Your garbage disposal serves a vital function that makes it a lot easier for you to cook and properly rid yourself of food scraps and organic waste material. The machine is typically installed in your kitchen sink and it shreds up the material that you put into it; it essentially functions as an alternative to sending your waste material into landfills.
However, your garbage disposal is also liable to experience breakdowns, and in these situations, you should hire a professional. Why? There are numerous reasons. First, troubleshooting and diagnosing the damage can be difficult to perform. Also, a professional can quickly and efficiently repair the issue so that you won’t have to worry about any issues arising in the future. Furthermore, a certified technician will adhere to strict safety protocols which ensure that no one gets hurt during the repair process.
Garbage Disposal Repair
There are several problems that can occur with your garbage disposal that will require a professional eye to diagnose and repair. You want to hire a certified technician in these kinds of situations because they can safely identify the issue and fix it in a way that eliminates any unnecessary risks. Here are some common problems that occur with garbage disposals that require professional assistance to repair:
Issues with overheating. If you turn on your garbage disposal and you do not hear the humming noise, then this means that you have overfilled it which causes the motor to overheat and it will automatically shut off. Some units contain a reset button, but if you push this and nothing happens then this likely means that a breaker has been tripped. If this button is not working, then you will need a professional to fix, which is a very cheap and economical repair.
Issues with jamming up your garbage disposal. If you hear the humming noise but nothing is happening, then this means that you likely jammed up your unit. First off, never stick your hands into the garbage disposal where the grinding chamber is located. Everyone’s first instinct is to reach into it and remove the obstruction by hand, so try to resist the urge to stick your hand down into your garbage disposal. What a technician will do is turn off the circuit breakers to ensure that the grinding mechanism will not turn on. Next, they will dislodge the blockage from inside. This is a fairly straightforward repair, but if you do not know what you are doing, then you could be putting yourself in danger.
Last resort: replacing your garbage disposal. In many situations, it is simply not worth repairing garbage disposal. Sometimes a serious fix is not worth the cost and you will save a lot of time and money by replacing it. You should check your manufacturer’s warranty to see if you are covered. Although a new unit will come with instructions on how to install it, you should have a professional handle this. Lacking basis plumbing skills and knowledge may deter you from successfully installing a replacement unit.
How to Avoid Future Repairs
There are several steps you can take to prevent any breakdowns in your garbage disposal. The best we can explain this is by listing the dos and don’ts of when it comes to using your garbage disposal.
Things you should do:
- Run cold water while using your garbage disposal
- Always have a strainer on hand to avoid blockages
- If an item gets stuck in your garbage disposal and it begins to emit an unpleasant odor, then grind upon a lemon and ice cubes to help mask the smell
Things you shouldn’t do:
- Never grind up fibrous food (such as meat), eggshells, coffee grounds, bones, glass, rubber, or metal
- Avoid overfilling it
- Never pour chemical cleaners down your drain to try and remove a clog
Why You Want to Ensure That Your Garbage Disposal Is Working Properly
Without a properly functioning garbage disposal, you’ll be finding yourself doing a lot of extra work. You’ll notice that you’re spending a lot more time cleaning up messes and disposing of your garbage. By having a trained technician repair or replace your garbage disposal, you’ll begin to notice all of the benefits that it has to offer:
Saving time by disposing of waster materials quickly and efficiently. Break down leftover food and save time and energy on taking out any extra trash. Spend more time relaxing and less time working.
Eliminating clogs in your draining by properly breaking down organic material that can buildup in your plumbing. If you wait too long to unclog your sewer line, then you could end up spending a fortune on repairing your plumbing system. Garbage disposals save you a ton of money on repairs and replacements.
Protecting the environment by limiting the number of waste materials that you send into your local landfill. This also means that waste management companies won’t have to use as much methane to create more landfill, which is beneficial for our breathing air. Also, wastewater treatment facilities can use it as a source of energy.
Useful features in your garbage disposal include an auto-reverse mode in which your device will clear up jams. Some garbage disposals have high-powered motors to grind up denser materials, such as bones and other hard waste material. Other devices provide a safety cover to ensure that there are no accidental activations.
Why It Is Important to Hire an Expert
Hiring a professional to repair your garbage is the way to go because they can correctly diagnose an issue and also fix it in no time. Having the requisite experience and knowledge is crucial to any kind of repair when it comes to your garbage disposal and any other plumbing issue. A trained technician can have your garbage disposal functioning as it should at a cost that relatively insignificant when you consider the long-term benefits of repair services.