"Art Todesco" wrote in message
...
I have an Insinkerator disposal that works well, however, it is very noisy.
It wasn't that way when it was new. And, strangely, it sometimes (very
infrequently) get quiet. I've never taken one of these apart. Is this
something
that might be fixable?


Below is a copy of some of my brilliant advice on the same subject in
another thread. You can substitute "piece of bone" or your choice other
words for "spoon or fork":

There's probably a spoon or fork in the disposal. Someone dropped it in,
turned on the disposal, and when it made a horrible noise, they adopted the
"I don't know nuthin' and I ain't talkin'" routine. Replacing it without
first trying to clear the obstruction is ridiculous. Someone in the house
might drop something into the brand new one the day after you install it.
Then what? Buy another new one??? Don't do that. Use the money you save to
buy tools and beer.

Sharpen your best kitchen knife and place it on the counter where you can
reach it. Tell everyone in the house to stay away from the disposal switch.
Better yet, tell them to stay out of the kitchen. If anyone disobeys, wave
the knife at them like a madman. This is how it's done. You could also turn
off the circuit breaker, but it's much more interesting to create a sense of
danger so you're a bigger hero after you fix the disposal.

The disposal doesn't have sharp blades inside. It's got these things they
call "hammers" mounted on the bottom surface near the outer edge. First,
peek in with a flashlight to see if you can spot the debris. A dental mirror
would help, and you should have at least 3 different shapes & sizes in your
toolbox anyway, so here's an excuse to buy more tools. Then, stick your hand
in there carefully and feel around. The bottom surface is supposed to spin
like a carousel. You might be able to dislodge it if you remove whatever
piece of metal is wedged between a hammer and the side of the housing. The
debris itself might be sharp if it's been chewed up, so be careful.

Look at the bottom (outside) of the disposal and you'll see a socket for a
hex wrench. That's there so you can use a wrench to turn the inner part
backward and dislodge debris. It doesn't have to be the wrench that came
with the disposal, which is probably nowhere to be found anyway. Any hex
wrench of the proper size will work. If you don't have a set of hex
wrenches, here's yet another excuse to buy more tools. That's always a good
thing.