Your garbage disposal is a vital component of your kitchen. Not only are disposal problems inconvenient, they can be messy and expensive as well. If your garbage disposal has stopped working, it could be for a few different reasons. It either wasn’t installed correctly to begin with or the wrong items were put down the drain. So what can you do about it?

Check Your Power Supply

Before assuming there is a problem with your garbage disposal, check your fuse box or circuit breakers first to ensure it’s not an electrical issue. Also check to ensure that the plug hasn’t come away from the socket under the sink. After checking both of these, try pressing the reset button on the garbage disposal and see if that solves the problem.

Listen for a Humming Sound

Let’s say that your garbage disposal won’t turn on, but it does make a humming sound when you flip the switch. This means you likely have a stuck flywheel due to something being lodged between it or the impellers and the shredder ring. Remember, it’s never safe to put your hand down into the garbage disposal, if you do suspect that something is stuck.

To help keep your garbage disposal functioning properly, it’s important to do everything you can to help reduce the chance of clogs or slow draining. For example, putting potato peels down the disposal will form a starchy paste similar to mashed potatoes when ground up, and will surely clog your drain. Coffee grounds and eggshells are other items that should not be put down your garbage disposal, and they create tiny granular waste that will stick to sludge in the pipe and create a clog.

Contact APC Plumbing & Heating today for garbage disposal repairs in Littleton, CO.