Garbage disposals are easy to use and come in handy when you want to get rid of your leftover food scraps, but sometimes they stop working for seemingly no reason at all, leaving you without any way to dispose of your garbage. Luckily, fixing a clogged garbage disposal isn’t hard, as long as you have the right steps to follow. Here’s how to repair your clogged garbage disposal.
Turn off power
It’s important to make sure that the garbage disposal is completely turned off before you begin any work. Turn off power to the appliance by either flipping a breaker in your home or unplugging it from an outlet.
Place container under unit
1. Unplug or turn off the electrical supply to your garbage disposal. 2. Turn on hot water for three seconds, then turn it off again. 3. Pour one cup of baking soda down the drain (or use a commercial cleaner like Liquid-Plumr). 4. Pour one cup of vinegar down the drain. 5.
Remove splash guard (or stopper plate)
The first step in repairing a clogged garbage disposal is to turn off the power supply. Make sure it is not plugged in, or unplug it from its electrical outlet. Once this is done, remove the splash guard (or stopper plate) to expose the blades. Then, use an Allen wrench to loosen the blade screws. After loosening them enough to allow for easy removal, take out each of the blades.
Move drain trap out of the way
Even if you don’t see any signs of a clog, it could still exist. To find out for sure, grab a flashlight (or turn on your kitchen lights to be safe) and look into the drain pipe where it meets up with your garbage disposal. If you see any material other than water in there, then you know there is a clog waiting to happen.
Use pliers or channel locks for stubborn nuts and bolts
Before you start, there are a few things you need to know. First, never use your hands when removing parts from the disposal. Use pliers or channel locks to remove stubborn nuts and bolts. Second, don’t put your hand inside the disposal if it is still moving–disconnect power first. Third, be careful not to bend any of the metal pipes in your disposal when removing parts–they could break and cause you a lot of trouble.
Fit wrench on hex nut
The hex nut is located on the bottom of your garbage disposal. Turn it counterclockwise to loosen it, and then pull straight up to take it off. You’ll need a wrench for this job, preferably one with a slim head so you can fit in tight spaces.
Once you’ve loosened the hex nut with your wrench, pull it straight up from the drainpipe opening of your sink. This will loosen any clogs or gunk that’s stuck in there.
