Ahhhhh, you’ve just had another enjoyable family dinner. Now it’s time to tackle the dishes. You’ve cleared off the plates into the drain and now it’s time for the magic to happen. You turn on the garbage disposal …and oh no! It doesn’t work. Here’s a few things you can check before reaching for that phone to call Bienvenu Brothers.
How Do I Fix My Garbage Disposal?
You are going to be sitting on the floor, so now is a good time to change your clothes if needed. Make room under your sink to get access to your garbage disposal. You don’t want to be distracted by knocking over cleaning supplies.
Now flip the garbage disposal switch and listen. Is it quiet? Is it humming? It is churning?
If it is quiet, then the solution could be as easy as locating the reset button near the bottom of the disposal and pressing it. If that doesn’t work, unplug the disposal and plug something else into the outlet to make sure it is getting power.
It it humming? The chances are you have something jammed in that won’t allow the blades to do its job. Now is a good time to CUT THE POWER to the disposal before you do any more investigating. A working garbage disposal can be a deadly weapon when it is receiving power. Always use caution!
Look at the bottom of the disposal. Often there is a hex-shaped hole that you can fit a hex wrench into. This will allow you to try to free the blades from the clog. If that isn’t possible, putting an object like a shortened broom stick into the sink to try to free the blades might be just enough to break the jam.
Is it churning? Again, CUT THE POWER first. It may be that something has found its way into the drain that shouldn’t have, such as banana peels or other fibrous food waste. Use tongs to try to pull the material out and give your garbage disposal a fighting chance to get running again.
We hope you’ve solved your garbage disposal problem and now have your dirty dishes put into the dishwasher and can continue to enjoy your evening. If that is not the case though, check out our money saving coupons and then give us a call. The Bienvenu family has been helping New Orleans with all their garbage disposal needs since 1937.
4th Generation Family Owned & Operated