Garbage Disposals
Ah yes, the un-doer's of so many festive events. There we are, cooking a great feast for the whole family and someone puts too much of "something" down the disposal.... not the Dispose-ALL. If this is where you are at now Call us and we will come over and clear the stoppage and get you back to that festive feeling with the rest of the family. 714-964-3519
First let me say we only sell ISE® (In-Sink-Erator) brand garbage disposals. They are by far the best available garbage disposal for residential use and the most widely used. For this reason most of my suggestions will be geared toward them.
Second, if you are unsure of anything below, PLEASE do not try this yourself. We are more than happy to come out and take care of the problem. We don't want you getting hurt. And NEVER put you hand in the disposal, it could be on and you didn't know.
When you turn on the disposal does it just sit there and hum?
What to do if it doesn't make any noise at all?
Should I use hot or cold water with my Garbage Disposal?
What should I NOT put down my disposal?
When you turn on the disposal does it just sit there and hum?
Chances are you have something stuck in the grinding teeth. Before you do anything shut off the disposal and unplug it. Remember which outlet it was in, it does matter, maybe even mark it with a sharpie. On ISE's they have a small hexagon shaped hole on the bottom that an allen key fits into. They also come with the allen key needed to turn the whole motor shaft. Put it in the hole and turn it back and forth a few times. They also make a tool you can buy at Home Depot® that fits down there but my Mom always used a wooden spoon, come to think of it she had lots of "uses" for that wooden spoon when I was young. Anyway, try to reach in and turn it. Once you get it to turn, take the spoon out.... then plug it back in and see if that took care of it. Don't look down into it when you turn it on, as what ever it was that was stuck in it could come flying out. If that doesn't work, give us a call. We have the right tools to pull the garbage disposal and remove the screw or piece of glass or whatever it is. 714-964-3519
What to do if it doesn't make any noise at all?
It may be the Garbage Disposal tripped its own internal circuit breaker. On the bottom there is a square shaped button (others have round ones). Make sure the switch is turned off and then look under the disposal and push the button. If you feel a click that may have taken care of it. Try turing it on and see if it works. If yes, you just saved some money. If not, try pluging it in a different outlet to see if it runs. Be ready because it could make some noise that you weren't expecting. If it still doesn't work it is probably time to call us. If it does work, it may be an electrical problem. These are usually small enough we can fix so you can still call us.
Should I use hot or cold water with my Garbage Disposal?
Contrary to popular belief, COLD water is best. The grease in the foods you put down the disposal will liquify if you use hot water. As it goes down the pipe it cools and sticks to the sides of your pipe causing a stoppage and yet another good reason to call us. If you use cold water all the garbage disposal does is chop up the food and it's grease into little pieces and they float on down the pipe.
What should I NOT put down my disposal?
I think this would be easier to answer if the question was "What CAN I put down my disposal?" But we all put things down there we shouldn't. The big ones to keep out of the disposal other than your hands are: Celery or other stringy veggies, Banana peels and the like. These wrap around the cutters and stop them from spinning, rendering the disposal useless. Bones of any kind including chicken. If they don't jam it, they certainly will damage the internal parts. Potatoes whole or the skins and rice are the number one thing to cause a stoppage in a drian from a garbage disposal. You need to use a LOT of water with these and feed it in real slow. Grease, it shouldn't go down the drain period, unless of course you like calling us. Use common sense, anything stringy, dense, heavy in starches or greasy should go in the garbage can. Plus, if YOU can't chew it, don't put it in the disposal.