Virtually all garbage disposals clog at some point.
Garbage disposals can be a great tool in your kitchen if used correctly. They make cleaning up after dinner and rinsing dishes a breeze. But all are somewhat prone to clogging if some basic guidelines are not followed.
The best garbage disposal
People often wonder what is the best garbage disposal to avoid these problems. Without going into a full garbage disposal review, a good plan is to choose a model with the highest power rating your budget will allow. And make sure the model you select has a way to manually turn the shaft if it gets clogged.
It makes a difference in how you use it
No matter what type of garbage disposal you have, how you use it has more to do with how well it works than the make or model. Even the best garbage disposal clogs sometimes, especially with heavy use.
Always remember to open the tap first
So how should you use your garbage disposal? The first rule of thumb is to always turn on the faucet when using a garbage disposal and let it run for several seconds after turning off the disposal. Remember, anything you put down the garbage disposal goes right into your plumbing system, so it takes a bit of water to wash it down the pipes.
Take it easy
Another tip is that it’s not a good idea to try to throw too many large pieces of food down the disposal. I have seen clogs in garbage disposals caused by someone trying to grind up large chunks of carrots. The whole drain pipe under the sink was full of grated carrots.
ask about problems
It’s certainly tempting to just dump everything in the big hole in the sink and flip the switch, but that’s asking for trouble. In fact, I know of a situation where a guy was dumping eggshells down his disposal. He must have eaten a lot of eggs because the crushed shells covered the inside of his kitchen drain pipe and eventually clogged it completely. The entire drain pipe ended up having to be replaced.
Put the big pieces in another place
Hopefully that story shows how important it is to be careful how you use your garbage disposal. Put larger scraps and clippings in the trash or a compost pile and use the disposer for the small stuff that would otherwise rinse down the drain. Your drainage pipes will be better for it.
Garbage Disposal Clogs
Sometimes, even if you’ve followed all of these guidelines, your garbage disposal clogs up anyway. No problem, it’s pretty easy to learn how to unclog a garbage disposal. There are only a couple of basic steps to follow.
Is it necessary to restart the engine?
First, find out if the motor is stuck. If you flip the switch and the disposer just hums, it’s most likely blocked. If the disposer stays on, the motor usually shuts off, which is why many garbage disposals have a reset button (usually on the bottom). Turn off the switch, wait a few seconds and press the reset button.
Search for the key hole
The next step is to unclog the disposal. Most garbage disposals have an opening in the bottom that allows you to insert an “Allen key” into the bottom of the shaft and manually rotate the shaft to release it. Sometimes the key is included with the disposer. If not, a standard “Allen” key will do the job.
How to Unclog a Garbage Disposal with a Wrench
Make sure the power switch is off before proceeding to the next step! If you’re not sure, or if you have an air switch, turn off the switch that serves the disposer. Open the faucet and place the key in the bottom of the shaft. The opening for this should be in the middle of the bottom of the garbage disposal. Now turn the key back and forth a couple of times until you can turn the key completely freely.
The broomstick method
If your disposal doesn’t have a key hole in the bottom, you can always try using a broom handle. Take a broomstick about 2 feet long, stick it to the top of the disposal, and pretend you’re stirring a big pot of stew while pressing down on the stick. While not as effective as the wrench method, on some models it’s your only option.
I thought I left my rings on the counter
Once you have rotated the shaft, turn the switch back on. The disposer should now be drained. If not, or if you couldn’t get the shaft off, there may be something (hopefully not an expensive ring) causing the sticking. Making sure the switch is off, look down into the disposer. It will probably help to use a flashlight. If you can see something inside, try prying it out with a pair of needle nose pliers.
the last option
If you notice something inside but it won’t come out with the tweezers, the disposer may need to be removed. If the shaft won’t turn at all, then the next step is to learn how to unclog a garbage disposal.
remove a garbage disposal
The key to removing a garbage disposal is not to be too hasty. The drain connection is usually attached to the disposer with a clamp that just needs to be undone, so remove it first. If the sink container is clogged and full of water, make sure you have a container ready to catch the water.
Disconnect the garbage disposal from the sink
Once the drain is disconnected, remove the mounting kit that connects the disposal to the sink. This will be a large nut, a bracket attached with screws, or, on Insinkerator disposers, a clamping ring that rotates downward. Once you have this loose, you should be able to remove the sink disposal, remove the rubber backsplash, and look inside.
Remove the foreign object and put everything back together
Now you can get whatever is jamming the blades out and then before you put everything back together turn the switch on for a minute and make sure the blade spins now. If it spins freely now, put it all back together. Be careful and put all the gaskets back where they are and then test everything for leaks. Test the switch a few times to make sure it works and put everything back in the cabinet.
It’s that easy to unclog a garbage disposal
Now you know how to unclog a garbage disposal. If your garbage disposal is working fine right now, you may be thinking “so what?” Chances are, at some point you will need this information. When the day comes to fix your garbage disposal, check out this article and it will be a doddle.