Reasons Why Your Garbage Disposal Gets Jammed

Your garbage disposal is an appliance in your home designed to make food small enough to be able to easily go down the drain rather than throwing away in the trash and filling up the landfills. The garbage disposal can purify most substances so that they easily go down the drain with no problem. There are instances where your garbage disposal will get jammed, and if you understand the causes of the problem you can help the disposal do a better job to avoid the clogs in the future.

When the garbage disposal jams you will notice an immediate backup of water in the sink. The problem that caused the jam can be many but it usually falls into one of two major causes. The first cause for a jam is when something inadvertently falls into the sink to cause the jam. Small items can fall into the sink and get logged in the wheel where the blades are and cause the system to not spin and cut up the debris. Items as small as a tiny pebble can cause a jam in the garbage disposal. Cleaning the fish tank in your sink and allowing even one colored pebble to fall into the sink can lodge in the gear and stop the system. Unplug the disposal before you attempt to look inside. If you see anything causing the jam either notify a plumber or remove it if you can.

The next cause of garbage disposals getting jammed is by putting too much food in the sink. If you are placing orange peels, lemon peels, and any skins that are thick in nature, they really need to be chopped up finely or they will slowly clog the pipe that they travel down after the disposal. If the clog is allowed to accumulate the food will eventually back up into the garbage disposal and cause a jam. Once the system does not work any longer you need to have the lines cleared before the garbage disposal will work again. The clogged drain will stop all water from flowing down the drain so call a professional plumber at the first sign of water back up.

Is the garbage disposal in your Winchester home acting up? Call Powell’s Plumbing at 540-665-8196 and schedule a service call today!