How to fix disposal leaking from bottom | Easy garbage disposal repair

A garbage disposal is a small device designed to do a big job. Grinding away under the sink, it chews up all sorts of kitchen waste, from tough vegetable skins to eggshells and chicken bones. With reasonable use, it should last for years. A disposal requires a steady stream of cold water to flush waste through the unit and to prevent congealed grease from clogging the drainage holes in the grinding mechanism. Finally, disposers should never be subjected to chemical drain cleaners, which can damage plastic and rubber parts.

When a disposal stops working, it is usually because the grinding mechanism has jammed, which in turn overheats the motor and causes it to cut off. The motor may also stop if you pack the hopper too solidly with garbage. Most disposal jams are caused by food particles caught between the spinning flywheel and the stationary grind ring, though bits of glass, metal or rubber trapped between the wheel and the ring can also immobilize the mechanism.

Freeing a jammed flywheel is a relatively simple procedure. It involves backing up the flywheel, either with a special wrench provided by the manufacturer or with the handle of a broom. On some models there is even a motor reverse button to back up the wheel automatically. Such a motor reverse also prolongs the life of the grind ring by allowing the unit to use both sides of its blades.

Before you begin any repair, however, it is important that you understand how your disposal works. Although all disposers operate on the same principle, they are activated in two distinct ways. In one type, called a continuous feed disposal, the motor is controlled with a wall switch. In the other, called a batch feed disposal, the motor is activated when you turn a stopper in the sink opening. A continuous feed disposal is somewhat more expensive to install, but its switch, located outside the unit, is easier to service. To gain access to the switch of a batch feed disposal, you must disassemble the machine.

Never attempt any repair or even a simple unjamming without cutting off the power at the main service panel of your house. Take the added precaution of attaching a note to the service panel to alert other members of your household. Never put your hand inside the unit while the power is on.

Before you restart a motor that has been overloaded, give it at least 15 minutes to cool off. Then turn on the power and press the reset button on the bottom of the unit. (Professionals note that they answer many unnecessary service calls, in cases when the reset button simply was not pushed hard enough.) If the disposal does not start, check the service panel to see if a fuse has blown or a circuit breaker has been tripped. As a last resort, check the control switch either wall mounted or inside the machine with a multitester.

Apart from jamming and overloading, older disposals suffer from two other common ailments: leaks and worn parts. To remedy either, you will have to disassemble the unit.

A leak around the sink drain probably is the result of a worn gasket or loose nuts in the brackets that support the disposal. If water is leaking from the bottom of the unit or from a weep hole in the side, inspect the seal around the motor shaft at the bottom of the drain chamber. A leak of this type is more serious than one at the top, since the water can trickle down into the motor and damage it; replace the worn seal immediately.

If an old disposal still functions but grinds slowly, the grind ring probably needs to be replaced. If the disposal is especially noisy, one of the impeller blades on the flywheel may have worked itself loose; the flywheel should be replaced. Another possible cause of excessive noise is a damaged bearing in the motor. If disposal problems can indeed be traced to the motor, take the unit to the manufacturer's service center. Repairing the sophisticated capacitor start, split phase motor is a job for a professional.

Anatomy of a garbage disposal. 

A garbage disposal consists of three main assemblies suspended beneath the sink by a flanged mount and a support ring. Garbage enters the upper assembly called the hopper through the sink opening and perhaps also an intake pipe connecting the unit to a dishwasher. The next assembly contains a grind ring, fluted with sharp cutting edges, and a perforated flywheel, the latter turned by the shaft of the motor. The centrifugal force of the flywheel hurls the garbage against the grinding ring, where it is shredded by the blades of the flywheel. The waste particles wash through perforations in the flywheel and the grind ring into a drain chamber, which has an outlet that disposes of the waste. The bottom assembly contains the motor, and the whole unit is enclosed in an insulated cover.

Unjamming a Stuck Disposal

Freeing the flywheel

With power to the disposal shut off at the main service panel, wedge the end of a broom handle against one of the impeller blades on the flywheel; apply force until the wheel begins to turn backward. Then work the wheel back and forth until it moves freely. If the jam was caused by a piece of glass, rubber or metal, take the object out of the disposal. Then restart the unit.

If your disposal came with a Z-shaped hex wrench (inset), insert one end of the wrench into the hexagonal hole at the bottom of the motor housing. Turn the wrench back and forth to rotate the motor shaft, until the flywheel is free.

Fixing Leaks, Worn Parts

Disconnecting the disposer 

With power to the disposal cut off and the electrical and plumbing connections uncoupled, loosen the bolts at the top of the disposal and twist the unit free of its top support ring. If your disposal is fastened with a twist lock action, there will be no mounting bolts; simply turn the unit counterclockwise until it slips free.

With the tip of a screwdriver, pry open the cover of the disposal along its middle seam. Remove the bolts that join the three assemblies of the disposal hopper, grinder and motor.

Removing a worn flywheel.

 If the flywheel is threaded directly onto the motor shaft, hold a block of scrap wood against an impeller blade and strike the block sharply with a hammer, driving the wheel counterclockwise; continue until the flywheel unwinds from the shaft. If the flywheel is held by a nut (above, right), keep the wheel stationary by wedging a screwdriver between an impeller blade and the grind ring; then loosen the nut with the wrench.

Replacing a leaking seal. 

If the motor shaft is sealed with a neoprene ring on the bottom of the drain chamber, wedge the tip of a screwdriver under the ring and pry it up. Scrape out the seal cavity, and spread a few drops of machine oil on the replacement neoprene ring before pressing it down into the cavity.

If the seal is a series of brass and carbon rings and spacers that fit around the shaft, lift these parts off the shaft (inset), taking care not to scratch the rings. Clean the parts and examine them for signs of wear; if any ring is nicked or worn, replace all of the rings and spacers. In reassembling a brass and carbon seal, do not scratch any of its metal surfaces.