Garbage Disposal Not Working? What to Check in Fairfield

The quickest way to narrow down a disposal problem is to listen when you flip the switch.

It hums but does not grind. The motor is getting power, but the grinding plate cannot turn. Something hard, such as a fruit pit, a bone, or a bottle cap, is usually wedged against the impellers.

Turn it off right away. Leaving a jammed motor humming is one of the quickest ways to burn it out.

It is completely silent. The motor is not getting power. Either the unit's overload protector has tripped, the breaker or GFCI outlet has cut out, or the motor itself has failed.

It grinds loudly or rattles. Something metal, such as a spoon or a coin, may be inside, or the impellers or mounting may be damaged.

It runs but the sink drains slowly. The disposal is doing its job, but the drain line below it is partly blocked, often by grease or starchy food that went through earlier.

Always switch the disposal off at the wall switch, and if you can, unplug it or turn off its breaker, before you do anything else. Never put your hand into the disposal, even with the power off.

Use tongs or pliers to lift out anything you can see.

1. 1Press the reset button. Most disposals have a small red button on the bottom of the unit. If the motor overheated, the button pops out. Let the unit cool for a few minutes, press it firmly, then try the switch again.
2. 2Check the power. Look for a tripped breaker in the panel, or a GFCI outlet under the sink or nearby that needs resetting.
3. 3Free a jam from below. Many disposals have a hex socket in the center of the bottom plate. Turning it back and forth with the matching hex key (often supplied with the unit) can free a jammed grinding plate. Once it turns freely, remove the object with tongs, press reset, and test with cold water running.

If the reset button trips again within a few seconds, or the hex socket will not turn at all, stop there. Forcing it is how a jam becomes a burnt-out motor.

Most disposal problems start with what goes into it. Fibrous and starchy scraps such as celery, corn husks, onion skins, and potato peels wrap around the impellers or turn to paste in the drain.

Hard items like bones and fruit pits jam the plate.

Grease is the one that causes problems further down the line.

The Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District asks residents to collect fats, oils, and grease in a container rather than pouring them down the drain, and Fairfield and Suisun City residents can take those containers to a collection center.

A disposal only chops food up; it does nothing to stop grease from coating the pipes beyond it, which is why a sink that "drains slowly even though the disposal works" is so common after the holidays.

Some problems are a quick repair. Others mean the unit has reached the end of its life.

Usually a repair: - A jam you cannot clear with the hex key - A leak at the sink flange or the dishwasher hose connection, where a seal or clamp has loosened - A slow drain caused by a blockage

in the trap or drain line

Usually a replacement: - Water leaking from the body or the bottom of the disposal, which normally means the internal seals have failed or the casing has cracked - A motor that keeps tripping the reset button even when the

unit is empty - A silent unit with good power at the outlet - An older, underpowered unit that clogs every time the family cooks a big meal

If the unit needs replacing, size matters more than brand. A 1/3 or 1/2 horsepower disposal suits light use. A 3/4 or 1 horsepower model handles frequent cooking and tougher scraps with fewer jams.

For busy kitchens in Fairfield, Vacaville, and Suisun City, stepping up in horsepower before the Thanksgiving and holiday cooking season is one of the easiest ways to avoid a mid-dinner breakdown.

A replacement is more than swapping a box under the sink.

The mounting ring, drain connection, dishwasher discharge hose, and electrical connection all have to be right, and a poorly sealed flange will leak into the cabinet for months before anyone notices.

C&C Plumbing repairs jammed and leaking disposals and installs new units across Fairfield and Solano County. We diagnose the problem first, tell you honestly whether a repair makes sense, and give you a free, upfront estimate before any work starts.

Most installations take about an hour. See our garbage disposal installation and repair service, or our local pages for garbage disposal service in Fairfield and garbage disposal replacement in Vacaville.

If the disposal works but the sink still backs up, the blockage is further down the line. Our guide to why drains keep clogging covers what to try next.

C&C Plumbing is licensed and insured under California contractor license 982867 and has served Solano County since 2013. Grease disposal guidance in this article comes from the Fairfield-Suisun Sewer District.