Although garbage disposers differ from model to model they all operate on similar principles. In this video we will address how the disposer works as well as common problems you may encounter. Garbage disposers are designed to grind solid foods into small particles which can then be washed down the drain.
To do this the disposer is installed between the kitchen sink drain and the drain pipe which sends water and debris to the outside of the home. Be aware that if you have a dishwasher the disposers knockout plug will need to be removed in order for the dishwasher to drain disposers are often hard wired to a switch in the kitchen. Although batch feed disposers have a start switch activated by the stopper. When the switch is actuated 120 volts of alternating current flows to the disposer motor the motor rotates a grinding or shredder plate to break down the food particles.
How Does a Garbage Disposal Works – Video
A steady stream of cold water should be running through the disposer for this process to work effectively the disposer uses a splash guard which prevents the water from being slung upwards common problems that occur with disposers include the drain becoming clogged the grinding plate becoming jammed and the disposer developing a leak. To avoid clogging the drain potato peels courthouse and other fibrous materials should not be put into the disposer. After clearing out a clogged you should consider using disposer cleaner to clean the appliance and reduce odors. Most disposers have an opening on the bottom of the housing if the grinding plate becomes jammed and allen wrench can be inserted into this opening to manually turn the motor in plate to clear the obstruction.
If your model doesn’t have an opening on the bottom a wooden broom handle can be inserted through the drain opening to turn the plate a grinding plate jam can overheat the disposer motor which may trip a reset button often found at the bottom of the housing. If the disposer doesn’t run at all first try pressing the reset button. If the disposer still doesn’t run check to see if a house fuse has blown or circuit breaker has tripped the switch may have failed as well you can test the switch for continuity to determine if a continuous electrical path is present a leak originating near the top of the disposer is often caused by the failure of the mounting gasket or splash guard replacing the gasket or splash guard assembly can correct this problem. If the leak is coming from the disposer housing then the entire disposer will need to be replaced repairclinic has a solution for many of the problems you may be experiencing with your garbage disposer enter the products full model number in our website search engine for a complete list of compatible parts our site also has an extensive selection of instructional videos to assist you covering topics like part testing disassembly and part replacement at repairclinic we make fixing things easy.
