No offense to cavemen, but let's face it, there are times when we just don't have all the available tools to do the job. I get calls like this everyday, where the garbage disposal doesn't work at all or, if it does, it just hums or buzzes. That is a sign that it is jammed. There is reset button on the side of the disposal or underneath it that should restart the motor, but this will likely just get it to make a humming noise.
When a disposal is first purchased, they usually come with a tool to unjamb them...it looks like a hexagonal Allen wrench that has some lazy curves on each end. This is placed in the center hole underneath the disposal and jiggled. This will usually free the disposal up to run smoothly again. However, in a pinch go grab your broomstick and get ready to go caveman on it.
Place the broomstick in the opening of the disposal...you won't need to remove the disposal from the sink. You want to place it behind one of the blades in the disposal's grinding chamber. You will have to feel for them with the broomstick. It doesn't matter which way you push, either clockwise or counter-clockwise. With some quick, short bursts, try to force the blades to move one way or the other. You don't want to push outside the plane that the blades operate in either, as you might dislodge the disposal from the sink. You may have to alternate directions to free it up, but it should work with a little persistence.
Look into your kitchen sink down at the garbage disposal. You should see a black folded rubbery thing with a hole in the middle of it. This is called a splash guard and allows it so that you can push food down into the garbage disposal, but keeps flying food from exiting the disposal grinding chamber. I know I'm guilty of scraping food off my plate into the sink and, after it piles up in the sink, pushing it into the disposal for grinding. Most people push the scraps on down with whatever is in their hand...a fork, knife, or spoon. Well if you fork or knife is pointed in such a way that it contacts the splash guard, it will tear.
Replacing a splash guard is done frequently by this handyman, but the job is easily performed by the average homeowner.
Unplug the disposal to stop the flow of power to the unit, even though the switch if in the off position. The disposal will need to be lowered from the sink bottom by at least a few inches to free the splash guard, as it is sandwiched between the top of the disposal and the underside of the sink. You will need to relieve the tension at the discharge pipe at the side of the disposal, so either remove the pipe via the two screws at the side of the disposal, or remove the other end of the piping further down the drain via the slipnuts. I use a small screwdriver to loosen the mounting collar at the top of the disposal.
Once the collar is loose, I place my knee under the disposal to set it on for the few seconds it will take to remove the old splash guard and place the new one on top of it.
After you have the new guard on, just tighten the collar and reinstall the discharge pipe.
I'm sure there are many ways to screw up a garbage disposal, but here are 6 common ones.
1. Don't Remove The Knockout Plug
When installing a new disposal, if you have a dishwasher you are supposed to remove a small plug in the side of the disposal inlet. This allows the dishwasher to drain into it instead of draining out of the air gap and onto your counter. When someone calls saying they have water on the countertop, I always ask if the disposal is new. If it is new, whoever installed it forgot to remove the plug.
2. Don't Trim The Airgap Hose
This hose runs from the air gap (that little nubby thing on top of your counter) to the garbage disposal and is made of thick rubber. If this hose is even slightly too long, it will tend to crease and obstruct the flow of water as the dishwasher drains. You guessed it...more water on your counter.
3. Don't Fully Tighten The Disposal's Collar
Where the disposal mounts to the underside of the sink is a collar will little tabs around it. These round tabs allow you to stick a screwdriver in and fully tighten it until it "bottoms out". Well a disposal vibrates as it grinds, especially when it's full of food, and if the collar isn't totally tight, the disposal could work it's way loose.
4. Grind Things You're Not Supposed To
We all know that there are foods that don't belong in a disposal. Grind them at your own peril. Things like potato peels and celery are kryptonite to a garbage disposal. These types of things will cause a backup and lots of unpleasant smells.
5. Let Food Scraps Pile Up In The Disposal
You have a disposal, right? Then turn it on! It is surprising to me how many people will put food down there but won't grind it up. The smell of rotting food will make you run.
6. Don't Upgrade To A Stronger Disposal
For another $20.00 you can go from a 1/3 horsepower disposal to ½ horsepower. The money is well worth it. A stronger disposal will plow through things that the weaker one will not, and that means you get to unjamb the weaker one or call someone who can.
Have you ever been hunched over the kitchen sink rinsing off the dishes and suddenly the sink starts backing up? People get confounded when just one side of the sink fills up...the side with the garbage disposal. A garbage disposal takes all kinds of abuse with people throwing things down there that they shouldn't be. I'm guessing the plumbing gods took this into consideration and a restriction pipe was placed after some disposals.
The discharge pipe leads from the side of the disposal and meets up with the drain which carries the waste to the sewer. Usually, this discharge pipe connects to the vertical sink tailpiece which flows to the drain trap. The restriction is typically after the disposal but before it meets the tailpiece.
Things like potato peels and other vegetable peelings are famous for clogging up the restriction pipe, and you can only access it from below the sink. You will have to disconnect some piping, so either get a wet/dry shopvac and suck out the water from the sink, or have a bucket under the piping to catch the water (and make sure the bucket is large enough to handle it). The pipes will come out after you loosen the slip nuts that hold the pipes and fittings together. Pull out the potato peels (or whatever is clogging the pipe) and run some water through them to flush everything out (put the bucket under the sink to catch the water). Once you reassemble everything, tighten the nuts and test for leaks. By the way, here is some information on how to snake a clogged drain.