It is common for a garbage disposal to get jammed up and stop working.  Generally this is because of something you put in it that shouldn’t be in there or because you put too much food in at one time.  If something has jammed the blades it is designed to stop working so you don’t burn the motor out.  Before you request a service call you need to check a couple things because if we find it is a result of improper use or something caused by you we will need to charge you the cost of the service call.

1.  Make sure the disposal is turned off and reach inside it and feel around for something that has jammed the blades.

2.  On the bottom of the disposal (under the sink) there is a reset button (it’s usually a little red button).  Push it to get power back to the disposal.  If it’s still not operating properly or it shuts off again it may still be jammed.

3.  If needed, to help un-jam the blades there is a simple way to manually turn the disposal gears.  On the bottom of the disposal (under the sink) there is a small hole.  You can insert an allen wrench (sometimes one is attached to the disposal) and turn the gears.  Then reach back inside to see if something came loose that you can pull out, then repeat step two.

If you have any questions please ask.  If you know it’s because of something you did and you’d just like someone to come fix it send us an email and I can recommend someone for you to call.