Garbage disposal repair & replace
Garbage Disposal Denver: Have you ever stopped to think what you would do without a Garbage Disposal in your kitchen? It’s hard to remember a time when we didn’t have them, so it’s always a huge inconvenience when they stop working or break in the middle of cleaning up or cooking a meal. We’ll tell you how to fix some of the most common problems with garbage disposals so your clean-up or meal won’t come to a grinding halt (excuse the pun).
Garbage disposal problems: are usually caused by improper installation, lack of much needed maintenance, or a garbage disposal that’s too small for your needs. Most builders will install a cheap disposal with a1/3 horsepower motor, that won’t last more than two years at best. The better disposals have a one horsepower motor and they’re made of stainless steel components that won’t rust, and an auto-reverse that will dislodge those all so common jams in an instant without hurting the disposal.
Garbage disposal installation: must be done correctly to work well with your dishwasher drain. This allows food from your dishwasher to be disposed of with you garbage disposal. Plumbing that’s installed correctly is extremely important as well as a switch that is installed a safe distance from your garbage disposal with a safe electrical hook up.
Common garbage disposal problems: If your garbage disposal causes your drain to clog make sure to turn off the power to your disposal first before you take the trap apart. Then, use a plumbers snake to clear the clog from your drain and put the trap back together. After that you will want to run water at a fast rate to ensure that the clog is fixed, and water is flowing through your disposal and drain line with no interruption.
Garbage disposal noise: If metal, bones, or any other foreign objects get into your garbage disposal you’ll know it, it sounds like the roof is going to cave in! Many times these “foreign objects,” as we’re calling them, will make their way through and hopefully won’t clog your drain. Running all garbage disposals will cause mounts and screws to come loose from time to time so check these if you’re getting any unusual vibrations. There are also a lot of parts in your disposal, like blades and fly-weights, that can make a lot of noise and cause the disposal to be out of balance. These may require a plumber to repair them, and they are usually caused by metal, i.e. forks, knives, and wedding rings, finding their way into the disposal.
Garbage disposal jam: Corn husks or other hard vegetables, bones, glass, and metal are all good examples of what will cause your disposal to jam. If you don’t have a reverse function on your garbage disposal, look under the disposal for a small hole in the bottom under the motor and insert the Allen wrench supplied by the manufacturers into it. Turn the plate inside your disposal and this will usually free most jams. If your disposal doesn’t have an Allen wrench socket, turn off the power to the disposal at your fuse box or circuit breaker. You can try using a sturdy handle from a toilet plunger or broom to move the plate in the disposal back and forth. If you make it move you can turn the power back on.
Garbage disposal has no power: Check the red reset button on the bottom of the garbage disposal, if it’s popped out push it back in and turn the disposal on. If this doesn’t work you probably need a plumber or a new garbage disposal.
Garbage Disposal leaking from bottom: Many times a leak will come from the drain pipe and you’ll need to replace the rubber gasket. If you have recently installed the garbage disposal check the ring near the sink flange, it may have come loose. If the leak is from the disposal it’s time to replace the disposal.
Garbage disposal smells: are very common. Think about it, you’re pushing garbage in this machine every day! If you don’t get all of the slurry the garbage disposal creates washed off the inside of the disposal, it rots and produces the bad smell you’re experiencing. If the smell is really bad you should probably call a plumber. If you want to prevent this problem, when you turn on your garbage disposal always grind it up with a strong stream of water. When the disposal starts to run fast leave the water running hard and squirt some dish soap in the disposal. Let it run for about 10 seconds and you’ll get rid of the garbage and stop the smells in their tracks.
Garbage disposal maintenance: Garbage disposals will give you years of service and with only a small amount of maintenance they will run perfectly, and it’s easy to do. There’s only so much homeowners with little experience can do in the way of maintenance. Keeping the disposal blades sharp is extremely important and one of the tasks you can accomplish. Sharp blades make the chore of grinding much easier and this alone will extend the life of the disposal. We recommend grinding a large amount of ice, around 3 to 4 cups, with at least a cup of vinegar through the disposal at least once a week. This will help with odors and keep the blades sharp. Grinding the skins of citrus fruits works well for odor control as well.
Garbage disposal 101: Don’t put grease down the disposal, but using hot water will help to melt what grease does make its way down the drain and don’t use cold water all the time. Keep your hands and fingers out of the disposal, you don’t want to be a statistic! (61 people lost a finger in a running disposal in Denver last year). Call a plumber if you have problems with your disposal that you don’t understand.
Plumbline Services: carries and repairs all major Brands of Garbage disposals. Call us if you have any problems that you can’t handle, or if you need a new disposal installed in your kitchen. You’ll be glad you did because we have Denver’s most experienced plumbers and Denver’s most reasonable prices on Garbage disposals, so call us anytime at 303.436.2525 in Denver CO.
