Garbage Disposal Clogged or Jammed

If you are having problems with your garbage disposal, the chances are that it is either clogged or jammed. There are some things you can do to prevent these problems. Also you need to know what to do if this happens to you.



The first thing you need to be aware of the types of things that can cause your garbage disposal to jam.

1. Anything metal, like coins, can tabs, twisty ties
2. Plastic like bread bags, lunch baggies, etc…
3. Plastic bag ties
4. Large seeds, or pits, like peach seeds, cherries seeds. etc…
5. glass…say from a broken glass in the sink the gets it the disposal
6. Large amounts of food built up without running the disposal.

If the disposal jams you need to get it shut off quickly. If you do not get it shut off soon enough, it will “trip” the reset and you will have to manual push the reset button to get it to run again. The reset button is a red button usually near the bottom of the disposal motor. This button will pop out if it is tripped and you will have to push it back in to get the motor to work again.

A jam can be identified by a distinct “hum”. When this happens you will need to get the motor free before turning it back on again. Just turning it on and off without working the plate back and forth till it is free will only cause damage to your disposal. To get the plate free, some disposals have a place to insert a ¼” allen wrench that is usually provided with the disposal. The slot for the allen wrench is in the bottom of the disposal motor. By inserting this wrench and rocking the motor back and forth the plate can be worked free and the motor will turn freely again. However, before turning on the disposal again, make sure to find the cause of the jam and remove it or it will just jam again.

If your disposal does not have a slot for an allen wrench, you can use a piece of wood like a hammer handle or a broom stick to reach in a turn the plate from the top. This is much more difficult, but does work with some effort.

Once the disposal plate is free and rotating easily, run a full stream of water and turn on the disposal to clean it out.

http://www.fixya.com/support/r4062792-best_way_use_garbage_disposal

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