How To Unclog a Garbage Disposal

Garbage Disposals are great to have, they get rid of food left over in the sink. But the food it gets rid of can clog them. Most of the time the flywheel that causes the grinders to move will become clogged. Rather than call a plumber, we can help you unclog the garbage disposal and save you a lot of money.

You will first want to turn off the power to the garbage disposal. You don’t want to get a finger stuck in a disposal.You will need a small flashlight to look down the drain and see where the clog is. If the clog is visible then try using a knife or a pair of pliers. That is another reason why you want to make sure that you turn off the disposal off. If step three doesn’t work, you will have to place a hex head wrench into the hole located at the bottom of the garbage disposal and then gently turn the wrench back and forth. What should happen next is that by turning the wrench, you should be able to remove any debris that is stuck in the flywheel. The most difficult ones are little pieces of cracked egg shells, corncobs, fish or chicken bones, as those tend to get stuck in between metal blades or the main spinning wheels attached to the impeller.

Next you will want to use a wooden spoon (to avoid electrocution) or a broom handle into the garbage disposal. The spoon handle should fit right into the sink drain and you will have to manually spin the flywheel until it moves. Now turn on the power and test with a small piece of food. If the food moves through the disposal smoothly then you have fixed the problem. If not, you will have repeat the steps above until the disposal is working properly.

If you have a double basin sink, you could try a plunger by plugging the other side and use it on the disposal side. Try out a couple of times to see if it sucks up the fluids and debris by air tightened plunger power. If the clogged side is not working well, then you may want to fill out the other side with water and plunge through all the way.

Garbage disposals are not meant to grind huge pieces of food. They are used to grinding up small debris that is left on plates. For example, if you put a piece of steak in the sink, it may have trouble grinding it. You can find garbage disposals in your local Home Depot or Lowe’s store.