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My garbage disposal is humming but not working. What’s wrong with it?
It doesn’t want to work. It just wants to sit and hum all day.
Very funny. But I really need it to work.
The humming means the blades aren’t working. The problem could be the motor or something
else.
Someone said the blades might be stuck.
For the love of any and all Gods, do not put your hand in there to find out. If the blades
are jammed by silverware and you put your hand in to remove it, you could lose your
fingers.
I know better than that. That’s what broom handles are for.
That’s not a good idea either, because the fan blades could generate a shower of wood
chips.
Then what can I do, other than down into the dank, murky depths?
You might use a jam buster tool to turn the rotor from the bottom of the assembly, to
verify it isn’t jammed.
We’re approaching the point where I’d need to take it apart, and that thing is probably
disgusting. I wish I could just reboot it like a computer.
Pushing the reset button won’t help if the problem is a jam or the motor. The motor might
have burned out.
Can they fix the motor?
Yes, but given the cost of a service call and parts, you might as well have a new one
put in.
I wish I could pour Draino down the drain and clear it up, in case it might be something
like grease buildup.
If you’ve been pouring grease or other stuff down the drain, try a plunger for sinks. You
might suck out the gunk or just break it up enough to go down the drain.
I suppose it isn’t worse than using the toilet plunger we already have.
It’s certainly cheaper than calling a plumber.
Though prevention is a lot less gross.