Keeping Your Garbage Disposal Working
Part of your home improvement projects may be either the installation of a new garbage disposal or the repair of the one you have in your kitchen. To minimize repairs required, there are a few steps you can take. You will save money with improvements that you can do yourself. Sometimes your garbage disposal will stop working right in the middle of that important dinner party or on a Sunday evening when calling for help is extremely expensive and usually not even possible.
Garbage Disposals are Eco-Friendly.
Garbage disposals help the environment. Solid foods are churned up instead of being sent to a landfill. There are always new versions being put on the market. The newer models have features that will eliminate jams. Now, there are also disposals safer for septic systems.
Features to take into consideration when buying a new disposal system is the type of feed it offers, the size of the motor, the type of chamber it has for grinding, and the noise level of the unit in operation.
Can anything be done about a noisy disposal?
One of the reasons your disposal is making excessive noise is either too much vibration or there is a foreign object lodged in the system. A lot of times, silverware will get caught down there.
Before tampering with the power supply, make sure it is disconnected from the power supply. You can then safely physically reach into the system and feel around the impellers for the object that is causing the problem. Feel your way around the flywheel and the chamber wall where the grinding takes place.
If the flywheel gets stuck, what do I do?
When this gets stuck, the motor will just hum. The reset button or the breaker blowing should shut it off. This protects the motor.
Never stick your hand in the chamber where it grinds. With the power off at the circuit panel you can use the wrench that came with the unit and put it into the bottom of the unit where you will see the flywheel turning hole. You’ll have to replace it if it’s not the flywheel.