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Home & Living

Garbage Disposal Problems and Solutions

Garbage disposal is one of the essential units in the kitchen. It is a device installed under a kitchen sink between the trap and the drain. This device is usually electrically powered and it is responsible in shredding food waste into pieces small enough to pass through the plumbing. While this unit is very helpful in the household, there will be times that you will encounter some problems with it. Hence, before calling a professional plumber, it is advisable to check some simple issues yourself first in order to save up money. As such, this article will provide you some of the common garbage disposal problems and solutions.

Device Doesn’t Turn On

One of the most common problems that people encounter with their garbage disposal is that it won’t turn on. But before calling a professional plumber, it is better to check everything first. You should have the garbage disposal flipped off and ensure that it is powered on to a electricity source or the fuse/ breaker is not off or if the outlet reset button has been pressed. It is important to check these things first before calling for a repair service. If the machine is still off after checking the power, you might need a new replacement.

Jammed Disposal

Another problem that people encounter with garbage disposal is jammed disposal. So if your machine is still not running after checking everything, or if it is making a annoying noise when turned on, there might be some issues on it. Probably, there is something in your garbage disposal that’s making the blades to jam. To troubleshoot this kind of issue, just simply turn off the unit, remove the clog of the blades. The best ways to avoid this kind of issue the next time is to be very careful with the things that you throw in the disposal. Some of the things that you should avoid are large bones, or anything in big chunk or amount, fruit pits, egg shells, starchy or stringy vegetables and large amounts of anything.

Slow Draining

Your garbage disposal might also have slow draining. Generally speaking, garbage disposals are designed in order to function effectively and fastly and be able to chop the food in pieces and in a very quick way. But if it takes quite some time to break down the food or if it is draining slowly, the probable issue would be the blades are totally dull or there is a clog in the pipe. If so, it is advisable to call a professional to evaluate your plumbing system  and to fix or replace the blades of the disposal.

Foul Odors

Another common issue with garbage disposal is foul odors. Basically, there are several ways on how you can refresh your machine. One of those us to periodically put some lime wedges, lemon and ice in your disposal unit and then run water for thirty seconds. You can also do this with vinegar and baking soda. But if still your garbage disposal has foul odor after trying these, then the problem would be down the line of the drain or malfunctioning into the device itself.

Grinding Noises

You might hear noiuse from your garbage disposal. If so, it is probably because something that is stuck in your unit or some of the parts of your unites started to move or function incorrectly. But if the noise still persists after checking these things, it is advisable to call a professional plumber to tune up you garbage disposal unit. But if the components are no longer functioning and too damaged, you might need a replacement. Looking for best garbage disposal which is powerful? Click here.

Leaks

Sometimes, our disposal unites can leak which is kind of frustrating. But the good news is, this kind of issue is so easy to repair. Usually, disposal leaks means than a ring needs to be replaced or some components of the nit require to be tightened. But the problem really depends on the source of the leak. If the leak is coming from the sink flange or other areas of the device, you might have to spend some money on leak repair which is quite complicated. But in some cases, totally buy a new unit is less costly.

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