DIY – Unclog a Garbage Disposal
Use this technique first to unclog your garbage disposal
The sad truth is that no matter how fancy your garbage disposal is – they will clog. Even if you are careful about what you put down your garbage disposal, clogs happen. There are some simple things you can do to keep clogs to a minimum and steps you can take when that inevitable clog occurs. The following actions are what generally cause clogs in your disposal:
Dropping a foreign object — usually a spoon or fork or fruit rime— into the disposal
Feeding too much garbage in too rapidly
Failing to run enough water (to completely flush out the drainpipes) while garbage is being processed
Your garbage disposal can’t devour and digest everything. For example, don’t throw lime rimes, banana peels, artichokes, avocado pits, or animal bones down a disposal and expect it to continue working without a clog. Flip through the owner’s manual to find out what your disposal’s limitations are as they can vary.
If the instructions in your user’s manual are no help, follow these steps to unclog a disposal:
Shut off the electrical power switch! This switch is located under the cabinet, near the disposal, or on a wall nearby. If you don’t find a switch, go to the main power panel and turn off the breaker or remove the fuse that powers the disposal.
Never put your hand in the disposal. Remember that the switch may be defective, so keep your hands out of the disposal even when power to the machine is turned off.
Take a look in the disposal. A flashlight may shed some light on the problem — you may see a large object caught in the disposal.
If an object caused the stoppage, use a pair of pliers to reach into the disposal and remove it.
Wait 15 minutes for the disposal motor to cool.
Turn on the power and push the reset or overload protector button. This button is located on the bottom of the disposal.
Never use chemical drain cleaners in a disposal. The chemicals are highly corrosive and may damage rubber or plastic parts. Use Mother Nature’s deodorizer for your disposal: Every few months, cut a lemon in half, throw one half in the disposal, turn on the unit, and let it run for a minute or two. The lemon removes the build-up of residue on the interior of the disposal and deodorizes the unit. You know it’s working by the fresh lemony smell.
If the disposal is still clogged after following the above steps try moving onto the following:
Turn off the power and insert a long dowel, a wooden spoon, or a broom handle — never your hand — into the drain opening.
Push the bottom end of the wooden probe against the impeller (the blades that grind up the garbage) and rock it back and forth to free it.
- When the impeller moves freely, wait 15 minutes for the motor to cool, turn on the power, and push the reset button.
If you are still having problems there is one last resort – Most disposal models come with a large L-shaped hex wrench – an Allen wrench. If you have such a model, turn off the power, open up the cabinet and position the wrench under the bottom of the disposal – a flashlight helps here. Insert the hex wrench into the opening in the center of the disposal’s bottom, and turn the wrench back and forth until the impeller is freed. Move it in both directions to really clear the moving parts. Again, wait until the motor has cooled, press the reset button, and then try operating the disposal.
This last method really should do the trick. True story one time we had a client who dropped a shot glass down the disposal accidentally. When the powered up the disposal it shattered and glass shards wedged into the disposal. We were able to fix using the hex wrench technique no problem!
