Learning how to fix your garbage disposal will not require much of your time. There are a few common problems that are fixed in just a few minutes. Jams, clogs and overloads all have fairly simple remedies.

Replacing a disposal will involve more work. Before you decide that your disposal is history, try to repair it and save yourself some money. Below you will find a 'Garbage Disposal Troubleshooting' section that will direct you to the information you need to make your repair.

In other parts of the world they are less common. Garbage disposals have been around since the 1940's and like most appliances have developed over time. Fears that ground up food waste is bad for sewer systems have mostly been quelled. In fact there is some support for the idea that beneficial bacteria are created by the food scraps.

A garbage disposal is both a plumbing and an electrical device. Therefore, repairs can involve both of these disciplines. Jams and clogs are you most common ailment.

How To Fix Your Garbage Disposal – Finding Help

Below you will find some common problems. There is a brief description and a link that will lead you to additional information. Our evaluation sections of the pages will help you to decide if you want to make the repair. The "What Can You Save?" and "How Hard Could It Be?" sections give you a quick overview of the repair. This will help you decide if it is using good judgment to make the repair yourself.

The "Check the Simple Things First" section will clue you in to easy fixes to check for. Many times something easy will eliminate a problem without the aggravation of an involved repair. In an effort to warn you about what you are in for, there is the "What Can Go Wrong" section. Forewarned is forearmed as they say. Knowing what to watch out for is always helpful.

Troubleshooting Garbage Disposal Problems

Repairing Garbage Disposals

This article has some general information on common repairs. It tells you what to check for when the disposal will not start. It also has information on how to deal with other garbage disposal problems.

Jammed Garbage Disposal

The garbage disposal is stuck and will not turn. It makes a loud electrical sound when you turn on the switch. This happens when something hard lodges itself between the cutting blades. There are a couple of ways to deal with this problem. See the articles 'Fixing a Stuck Garbage Disposal', 'Removing Objects From a Garbage Disposal' and 'Using a Disposal Allen Wrench' for.

Garbage Disposal Clogs

This might be the most common problem with a disposal. Clogs will cause the water not to drain, even if the unit still turns. Follow this link to see what you need to do.

Although it may seem that way, a garbage disposal will not grind up everything that can fit in the drain. Some items will jam the disposal. Repeated attempts to start it may trip the reset and not allow it to turn on at all. There are some simple solutions for dealing with this problem.

Garbage Disposal Odors

A smelly garbage disposal is not a fun problem. Removing odors is not that hard and there are several ways that you can accomplish it. Follow this link for more information.

Fixing a Garbage Disposal Summary

After you have reviewed the articles noted above you will be equipped to deal with all of the issues that can cause a garbage disposal not to work properly. With a few tools you should be able to solve your problems.

Clogs and jams are the two winners when it comes to number of occurrences. That is why there are specific articles for each. A general discussion is found in the article on repairing garbage disposals.