3 Things You Don’t Know About Garbage Disposal Repair in Atlanta

Get tips and tricks to help you troubleshoot your garbage disposal repair in Atlanta.

If you’re madly Googling “Garbage disposal repair in Atlanta,” chances are good something has gone awry with one of your most trusted kitchen staples. Because the machines are relatively straightforward and easy to use, they often go several years without ever encountering a problem. Which is why, when they do, you can be scratching your head and wondering exactly what you should you do to try and fix it.

We’ll talk you through the basics, along with some tips and tricks to try before picking up the phone. Read on…

What Makes Up the Inside of a Garbage Disposal?

There aren’t many parts to the innards of your disposer, but it’s good to know what they are and how they work.

• Stopper: Similar in shape to a sink’s plug, it opens and closes to allow food waste to pass through it easily.
• Sink mount flange, support flange and support screws: These are the pieces securing your disposal to your sink drain hole.
• Hopper: If you look underneath your sink, this is a metal piece which sort of resembles an upside down sink drain. It’s responsible for funneling food waste into the shredder.
• Clamping ring: The piece attaching the hopper to the rubber stopper.
• Motor housing gasket: A thin washer made of rubber, between the clamping ring and shredder.
• Shredder: A circular area where the blades are housed, the shredder grinds up all the food waste you need to dispose of.
• Dishwasher inlet: This piece allows water from the dishwasher to flush through, removing excess waste
• Drain chamber: This is the pass through area where food waste gets flushed before entering the drain.
• Drain pipe: Your drain pipe connects the garbage disposal to the rest of your home’s plumbing system.
• Reset button: A small button (usually red or black) on the outside of the disposal. When your disposal jams, or there’s a power surge, this button acts as a failsafe.
• Power cord: Maybe slightly obvious, but this is how your disposal unit draws the electricity required to properly shred food waste.

Now that you know the basics of your unit, we can move on to diagnosing the problem.

What If Your Garbage Disposal Isn’t Working?

If your disposal isn’t making a single sound, chances are good it’s not getting any power. Check to make sure the power to the rest of your appliances is on and that you haven’t tripped the main breaker. If you have, reset it, then test.

If everything looks good at the breaker box, the next part to check is the reset button. If it’s popped out, press it back in gently, then test your disposal again.

If things still don’t seem to be working, you’ll need to check the outlet itself. Unplug the cord, then plug in another small appliance: a hand mixer or hair dryer work perfectly. If the appliance works, then the trouble is with the disposer itself; you’ll need to have a professional take a look at the problem and see if it can be saved.

Is Your Garbage Disposal Jammed?

If the motor is humming but nothing is grinding, chances are good you’ve got a jam. Other possible sounds you can hear when things get stuck are uneven and overly noisy grind sounds or a grind which suddenly stops before you’ve turned off the disposer.

In these instances, chances are good something has fallen into the shredder which has no business being there. Fruit pits, a small utensil, or even a bone fragment can be to blame. You’ll want to turn it off immediately to avoid burning out the motor, and be sure you completely unplug the unit before you try to effect any repairs.

If you want to try and do it yourself, here are some easy steps to follow:

1. After unplugging the unit, look at the bottom of the disposal unit. If you see a small, hexagonal hole, fit it with a quarter-inch hex wrench and force it back and forth a few times. Alternately, you may be able to locate the reversing switch which accomplishes the same thing.
2. If you need to look down into the disposal and retrieve something which shouldn’t be there, use a long set of tweezers or pliers to grip the object. Never, ever put your hand inside the shredding area!

Is Your Garbage Disposal Still Not Working?

We can help. If you’re in need of garbage disposal repair in Atlanta, don’t wait; call us today at 404-984-2090, and let Morningside get to work for you.