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| Sometimes Even The Best Garbage Disposal Clogs Up. What Do You Do? |
By:
Bryan Stevens |
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Nearly Every Garbage Disposal Clogs Up At Some Point
Garbage disposals can be a Handy tool in your kitchen if used correctly. They make cleaning up after dinner and rinsing dishes off a breeze. But they are all somewhat prone to stopping up if some basic guidelines aren't followed.
The Best Garbage Disposal
People often wonder what is the best garbage disposal to get to avoid these problems. While this article isn't really a garbage disposal review, my recommendation is to choose a model with the highest horsepower rating your budget permits. And make sure the model you select has a way to free things up manually if it gets clogged.
Proper Use Is Most Important
Regardless of what kind of garbage disposal you have, how you use it has more to do with keeping it working properly than what brand or model it is. Even the best garbage disposal clogs up sometimes, especially if some basic rules aren't observed.
You Should Always Run The Water
So how should you use a garbage disposal? The first rule is to always run water in the sink when you are using the garbage disposal and leave the water running several seconds after you turn the disposal off. Remember, everything that goes in the garbage disposal goes straight into your drainage piping so you need some water to wash it down the pipes.
Don't Try To Grind Too Much
Another tip is that you probably shouldn't try to put too much of food through the disposal. I've seen garbage disposal clogs created by someone trying to grind what looked like whole carrots. All of the drain piping beneath the sink was full of grated carrot.
Asking For Problems
It is certainly a temptation to just dump everything into the drain in the sink and flip the switch, but that is a recipe for disaster. I actually know of one situation where a guy was putting eggshells down his disposal. He apparently ate a lot of eggs because the ground up shells coated the inside of his kitchen drain pipe and finally plugged it up completely. The entire drain pipe wound up having to be replaced.
Put The Big Pieces Somewhere Else
The moral of that story is that it's a good idea to be careful how you use your garbage disposal. Put larger portions of food in either the garbage or a compost bin and use the disposal for the small stuff that sometimes gets rinsed down the drain. Your plumbing system will thank you.
Garbage Disposal Clogs
Sometimes even if you have followed all of these guidelines the garbage disposal clogs up anyway. No sweat,it's pretty easy to learn how to unclog a garbage disposal. There are just a few basic steps to follow.
Push The Reset Button
First, find out if the motor is jammed. If you flip the switch and the disposal just hums, it is most likely locked up. If the power stays on to the disposal this usually results in the motor cutting off, so most garbage disposals have a reset button (usually on the bottom). Turn the switch off, wait a few seconds and push the reset button.
Find For The Wrench Hole
Next you need to unjam the disposal. Most garbage disposals have a place in the bottom where you can insert an "Allen Wrench" into the bottom of the shaft and manually turn the shaft to free it up. Sometimes the wrench is supplied with the disposal. If not, a standard "Allen" wrench will work.
How To Unclog A Garbage Disposal
Make sure the power switch is off before going to the next step! If you're not sure or if you have an air switch, turn off the breaker serving the disposal. Turn the faucet on and insert the wrench into the hole for the shaft in the bottom of the disposal. This hole should be in the middle of the bottom of the garbage disposal. Now rotate the wrench back and forth a couple of times until you can turn the shaft all the way around easily.
What If There's No Wrench Opening?
If the disposal has no opening for a wrench at the bottom you can always try using a broomstick. Cut off about a 2 foot long piece of broom stick, stick it in the top of the disposal and try to rotate the grinding head while pushing down. While not nearly as effective as the wrench method, on some models it's the only way to do it.
Where's Did I Put That Ring?
Once you've got the shaft turning, turn the switch back on. The disposal should spin and drain. If not, or if you could not get the shaft unstuck,there may be some sort of foreign object ( hopefully not a diamond ring) causing the problem. Making sure the switch is off, look down inside the disposal. It will probably help to use a flashlight. If you can see anything inside, try to remove it with a pair of needle nose pliers.
The Last Choice Solution
If you can see something inside but can't get it with the pliers the next thing to try is removing the disposal. If you have tried everything else, then the next step is learning how to unclog a garbage disposal.
Removing A Garbage Disposal
The trick to removing a garbage disposal is taking your time. The drain connection usually attaches on the side with a clamp that just needs to be unscrewed, so take this apart first. If the sink bowl is backed up and full of water make sure you have a container ready to catch the water.
Remove It From The Sink
Next remove the mounting assembly that connects the disposal to the sink. This will be either a big nut, a bracket held in place with screws or, on some brands of disposals, a clamp ring that twists down. Once you have this loose you should be able to remove the disposal from the sink, take the rubber splash shield off and look inside.
Remove Whatever Is Jamming The Blades And Reassemble Everything
Now you can get whatever is jamming the blades out and then, before you put everything back together, turn the switch on for a minute and make sure the blade spins now. If everything works, put it all back together. Make sure you get all of the seals back like they were and then test everything for leaks. Try the switch a few times to make sure it works and put everything back in the cabinet.
That's All There Is To Repairing Garbage Disposal Clogs
You have now learned how to unclog a garbage disposal. If your garbage disposal is working fine right now that's great. The odds are that sometime you will need this information. When the day comes to fix your garbage disposal, review this lesson and it will be a breeze.
About the author:
Bryan Stevens is a Licensed Master Plumber with a knack for teaching non-plumbers how to do their own basic plumbing repairs themselves. He has an great mini-course called "How To Unclog A Toilet And Other DIY Plumbing Tips". To claim your FREE copy, visit: How To Unclog A Toilet |
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