What is the biggest problem that can occur with your garbage disposal?
A garbage disposal can clog, causing water and food particles to back up into your kitchen sink.
The best tip to prevent a garbage disposal from clogging is to not jam it full of waste all at one time.
If you have a quality disposal, you can really put almost anything down it as long as you do it judiciously and run a lot of water while you are using the disposal. Instead of jamming it full all at once, take your time and do a little bit at a time.
Also, most people think that when the grinding sounds are completed, the work is done, and you turn the water off. St Paul Pipeworks recommends that you turn off the disposal when it is no longer making grinding noises but continue to run the water for about another thirty seconds. There is a P-trap under the sink and the running water helps to push all of the waste through that trap-way into a larger pipe. The industry used to recommend using only cold water when running your disposal in the past. That is not the case anymore. St. Paul Pipeworks recommends using hot water while running the disposal because hot water is better for easily breaking down anything that is greasy.
There are a few things that you can try to remedy a problem with your disposal. Underneath on the bottom of the disposal there is generally a red “Reset” button that will trip if the disposal gets jammed up. If the motor has stopped humming all together, you can try pushing in the red button to restart the disposal. If you turn everything back on and the humming has resumed, it may resolve the problem. If not, the reset will continue to keep tripping. Also, all new InSinkErator disposals come with a large Allen wrench and have a hexagonal hole on the bottom where this tool can be inserted. You can try to use this tool to manually turn the chamber back and forth inside and release the clog without having to stick your hand down inside the disposal. If none of these options are successful, call your local plumber.
St Paul Pipeworks plumbers are experts in unjamming all types of garbage disposals and over the years the team has found everything you could think of inside clogged disposals. So, if you are having a problem with your garbage disposal or are just looking for a quality plumber in the St. Paul and Minneapolis metro area, give St Paul Pipeworks a call today.
Yours Truly,
Matthew Dettwiler
Social Media Manager
