Why Your Rodgers Park Garbage Disposal Keeps Jamming

If you turn on your garbage disposal and it hums but doesn’t do anything, it’s jammed. The motor is working but the flywheel can’t turn to grind the food up inside. If it turns on and starts making a harsh sound like grinding, metallic clanking, or clicking, that’s likely a partial jam that indicates something has fallen down in there. If you just have water backing up but none of these other symptoms, you may actually have a clogged garbage disposal or P-trap instead.

Garbage disposals can jam for many reasons, but the most common causes are:

Putting the Wrong Materials Down

No one wants to hear it but your garbage disposal issues may actually be your fault, not your garbage disposal’s fault.  The number one cause of garbage disposal failures is putting the wrong stuff down there. Homeowners (and their children) put things down their kitchen sinks all the time that don’t belong in a garbage disposal.

If you can name it, we’ve seen it! Bones, fruit pits, popcorn kernels, coffee grounds, eggshells, stringy vegetables, peels, bread, and grease – none of that should be put into a garbage disposal.

And then there are the accidental items that sometimes end up down there. Before turning on your garbage disposal always check to make sure that it’s clear of things like utensils, bottle caps, twist ties, and bags. Those can not only cause a jam, but also break the impellers, which will almost certainly mean you need to replace the unit.

Not Running Enough Water

Even when you put the right kinds of things down your garbage disposal, it can’t work properly if there’s not enough water moving through it. Running water while using the disposal allows food that’s being ground up to be carried away. Without enough water, that food just sits there, making it more likely to bind up the disposal unit and cause a jam. Always run a steady stream of warm or hot water to help your garbage disposal break down and flush away debris.

Buildup

You can probably get away with putting some eggshells or coffee grounds down your garbage disposal once or twice but making a routine habit of it will cause buildup. Buildup can form especially quickly from things like grease and fat hardening, creating serious clogs that will not only slow water down but reduce the garbage disposal’s ability to run normally. To prevent this, you should clean out your garbage disposal routinely with a product that’s specifically designed for garbage disposals. There are various kinds of cleaners available in the form of powders, pellets, and tablets that you can choose from. The best garbage disposal cleaners will foam up to get cleaning action into all the nooks and crannies of your unit for more effective cleaning.

Old Age

Even the most reliable garbage disposals will wear out over time. Older units may start to jam more often before they finally quit entirely. If your unit is getting old and you keep having problems with it, it may be time to replace your garbage disposal with a newer model. A licensed plumber can get the old one taken out and a newer, better one put in to make your life easier. 

Don’t stress! If your garbage disposal keeps jamming, is clogged, or won’t turn on, give us call at 1 (800) 674-9130 and we’ll send someone out to take a look. Our team of experienced plumbers works on garbage disposals every day, so we can troubleshoot your issue and get it taken care of quickly.