Cut the power and keep hands out of the grinding chamber
- Switch the disposal off at the wall switch. Then unplug it or turn off its breaker. A disposal that is only off at the switch can still start.
- Never put your hand inside the grinding chamber. If you need to see in, use a flashlight. To remove an object, use tongs or pliers once the power is disconnected.
- Keep the cabinet dry before you reach in. If water has been leaking, dry the area and make sure the outlet or cord is not wet.
These steps matter more than any repair trick. A disposal that comes on while a hand is in it causes serious injuries, and most of them happen during a jam, when someone is trying to loosen it quickly. Take thirty seconds to disconnect the power, even if it feels like overkill.
Humming, silent or dripping: three problems that look alike
A humming disposal means it is jammed
A hum with no grinding means the motor has power but the blades cannot turn. A fork, a bone, fruit pits or a build-up of food can wedge the flywheel. Once the power is off, many units have a hex socket on the underside where a wrench turns the flywheel back and forth to loosen it. Remove the object, restore power and press the reset button on the bottom of the unit.
A silent disposal is an electrical or reset problem
No hum and no sound can mean a tripped reset button, a tripped breaker, a loose plug or a failed motor. Pressing the red reset button once is reasonable. If it trips again straight away, do not keep pressing it, because something is overloading the motor.
A leaking disposal is a connection or a case problem
Run water into the sink with the disposal off, then run it with the disposal on, and watch where it drips. Water from the top flange points to a sink seal. Water from the side points to the dishwasher or drain connection. Water from the body or the bottom usually means the unit has failed, and a disposal that leaks through its case cannot be repaired.
When the disposal is fine and the drain is the problem
A disposal that runs but drains slowly, or fills the sink on the way out, may be working perfectly. The pipe after it is where the problem sits. Grease and ground food stick in the trap and the drain line, and a disposal grinds food finer without making it disappear.
If water backs up into the second side of a double sink, or the sink drains slowly even with the disposal off, read the drain cleaning page and think about a line clearing before buying a new unit. If several fixtures in the house are slow, the blockage is probably in the main line and covered under sewer line repair.
Repair or replace: what the numbers and the age tell you
Plumbers repair a disposal when the problem is a jam, a loose connection or a worn seal. They replace it when the case leaks, the motor has burned out or the blades are worn through. A budget unit does not last as long as a stronger one, and a replacement takes about the same time to install either way.
- Horsepower. A larger motor handles tougher scraps and jams less, but costs more.
- Continuous or batch feed. Batch feed units start only when the stopper is in place, which matters if small children are around.
- Fit. Mounts and drain outlets differ between brands, and a new unit may need a different mounting ring.
- Noise. Better units have more insulation around the motor.
Ask for a repair price and a replacement price together, and use the wide price ranges on our cost page as a rough guide only. Repairing leaks in pipes, valves and fixtures is on the city's permit-exempt list, so a repair or a like-for-like swap does not generally raise a permit question. Ask the plumber anyway if the job involves changing the plumbing, and the Building Division at (928) 763-0124 can confirm.
Septic and sewer: what the disposal does downstream
Where a home is on septic, a disposal sends extra solids into the tank, and the tank has to be pumped more often as a result. If you are not sure whether your home is on the city sewer or on a septic system, Bullhead City Utilities can tell you at (928) 763-9400. The city's contact for septic is Mohave County Environmental Health.
Homes here range widely. The median was built in 1991, and almost three in ten are mobile homes (ACS 2019 to 2023), where the drain below the sink may be a shorter run than in a conventional house. Say what kind of home you have when you call so the plumber arrives with the right fittings.
What to keep out of the disposal
- Grease, oil and fat, which cool and coat the pipe wall.
- Fibrous or stringy food such as celery, corn husks and artichoke leaves.
- Starchy food that swells, such as rice, pasta and potato peelings.
- Coffee grounds in quantity, bones, fruit pits and eggshells in large amounts.
- Anything that is not food, including glass, metal and plastic.
Run cold water before, during and for about fifteen seconds after use. Cold water keeps grease solid so that it is chopped and flushed through the line, while hot water melts it and lets it settle further down the pipe, where it cools and builds up. Leave the water running until the grinding sound stops.
Garbage disposal questions
Can I use a chemical drain cleaner in a disposal?
It is not a good idea. The chemicals can damage the seals and the unit, and they sit in the trap as a hazard for whoever works on it next. If the blockage does not move, you have a sink of caustic water. Tell the plumber if you already used one.
Do ice cubes sharpen the blades?
Not really. The blades in most disposals are blunt impellers that fling food against a grinding ring and are not sharp knives, so ice does not sharpen anything. A few cubes can knock loose some residue from the chamber walls, but they are not a substitute for cleaning the unit and the drain.
How long do disposals last?
It varies with the unit, the quality of the motor and how it is used. If yours is old, is leaking through the case, or has a motor that keeps tripping the reset button, replacement is likely the better move than putting more money into repairs on a tired unit.