Garbage Disposal Problems

[jean]

My garbage disposal won't turn on. Is there anything I can do before I call a repairman? I am afraid to stick my hand down in there!

[handyandy]

You might want to try to find the reset button. It is often on the side and is usually red. What do you hear when you turn it on? If all you hear is a hum, then most likely you have something caught in the blades. Make sure the power is off, and use a broom handle to gently push the blades until they turn. Use a flashlight to help you carefully remove the obstruction. That is where I would start. Let us know how it goes.

[jean]

I found a piece of glass that was obstructing the blades from moving. When I removed the glass, it worked fine. Thanks!

[M. Hall]

I have this same problem, only nothing is
caught in mine. If I use the allen wrench
and spin it, it will turn slowly (sounds
like backwards) and gets hot real fast.
It also killed my receptacle. The reset
button did nothing.

[handyandy]

M. Hall,

Yours sounds like an electrical problem. What happens when you try to turn it on? Do you have a hum, or nothing? What do you mean "it killed my receptacle?"
Welcome to the forum!
[}]

[M. Hall]

Thanks for the welcome...The outlet lost
power for a couple of weeks. Yes, it
does hum (a few bars )

[fc99]

Garbage Disposal won't run. Hit the reset button and it makes a humming noise for a seconds and then stops. I have to shut it off again wait a minute or so and then I can try the reset button again with the same results. I did find a piece of cloth stuck in there but nothing else. Any ideas?
Thanks

[Troy]

fc99,

It sounds to me like some of the cloth might have been pulled into the motor, or is wrapped around. Are you sure that you removed all the cloth?

[gcsm33]

My garbage disposal has all of the sudden started making a really awful sound when you turn it on. I am not sure what is going on with it. I didn't try resetting it yet. I didn't put anything in it, that I can remember, that was really bad. It used to spin& sing when you turned it on and now it "moans" and doesn't sound right.

[RodgerDodger]

I had a incident similar to what Troy described, when my child placed a rag "for fun" into the disposal. I actually had to pay someone to come fix it, I didn't want to risk any fingers