Having a functioning garbage disposal certainly makes your life a great deal easier. And most people do not realize how much comfort a garbage disposal offers until they find that it is clogged or fails altogether. Even though it seems straightforward enough, most people do not realize that maintenance is important for their garbage disposal unit.
Why maintenance and cleaning is so important
There are several different reasons that maintenance for your garbage disposal unit is as important as it is. These are a few of the reasons that you might not have thought of before:
- Removal of odors – If you are not properly taking care of your garbage disposal, the buildup of oils, grease, and other materials is going to lead to foul odors. This is certainly not something that you want in the area where you prepare your food.
- Slower draining – If you are running non-biodegradable products through your garbage disposal unit (including cornstarch and other fatty materials), it is going to lead to a serious blockage in your plumbing. Can you imagine how frustrating it would be if you had to wait five minutes each time that you want to push something through the garbage disposal?
- The blade or motor ceases up – If you have hard objects, sponges, dishcloths or fibrous materials become stuck in the area, the entire system can become jammed. This means that you will be unable to use the garbage disposal system until everything is cleared up.
What to do if the garbage disposal is not working
There are some basic things that you can do if your garbage disposal is not grinding properly. You can follow these steps:
- If your garbage disposal is not working, 90 percent of the time it just needs a reset. There is a black or red reset button on the garbage disposal motor. Oftentimes you will be able to find this underneath your sink
- There may be a tripped circuit breaker or a blown fuse
- You can push-start most garbage disposals through a hole underneath. This allows you to hand-crank it free. Use a garbage disposal tool or an Alan wrench. You can remove most non-serious jams this way.
Broken? Not working? Call the experts!
