Garbage disposal is a common appliance found in many homes and commercial restaurants. However, it can also be one of the most frustrating household appliances to use if not appropriately maintained.
It is important to have a professional check your garbage disposal for problems and service it annually. This article will discuss some of the most common issues with garbage disposals, what to do if it does not grind up food properly and how to fix a garbage disposal with professional help.
Table of Contents
Garbage Disposal Does Not Grind
Garbage disposal systems grind up food scraps by forcing them through a spinning impeller. The force of the impeller comes from the water flowing around it.
This force also causes the shredding blades on the bottom of the unit to spin quickly and push chopped food down into the drain pipe. Objects that are not supposed to go down the drain can cling to the sides of the unit. This issue can cause a clog in your drain.
Garbage disposal systems typically have a reset button that you can press if it does not spin. If resetting the disposal system does not help, you should contact a professional right away since there may be an issue with the garbage disposal impeller not working.
The problem could be a clog in the drainpipe or with the garbage disposal unit itself.
Garbage disposal units need to be flushed out and maintained properly to ensure they will work when you need them to. If your unit is too full of grease and debris, it may not function correctly and cause problems in your plumbing system and the unit itself.
A professional can come in and service your garbage disposal to ensure it is working correctly. These experts will also clear out any clogs that may impede proper function.
Garbage Disposal Smells
If your garbage disposal reeks, you should do a few things. First, try pouring a large container of ice cubes down it without water.
This step should help with most smells from a garbage disposal system. You may need to let the ice melt and run through the unit a few times before it is back to smelling fresh, but this should do the trick.
If you have tried this and your garbage disposal still smells, it may be time to call a professional. A problem with the garbage disposal grinding up food could be causing some smells within your plumbing system, and you need to get this fixed as soon as possible.
Garbage Disposal Clogs Easily
Some garbage disposals need to have their water flow restricted to work correctly. This point means that if you have a lot of food scraps going in, the spinning motion may not be able to push it all down to your drain pipe.
When this happens, food can clog up in the bottom of the garbage disposal and cause a backup within your plumbing system.
If you find that water is constantly backing up into your sink when you are using your garbage disposal, check its bottom to make sure that there isn’t anything blocking the water from going into the drain pipe.
If this is clear and you still have problems, call a professional right away since there may be an issue with the water flow through your garbage disposal system.
Garbage Disposal Does Not Turn On
If you cannot turn on your garbage disposal system, first make sure that it has power. If there are no other technical problems with the electrical wiring coming into or out of it, press the reset button.
This step may help to get the garbage disposal system working again.
If you have tried resetting your unit and it still will not turn on, there may be an issue with the garbage disposal equipment, its parts, or how it moves down into the drainpipe.
A professional can come in and fix this for you so that your garbage disposal system continues to run correctly.
Garbage Disposal is Loud
If your unit is running, but you can hear it clunking and banging as it runs, you can first try fixing it by clearing the debris from the bottom of the unit. If this still does not solve the problem, call a professional since there may be an issue with the garbage disposal impeller or blade assembly.
This part of the unit can get clogged up when it is overused, and this will cause problems in your plumbing system. You will end up incurring high repair costs without prompt, professional help.
Final Thoughts
Professionals know how to fix a garbage disposal units since they understand your sink system. They also know how to properly maintain these units to continue to function well for you.
