Basic Info. On Garbage Disposals & Garbage Disposal Repair
Your garbage disposal is an integral part of your home. It functions mainly to make the environment greener without the dangers of food waste toxins emitting into the atmosphere. Food waste that is present in landfills produces a greenhouse gas called methane which is 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide. This is why garbage disposals were developed, not only to make the kitchen clean up easier but to create less of a carbon footprint. That’s why it’s important to stay attuned to when your garbage disposal is acting up in order to see when you need garbage disposal repair. Here is some basic information that may be helpful in determining what needs to be done to get your garbage disposal back into working conditions.
Why is my garbage disposal backing up?
Your garbage disposal can be backing up for a number of reasons from caught objects or foods, pipe build-up, clogs, poorly working blade motors and more!
Why is my garbage disposal humming but not working?
Generally, when you have a humming garbage disposal that needs garbage disposal repair it’s a case of having something stuck or jammed in the blades. When this occurs the blades won’t be able to turn so a humming noise will emerge from the whirring of the gears trying to function. This can be fixed by unplugging the disposal under the sink and taking a look at the drain hole to see if the object can be removed. This probably should be done carefully as these blades are made to chop up food and you don’t want an accident in the making.
What do you do when your garbage disposal leaks from the bottom?
It’s important to determine the area of the leak as each can have a different reason for the leak behind it. With a leak from the top, you may see that seals can naturally loosen with the sink’s flange as well as corroded or loosened plumber’s putty. How to go about a garbage disposal repair in this scenario is to replace the flange and retighten any screws or reseal it with new plumbers putty. With a water leak coming from the bottom of the garbage disposal (and not mistaken from a leak originating from the top and making its way down) the likely culprit is a broken seal from inside of the garbage disposal. The solution for your garbage disposal repair, in this case, would involve replacing the garbage disposal itself or fixing the internal seal. Finally, when your garbage disposal is leaking from the sides, the likely damage could be the hose connections; one reaches to the dishwasher while the other to the sewer. There should be a metal clamp on the dishwasher line that connects to the garbage disposal when conducting garbage disposal repair. Retighten this or have the rubber gasket replaced. When in doubt about what signifies a garbage disposal repair and replacement contact a professional.
Why has my garbage disposal stopped working?
Signs Your Garbage Disposal Is Not Working
- Water Leaking
- Humming Noise
- Blades Not Moving
- Clogs/Jams
- Bad Smell
- Frequent Use of Reset Button
What causes a garbage disposal to jam?
Putting things down a kitchen drain that shouldn’t be there can cause the garbage disposal to jam. Some things that can be detrimental to it moving as it should are putting fruit pits, pieces of bone or other similarly hard substances down the drain. Other times there are certain food textures that should not go down as seen with the example of a garbage disposal jammed with potato skins as these can get stuck between the drain hole and impeller blades. Other items that shouldn’t go down the kitchen drain can be fibrous foods like celery and spaghetti or sticky foods like rice and coffee grounds. Be sure to not pour grease, oils, and butter down the line as this can stick to the inner pipe walls.
Contact A Professional
There are many reasons for your garbage disposal to act up, be sure to contact professional plumbing services whenever you’re in need of a garbage disposal repair or replace service. Garbage disposal repair cost can range from $70-$400 depending on the extent of damages. Only with a professional will you be able to avoid the risks to your safety from reaching into a drain and coming into contact with a blade. What’s more, sometimes the issue may not be the garbage disposal itself but may lie with unclean pipelines or other pipe damages. When pipe cleaning is an issue do not use cleaning products that can corrode your inner pipe materials, rely on professional tools used by a certified plumber to get the lines spick and span once more! Whenever you’re looking for any services regarding your home system be it with your plumbing or indoor air quality be sure to have an inspection in order to localize and pinpoint repairs!
When you’re in need of garbage disposal repair in Fort Worth, TX call (817) 560-4144 with Westside Plumbing!
