kitchen sink garbage disposal won't run, help needed.

[Tom1234]

Originally Posted by BigJon3475

Pull the plug out of the wall or disconnect power and test continuity between wires/prongs and between wires/prongs and body of disposal. It sounds like the windings on the motor are shorted to ground.

Mine is hardwired, there is no plug to pull anywhere, can you expand upon what you mean with the type of wiring I have?

[Tom1234]

Originally Posted by greg42

I actually removed one as a DIY project a year or two ago, with only a little bit of plumbing experience. For that matter, I had earlier gone at replacing the bathroom vanity with effectively zero plumbing experience unless you count changing a shower head. Much harder was changing the Moen cartridge on my shower faucet. That was a big ol pain even though in theory it is less tearing things apart.

We also lived for a couple years with a broken disposal in there before I did this, so that's an option.

Anyway, with just a little bit of reading up you should be able to swap a disposal for a new one, or swap the disposal for a plain drain, without wrecking everything. I suppose if you want to replace it with a new one though it would be good to rule out the whole thing being an electrical issue. That said, unless you've done something else recently to the house wiring around there, the wiring outside the disposal seems unlikely to be the culprit, which if that holds up would leave a problem inside the unit, which means replacing most likely.

How do you recommend me to rule out if it's an electrical issue? There is no plug, the wires are embedded into a metal box behind the disposer switch.

[BigJon3475]

Originally Posted by Tom1234

How do you recommend me to rule out if it's an electrical issue? There is no plug, the wires are embedded into a metal box behind the disposer switch.

They also run into a junction box inside of the disposal under a metal panel.

I meant the type of wiring. A plug or hardwired. If hardwired like you say you'll need to cut power and disconnect wires inside of garbage disposal and use the wires inside of the disposal for your test (the one I referred to earlier).

[greg42]

Originally Posted by Tom1234

How do you recommend me to rule out if it's an electrical issue? There is no plug, the wires are embedded into a metal box behind the disposer switch.

If you want to do that you'll have to do what BigJon describes. There should be a removable panel of some kind wherever the electrical wire goes into the disposal. Sounds like you know which breaker it's on, but you need a circuit tester anyway so be CAREFUL at that point and test to make sure it's off before removing the wires (obviously you'll have to take that cover off first).

If you're still feeling iffy about going to the electrical aisle in your hardware store or big blue/orange and picking out a basic tester that can test for a live circuit and for continuity, even perhaps getting someone at the store to help you pick out one if necessary (tell them what you need to do), and using that to test the wire, then you might not want to go forward on your own. Nothing wrong with that, not everyone is a DIY-er. I grew up watching my dad DIY stuff all around the house including plenty of electrical, so electrical has never scared me. Plumbing, now THAT scared me, but a couple of little projects and it doesn't feel quite so bad anymore. Haven't done any sweat plumbing though, that still scares me. But replacing the disposal if necessary doesn't require any sweat plumbing. Everything in that part of the drain just screws tight.