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Step 1
Turn the garbage disposal on and off quickly and check to see if it has power. If it hums, the power is on but the impeller is jammed. Move on to step 3. If it doesn't hum, it may have overheated and tripped a circuit breaker. Move on to step 2.
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Step 2
Restore power to the machine. Most disposals have an overload switch that trips when the motor starts to overheat. To reset the switch, look for a small red button on the bottom of the housing, and if it's there, push it in (see A). If your disposal doesn't have an overload switch or the machine still won't run after you reset the switch, reset the circuit breaker that serves the disposal.
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Step 3
Clear the jam from underneath. On many disposals, you can insert a 1/4-inch (6-mm) Allen (hex) wrench into the bottom of the housing and manually move the motor shaft and flywheel to dislodge the jam. If your disposal has an opening for an Allen (hex) wrench, insert the wrench and move it back and forth until the motor and flywheel turn freely.
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Step 4
Clear the jam from above. Press the end of a short broomstick against one of the impellers, and jab in one direction and then the other until the jam breaks loose (see B).
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Step 5
Remove the debris. Turn off the circuit breaker that controls the garbage disposal. Reach inside with a pair of long-nose pliers and pull out whatever jammed the machine.
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Step 6
Turn on the cold water--this hardens any grease inside and helps the disposal chop it up--and run the disposal until all the remaining garbage is gone.
If I had to list my favorite inventions of all time, I'm not sure where the garbage disposer would rank, b… More
Comments
aaronbull said
on 10/28/2009 THANK YOU! I was able to fix it easily thanks to you. I grinded up a water bottle cap by accident and there was a plastic piece stuck.
coppelia said
on 10/25/2009 Always use a bright flashlight. My husband turned the wheel with the allen wrench as I searched for the debris. I finally found a penny stuck to the side and in the wheel groove. I was looking for something much bigger. Great video, saved us a lot of money!
aliceellen said
on 9/26/2009 I am so grateful for this site I cannot say enough about it. I had a spoon caught in the disposal and was told I needed a new one. I had a little trouble moving the spin wheel with the allen wrench but persistance paid off. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.
mattress said
on 9/26/2009 This chick is HOT...whats her name? btw,the instructions were really helpful.
ginamomma said
on 9/25/2009 THANK YOU, I had gone to other repair websites before this one but you gave me the correct details to fix everything! Who say's you need a man to do it. In fact, my husband held the baby while I fixed the problem!
Thank you