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Wood Wallcovering Care and RepairBy Jim Sulski Summary:Garbage Disposers are hardy appliances, yet time, improper use, or bad installation can all make your disposer jam. Here are instructions on fixing your jammed garbage disposer. The old adage of "you don't know what you're missing until you have one" holds very true for people with garbage disposer units.
Although many people get along fine without them, these inconspicuous appliances prove to be a great way to reduce household food waste. Properly used, the average disposer can easily last longer than a decade and require little or no repair. Because of their simple construction, disposers don't really require any maintenance as far as oiling and cleaning. There are a few things homeowners can do, however, to increase the performance and life of their machines. For example, disposers were born to grind. So occasionally feed your disposer small chicken bones or other hard food materials. These abrasive wastes actually help clean the disposer by scraping away stubborn food deposits. A small amount of ice in the unit will also help keep it clean. If a disposer starts to smell, pour some baking soda down it or place an entire lemon or lime down the disposer. There are also commercial products that accomplish the same thing. Another way to keep your disposer running properly is to give it a cold drink of water whenever it is in use. The cold water keeps the motor reasonably cool and also keeps the waste floating down the drain. Most disposer problems result from owner negligence or error, such as dropping utensils or coins down into the disposer. In such cases, the disposer may have to be taken out of the sink and disassembled. Although a disposer will eat just about anything, there are also some food products that may also cause it to jam. For example, stringy items such as the strings on a corn husk or the veins off a piece of celery can cause a disposer to jam. Also, avoid placing any large beef bones or soup bones in a disposer. FIXING A JAMMED DISPOSER If the disposer does become jammed, it will cease to grind and instead hum or buzz. Do it yourselfers can sometimes remove the jam, if they're careful. The first thing to do is make sure that the power to the unit has been shut off. This may happen automatically: If a disposer jams, it will usually kick off a reset button (located on the bottom of the disposer) or the circuit breaker it is wired to. But DON'T restore the power to the unit until you find what's jamming it. Using a flashlight, look into the disposer chamber and try to find what's jamming the unit. In some cases, you can pull the item out with forceps or pliers. In addition, some units have an anti-jamming lever, a sort of Allen key wrench that you insert from the bottom. Twisting the lever will force the blade back and forth, and this can loosen whatever is jamming the disposer. If the blockage refuses to budge, clear away any debris with a wooden spoon or tongs (try to avoid putting your hand in the unit). Then insert a wooden broom handle into the disposer and try to turn the rotor in either direction. Use as much pressure as you can. Then reset the reset button or circuit breaker, and you should be back in business. If the item jamming the disposer refuses to come free, you're best off calling an authorized service technician. Another word of advice: Although a disposer with no power supply is reasonably safe, be extremely careful around batch feed disposers, which are operated with the stopper or plunger. These units can be also activated by a wristwatch or bracelet that may be magnetized.. Another major disposer problem is improper installation. Sometimes, a unit is installed along with some other appliance on the same electrical line. That can result in low voltage, which can cause the unit to prematurely burn out. Proper installation of the drainage system is also important. The water and waste need to flow freely from the unit. Make sure you have good connections and use one and one-half inch pipe or drain lines. Finally, another common problem is the disposer shutting down because it becomes overheated. This can usually be repaired by letting the unit cool down and simply resetting the reset button.
© by Jim Sulski. All rights reserved. August 10, 2005. NOTE: This column is distributed by Real Estate Matters Syndicate, PO Box 366, Glencoe, Illinois, 60022. This column may not be resold, reprinted, resyndicated or redistributed without written permission from the publisher. © 2005 by Ilyce R. Glink. Distributed by Real Estate Matters Syndicate. |
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