, you should troubleshoot the problem first before you call a plumber. This may be a simple thing you can fix on your own. If you aren’t able to repair the issue after trying these tasks, then you may need to give Always Plumbing & Heating a call to help you out.

Preparation

Gather the following supplies to assist you with troubleshooting the cause of your garbage disposal issues:

Screwdriver
Allen key
Garbage disposal wrench
Bucket
Plunger
Clamp

Check Your Electrical

If your garbage disposal stops working completely and has no signs of electrical activity, check under the sink and look at your electrical connections and ensure the device is plugged in. Check underneath the unit for a red reset button and hit it to reset the electrical. Check your main breaker box to see if a breaker was tripped. If none of these solves the problem, you may actually have to replace the unit if the motor has failed.

Rotate the Blades

If your disposal makes a humming sound when you turn it on, but the blades aren’t turning, you may have a blockage preventing the blades from turning. Try the following to clear the blockage:

Turn off the disposal and unplug it
If there is any water standing in the sink, remove it with a plunger, or if a larger amount of water, bail it out with a bucket
Clamp your dishwasher line to prevent dirty water from back flowing into the dishwasher.
Insert the Allen key into the access hole at the bottom of the garbage disposal (under the sink)
Turn the Allen key back and forth to rotate the blades in an attempt to break up the clog, allowing the blades to move freely.

Rotate the Impeller

If that didn’t fix your issue, attempt to rotate the impeller from the top of the disposal. Ensuring your disposal is still turned off and unplugged, try the following:

Insert a garbage disposal wrench or the tip of a broom handle into the top go the disposal
Move it back and forth until the blockage breaks up
If there is a larger object stuck in there, like a whole potato, a banana peel, or the pit of a fruit, you can attempt to remove it by hand. Put on a glove and reach inside the disposal and try to remove it

In Conclusion

Once you have tried all of the above measures, plug the unit back in and turn it on. You may have found you were able to fix the repair on your own, give yourself a pat on the back! If you still don’t have proper operation at this point, then it is time to call a plumber. It is recommended you unplug your device again until the plumber is able to assist you with the repair. Remember, you shouldn’t put this task off as doing so could result in a blockage further down the lines, causing a more extensive repair. The expert plumbers at Always Plumbing & Heating will do a thorough assessment of your device, identity any problems, and explain to you the most straightforward and cost-effective repair. If it is determined the unit needs to be replaced, we will present you with a variety of options and install the device on the same day so your kitchen is back to normal! Having things in your home not working properly is a huge inconvenience, and we hope to lessen that for you should you need our assistance. We are here to help people like you today, tomorrow…and Always!

As fall approaches, many families find themselves spending more time in the kitchen. While summer is the season for outdoor barbecues and campfires, fall is the season for back to school lunches, canning your produce, and packaging up the succulent goods from your garden.

With all of this extra time in the kitchen comes greater use of your in-sink garbage disposal. There are a few names for kitchen garbage disposal units. Whether you call it your garburator, Insinkerator or garbage disposal, they are a cook’s best friend! Grinding up and washing away kitchen waste with the flip of a switch. While a garburator is useful for many food items, there are some things that should never put down your garburator to avoid major plumbing problems. Avoid the following to reduce the potential for major plumbing problems, including clogged lines, burst pipes, or a damaged garbage disposal unit.

15 Items You Shouldn’t Put In Your Garbage Disposal

Coffee Grounds: Coffee grounds turn into a thick pasty wad that can plug up your drains. Instead save them for your garden, which helps create nutrient-rich soil as well as keep critters out of your garden.
Pasta: Pasta absorbs water and expands in your plumbing lines even after it’s chopped up from your garburator. While a few scraps from a plate shouldn’t cause an issue, disposing an entire serving of pasta into your drains is not a good idea.
Bones: Garbage disposal blades aren’t strong enough to cut up bones. You will damage the blades and possibly destroy your garbage disposal.
Oatmeal: Like pasta, oatmeal is a water-absorbing food. They can collect further down in your plumbing lines and soak up water, expanding and plugging your lines.
Nuts: Consider what happens when you grind up nuts. Think peanut butter. If you throw a bunch of nuts into your garburator this is exactly what happens. Leaving you with disposal lines that have a thick oily paste to potentially clog your lines.
Onion Skins: While the inside of the onion is okay to put into the disposal, the thin skins can slip between the blades untouched, and become wedged in the drain, trapping other food items and causing a clog. Compost the outer layer of your onion instead.
Eggshells: There is an old wive’s tale that eggshells will sharpen your garbage disposal blades which is not true. While the eggshells will not damage the blades, the inner membrane from the eggshell can get loose and lodge around the impeller or in the drain. Instead, use your eggshells in your garden.
Trash: Some things just belong in the garbage and not in your drains. Banana peels, candy wrappers, paper towel, cigarette butts, etc. The device is not a trash compactor, adding items such as these will lead to having to replace the unit.
Pumpkin: When carving a pumpkin and the long stands get stuck to your hands, the same happens when you put it into your garbage disposal which clogs your drains.
Potato Peels: Don’t overload your disposal with potato peels. While a few shouldn’t hurt, a large amount can jam up your disposal and it puts a lot of strain on the motor.
Celery: Much like pumpkin, the stringy fibres can wrap around the blades and plug your drains or damage the disposal motor.
Pits: Similar in texture to bones, pits cannot be chopped up with disposal blades. Save them for your compost instead.
Cleaning solutions: Harsh drain cleaners and industrial cleaning solutions should not be used in your disposal unit. They can damage the drains and the drain lines. Instead, use ice cubes to clean the blades and some lemon peels to deodorize the disposal. A little dish soap can be helpful if there is some grease build-up. Always make sure your unit is turned off before cleaning your disposal unit.
Corn Husks: The robust fibrous husks and the stringy silks of the husk create a threat for the garbage disposal unit. Keep the task of husking your corn far from the garbage disposal. Instead, husk the corn straight into the compost.
Grease: We’ve all heard the phrase, Don’t pour it, Store it! Grease should never be put down any of your drains, including your garbage disposal. This is one of the leading causes of clogged lines. Keep a glass jar under your sink to collect grease drippings in.

If you notice the unit isn’t running smoothly, or if you have a backflow of water coming up from your drains, you may need to enlist the help of a professional plumber. Regardless if it is a garburator, Insinkerator or garbage disposal unit, the expert plumbers at Always Plumbing & Heating can take care of all your repairs or replacement needs.

Category: Garburator

How to Fix a Garbage Disposal