Garbage disposal question (vac, sink, appliance, install)

[EuroExpat]

When turned on, our garbage disposal makes the humming sound but the blades don't turn. I did the wrench thing (the wrench spins freely after being a bit stuck first) and reset it but it's still not working. What can I do next?

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by EuroExpat

What can I do next?

Anything more that an actually qualified mechanic could do will require removing it from the sink and taking it apart.
The effort to remove and reinstall is in almost every instance going to be better spent replacing the thing altogether.

Buy a good one.

[Magnolia Bloom]

I would try reaching your hand into it, removing any glop, moving the blades around with your hand, then resetting it and see if it works.

[Narfcake]

Motor is probably shot. Replace it.

[EuroExpat]

Thanks for the help! We're renting (moving out) and trying to save our landlord a few bucks by looking at it ourselves. Sounds like it's time to call him and ask him to call in the professionals.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by Magnolia Bloom

I would try reaching your hand into it, removing any glop, moving the blades around with your hand, then resetting it and see if it works.

Make sure that it is turned on when you do this, that way once you free enough glob, the motor will start spinning and you will know that you got the correct glop out of it. (Because your hand will be bleeding or missing.)


Commonly pebbles, or bits of glass or dishes get wedged in there. Sometimes it can be bard to clear it. I had luck with putting a shop vac hose over the blades while turning them back and forth by hand underneath.

It could also have string wrapped around the shaft. That is very hard to see or fix without taking the thing apart.

[chet everett]

Most manufacturers switched from hard-wired to plug-in connections so that their LEGAL DEPARTMENT could be label on the units saying something like "always unplug disposer before attempting to clear jam" -- DO NOT STICK HAND IN THE UNIT WHILE POWER CORD IS PLUGGED IN!


A shop vac can something such out hard object (like aquarium gravel, don't ask...) that MIGHT be worth trying. The "jam buster wrench" can sometimes be spun forwards AND back to break up an especially stubborn piece of whatnot, in fact the high end disposers have an "electronic reversing mechanism" to accomplish this trick. Probably not worth spending 2-3X more for such fancy unit with label of fancy appliance maker, but this is one case where the patent actually does make sense...

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

Make sure that it is turned on when you do this, that way once you free enough glob, the motor will start spinning and you will know that you got the correct glop out of it. (Because your hand will be bleeding or missing.)


Commonly pebbles, or bits of glass or dishes get wedged in there. Sometimes it can be bard to clear it. I had luck with putting a shop vac hose over the blades while turning them back and forth by hand underneath.

It could also have string wrapped around the shaft. That is very hard to see or fix without taking the thing apart.

[khuntrevor]

reset gfci.....

[faithfulFrank]

Originally Posted by khuntrevor

reset gfci.....

Motor would not hum if there was no electricity to it.

Frank

[khuntrevor]

Originally Posted by faithfulFrank

Motor would not hum if there was no electricity to it.

Frank

correct--