What to Do if Your Garbage Disposal Is Humming & Not Grinding
If you’ve grown accustomed to having a garbage disposal in your home, chances are you feel the loss when it’s not operating as it should. When operated appropriately, a garbage disposal helps to reduce the amount of trash landing in local landfills. A humming garbage disposal can mean several things that aren’t necessarily major problems. If you don’t know how to fix a garbage disposal and don’t wish to investigate the issue yourself, a plumber can take care of it for you. Call Shadrach Plumbing & Cooling in the Fountain Hills area for any plumbing concern.
Why Is My Garbage Disposal Humming?
Some common causes of a humming garbage disposal are:
There’s food or another lodged object preventing the chopping blades from turning. If your disposal is getting the power it needs to operate but something is keeping the blades from turning, it will emit a humming noise. Cut all power to the unit by turning off the electrical breaker, if possible, or at least by unplugging it. If you see anything inside the disposal preventing the blades from turning, use tongs to dislodge or remove the food or object. Reconnect the power, turn on the faucet and the disposal to check for normal operation.
A tripped GFI for the garbage disposal itself may cause it to hum. Reset the switch, outlet or breaker and try running the unit as you normally would. If your disposal is still humming after trying these quick fixes for either possible cause of the noise, call Shadrach Plumbing & Cooling and have one of our plumbers investigate and repair the issue.
Garbage Disposal Tips
Following these helpful hints to keep your garbage disposal running smoothly:
- Occasionally run ice through the disposal to help keep blades sharpened.
- Boiling water is great for keeping drains clear. Add in baking soda and vinegar and you have a safe DIY alternative drain cleaner.
- When grinding food, run cold water and allow the water to continue running for an additional 30 seconds after turning the unit off.
- Keep non-food items away from the garbage disposal to prevent any unfortunate accidents.
If you notice any issues with your garbage disposal or other plumbing challenges, let Shadrach Plumbing & Cooling help.
