How to Fix A Stuck Garbage Disposal Insinkerator or Garbeurator

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By Doodlebugs
User-Submitted Article

Article Rating: (15 Ratings)

No matter what you call it, garbage disposal, Dispose All, garbeurator, Insinkerator, food disposal, etc, when they quit working they are a pain. Here is how to easily fix most models quickly.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Keep safety your first priority. First, when fixing a garbage disposal or in-sink food disposal unit, safety is of the highest priority. Never stick your bare hand inside one. Turn off all breakers and switches before working on a garbage disposal. If you are not one hundred percent certain, call a plumber.
In most cases what has happened is that something hard has become lodged between part that rotates and the area where water and waste drain. It may be cherry seeds, peach pits, hard food or bone, or even a fork or spoon.
After the breaker and switch are both off, peel back the rubber flap and look inside with a bright flashlight. If there is a fork or spoon sticking up, carefully, without going near the bottom where the blades and sharp objects are, remove the spoon or fork.
Step 2

Notice what noise the garbage disposal is making, if any. If the problem was that you would hear a dull groan from the unit but nothing happened, the cutter is most likely stuck. If you heard a groan and then no sound at all, the reset button or the circuit breaker at your load center popped because the motor was not strong enough to cut the hard object that is stuck.
Step 3

Use the Allen wrench that came with the unit, or an Allen (hex shaped head) wrench from your toolkit, and locate the Allen head screw at the very bottom of the garbage disposal. This turns the whole shaft and motor and if you work this back and forth you should be able to free up the stuck object. Remove the wrench and turn the breaker on, push the red reset button and try the wall switch. It may try to move then get stuck again.
You may need to repeat the process, by working the Allen headed shaft at the bottom of the disposal back and forth, removing the wrench and trying the switch again. Just be sure you remove the wrench before trying the switch and always keep your hands out of the disposal.
If you don't have any luck the motor may be burned out. Call a plumber or replace the garbage disposal yourself.