How does one unstick a stuck garbage disposal?
July 25, 2016 5:51 PM Subscribe
Our garbage disposal has all the symptoms of being jammed, however, for the life of me, I cannot find anything jammed in it and, yet, when I plugged it back in it ran smoothly, flawlessly....once and once only.
In fact, I've taken the entire unit out, sprayed high pressure water through it, closely examined it and, mysteriously, when I remounted it and turned it on for the first time, it, again, ran smoothly with no indication of a problem. However, when I then turned it off and waited for a minute, you guessed it, all hum, no spin.
I then stuck a wooden dowel into it and hand spun the unit a couple of times and when then I turned it on again, it ran smoothly only to re-jam when I turned it off, then on again.
As I mentioned above, there is no indication of anything stuck in it, in fact, when it runs it runs a smoothly as I've ever heard it.
Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
In fact, I've taken the entire unit out, sprayed high pressure water through it, closely examined it and, mysteriously, when I remounted it and turned it on for the first time, it, again, ran smoothly with no indication of a problem. However, when I then turned it off and waited for a minute, you guessed it, all hum, no spin.
I then stuck a wooden dowel into it and hand spun the unit a couple of times and when then I turned it on again, it ran smoothly only to re-jam when I turned it off, then on again.
As I mentioned above, there is no indication of anything stuck in it, in fact, when it runs it runs a smoothly as I've ever heard it.
Any ideas? Thanks in advance.
Did you hit the red reset butter underneath the unit? Get down on your knees, there is a red button, stick it back in.
If that doesn't work, i.e. it hums but does turn, then this. You will need an allen wrench.
posted by shoesietart at 6:20 PM on July 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
If that doesn't work, i.e. it hums but does turn, then this. You will need an allen wrench.
posted by shoesietart at 6:20 PM on July 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
If it starts spinning when you spin it, it sounds like a bad start capacitor. They should be cheap to replace.
posted by flimflam at 6:23 PM on July 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by flimflam at 6:23 PM on July 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for the feedback. Yes, the reset button's been tried but I hadn't thought about the start capacitor. I'll look into it.
Again, thanks!
A.
posted by tangyraspberry at 7:38 PM on July 25, 2016
Again, thanks!
A.
posted by tangyraspberry at 7:38 PM on July 25, 2016
I've had luck using this wrench for similar "intermittent running" issues.
posted by homodachi at 7:47 PM on July 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by homodachi at 7:47 PM on July 25, 2016 [1 favorite]
To my knowledge, all garbage disposals come with those, so they're available in every hardware store.
posted by rhizome at 8:18 PM on July 25, 2016
posted by rhizome at 8:18 PM on July 25, 2016
Yup, reset + allen wrench will solve the vast majority of disposal issues.
posted by charmedimsure at 8:29 PM on July 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by charmedimsure at 8:29 PM on July 25, 2016 [2 favorites]
If all avenues of repair fail and it's an old disposal, I just wanted to chime in with a vote for "just replace it." I recently had my circa 1990 disposal fail, and a new one was $129, I installed it myself, and it is amazingly quieter and more effective than its predecessor. Don't forget to do a cost benefit analysis on your time for this one if the project continues to frustrate you: a new one may give you a lot of joy.
posted by slateyness at 8:42 PM on July 25, 2016 [5 favorites]
posted by slateyness at 8:42 PM on July 25, 2016 [5 favorites]
It doesn't sound like it is jammed, but, for reference, this is another type of wrench for unjamming a disposal.
I agree with flimflam, it seems like a bad capacitor, especially if it usually starts only if it is already spinning.
posted by H21 at 8:52 PM on July 25, 2016
I agree with flimflam, it seems like a bad capacitor, especially if it usually starts only if it is already spinning.
posted by H21 at 8:52 PM on July 25, 2016
Give it a good bonk on the side of it with a hammer -- it'll fire. Even a heavy kitchen knife will do the deal. ~~BONK~~ and then it's running.
I guess if it keeps on crapping out replace it, but I've been ~~BONK~~ ing the disposal under the sink here in my condo off and on for years.
You might have to hit is more sharply than you think, but if it's humming I bet even the slightest ~~BONK~~ will get it up and running.
It's really amazing how many things can be straightened out with a good rap with a hammer ...
posted by dancestoblue at 11:08 PM on July 25, 2016 [4 favorites]
I guess if it keeps on crapping out replace it, but I've been ~~BONK~~ ing the disposal under the sink here in my condo off and on for years.
You might have to hit is more sharply than you think, but if it's humming I bet even the slightest ~~BONK~~ will get it up and running.
It's really amazing how many things can be straightened out with a good rap with a hammer ...
posted by dancestoblue at 11:08 PM on July 25, 2016 [4 favorites]
Some, and I believe most garbage disposals use a spring-loaded centrifugal switch to switch the capacitor in and out of the circuit, and I think that's more likely to go bad than the capacitor itself.
I haven't tried this with anything as noisy as a garbage disposal, but for many motors with a centrifugal switch, if you get them going to full speed and then turn off the power, as the motor winds down you can hear a quite audible click as the switch resets itself.
If you hear that click, then it probably is the capacitor.
If you don't, it might or might not be the switch, but those switches often do get gunked up and can be cleaned (as mentioned in the link), but that may be much farther into your motor than you want to get -- incidentally, tripping a sticky switch might be why whacking it works sometimes.
posted by jamjam at 11:01 AM on July 26, 2016
I haven't tried this with anything as noisy as a garbage disposal, but for many motors with a centrifugal switch, if you get them going to full speed and then turn off the power, as the motor winds down you can hear a quite audible click as the switch resets itself.
If you hear that click, then it probably is the capacitor.
If you don't, it might or might not be the switch, but those switches often do get gunked up and can be cleaned (as mentioned in the link), but that may be much farther into your motor than you want to get -- incidentally, tripping a sticky switch might be why whacking it works sometimes.
posted by jamjam at 11:01 AM on July 26, 2016
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posted by rhizome at 6:18 PM on July 25, 2016