How To Fix A Jammed Garbage Disposal?

Table of Contents

• What Are The Safety Tips For Fixing A Jammed Garbage Disposal?
• What Are The Signs That Help Identify If Garbage Disposal Gets Clogged?
• What Are The Tools You Need To Fix A Jammed Garbage Disposal?
• How To Fix A Jammed Garbage Disposal? 
  • 1. Turn off the power
  • 2. Locate the reset button and press it 
  • 3. Use an Allen wrench to dislodge the blockage
  • 4. Remove obstructions 
  • 5. Restore the Power and Test The Unit
• What Causes A Garbage Disposal To Get Clogged?
• What Maintenance Tips Help Prevent Garbage Disposal Clogs?
• End-Note

Most homeowners use garbage disposal as a blender to chop up everything. 

But the heck is- this is not how a garbage disposal works. 

A garbage disposal has impellers instead of the sharp blades you can see on your blender.

If you believe that myth about garbage disposal and put whatever you want, it will cause a jam. 

When your garbage disposal gets clogged, you can’t perform kitchen cleanup tasks like disposing of food leftovers on the plate. 

It sounds stingy, right?

Now, the question is- how to fix a jammed garbage disposal? 

To fix a jammed garbage disposal: 

• Turn the power off to your garbage disposal by unplugging the power cord or flipping down the circuit breaker if the unit is hardwired.
• Crawl under the garbage disposal, locate the red reset button, and press it. 
• Insert an Allen wrench into the central hole at the bottom of the unit and rock the wrench back & forth until the blockage comes free.
• Reach into the grinding chamber and remove the blockage using long-handled pliers or tongs. 
• Restore the power to the unit, run cold water, and turn on the disposal to test the unit for operation. 

What Are The Safety Tips For Fixing A Jammed Garbage Disposal?

Take the following precautions before repairing or maintaining a garbage disposal: 

• Turn the power off to the unit. Regarding this, unplug your garbage disposal from the wall outlet. If the unit is hardwired, flip the circuit breaker to turn off power. 
• Wear gloves and safety goggles to avoid potential injuries. 
• Don’t put your hand in the garbage disposal unless you wear safety gloves. 
• I highly recommend you use long-handled pliers to reach the grinding chamber if required. 

What Are The Signs That Help Identify If Garbage Disposal Gets Clogged?

Here are the signs that help you determine if the garbage disposal gets clogged: 

• The garbage disposal will hum or make a racket sound.
• Garbage Disposal won’t turn on.
• Water will drain slowly or not drain at all. 
• Bad odors come from your garbage disposal due to trapped food waste.

Alternatively, light your flashlight to look inside your garbage disposal to determine any visible blockage. 

What Are The Tools You Need To Fix A Jammed Garbage Disposal?

Ensure you have the following tools at your fingertips to fix clogged garbage disposal: 

• Allen wrench (garbage disposal wrench)
• A broomstick 
• Long-handled pliers 

The Allen wrench is used to insert the hole at the bottom of the unit. Then, rock the Allen wrench back and forth to dislodge the blockage in the garbage disposal. 

Similarly, the broomstick will serve the same purpose if your garbage disposal has no slot to insert the Allen wrench. 

In this case, just put the broomstick inside the garbage disposal and use some leverage to remove the restrictions. 

On the other hand, long-handled pliers will help you remove anything that gets stuck inside the garbage disposal. 

How To Fix A Jammed Garbage Disposal?

To unjam a jammed garbage disposal, try these five simple steps: 

1. Turn off the power

First, ensure there is no electric power to your garbage disposal. 

Regarding this, unplug the power cord of your garbage disposal from the wall outlet. 

If the disposal unit is hardwired, locate the circuit breaker panel and flip down the circuit breaker for your garbage disposal. 

2. Locate the reset button and press it

Go underneath your garbage disposal and find the reset button. 

The reset button has a round shape, and it’s red. Press the reset button. This button gets tripped if you overfill the grinding chamber or when the garbage disposal gets clogged. 

Once you press the reset button, release the restrictions from the garbage disposal. 

Below, I will describe it further to let you learn how to remove debris or blockage from the disposal unit. 

3. Use an Allen wrench to dislodge the blockage

Go underneath your garbage disposal and locate the slot or center hole at the bottom of the disposal unit. 

Insert one end of the wrenchette into the slot and rock the wrench back & forth to break down the blockage. 

I recommend you rotate the wrench until it turns one revolution. 

If you don’t have a garbage disposal wrench, you can use a regular 90-degree wrench. 

On the other hand, if your garbage disposal doesn’t have a center hole at the bottom, you can use a broomstick. 

Put the broomstick inside the garbage disposal, use some leverage, and rock it back and forth until the breakage comes free. 

4. Remove obstructions

Now, it’s time to remove the obstructions from the garbage disposal. 

Use long-handled pliers or tongs to remove debris or loose particles from the disposal unit. 

You can also use your hand to take out the restrictions. In this case, ensure you wear the safety gloves. 

5. Restore the Power and Test The Unit

Plug the power cord of your garbage disposal into the wall outlet. Or, flip the circuit breaker for the disposal unit to the On position. 

Then, turn on your garbage disposal. And the unit should come on. 

What Causes A Garbage Disposal To Get Clogged?

The garbage Disposal gets clogged if you put unprohibited foods and non-food items or overload the garbage disposal. 

Unprohibited foods you shouldn’t put into the garbage disposal include: 

• Fibrous foods: Celery, corn husks, and asparagus
• Starchy foods: Rice, pasta
• Hard foods: Fruit pits, eggshells
• Non-food items: Forks, spoons, and plastic
• FOGs: Fats, oil, and grease

If you put those items, they cause blockage in the garbage disposal. 

Nonetheless, don’t overload the garbage disposal with food waste. If you do so, it will clog the garbage disposal.

Lastly, the garbage disposal gets clogged if you don’t maintain the disposal unit. For example, food particles may linger inside the unit and create a blockage if you don’t clean the disposal every week. 

What Maintenance Tips Help Prevent Garbage Disposal Clogs?

Follow these garbage disposal maintenance guidelines to prevent clogs or jams: 

• Avoid putting unprohibited foods into the garbage disposal. Read this article to discover the complete list of what not to put in a garbage disposal.
• Use garbage disposal regularly even if there is no food waste to grind. 
• Run cold water before, during, and after using the food waste disposal. 
• Grind ice cubes to dislodge debris that gets stuck inside the grinding chamber. 
• Clean garbage disposal every week to remove both food buildup and unpleasant odors. 

End-Note

Fixing a jammed garbage disposal is easy. Just follow these guidelines to unjam your garbage disposal: 

• Turn off the electric power to the unit.
• Press the reset button, which you can find at the bottom of the unit.
• Insert the Allen wrench into the central hole at the bottom of your garbage disposal. 
• Rock the wrench back and forth to break down the blockage manually. You can use a specialty tool called a garbage disposal wrench if the restrictions don’t come loose. 
• Use long-handled pliers to clean the loose particles from the garbage disposal.
• Restore power to the unit, run cold water, and turn on the garbage disposal.

I recommend you maintain the garbage disposal according to the manual. It doesn’t prevent jams but also keeps your garbage disposal in tip-top condition and prolongs the lifespan of your garbage disposal.