"Jr." wrote in message
m...
All of a sudden today my wife says the garbage disposal just hums when you
flip the switch.

I tried to turn it by hand (with the power off of course) and it is locked
in place.

Is it shot or is there something I can do?



If it hums, there is still electricity going to it. Take the allen wrench
and turn it from underneath. If you can't find the allen wrench that goes
to it, you can put a socket on a long extension through the hole and grip
the center nut on the assembly. When you do get it free, feel or look down
in there to find the offending particle. DO NOT turn it on again, as this
shard can fly outward and punch a hole in the outer casing. Don't ask me
how I know.

Steve

All of a sudden today my wife says the garbage disposal just hums when you
flip the switch.

I tried to turn it by hand (with the power off of course) and it is locked
in place.

Is it shot or is there something I can do?

2 folks have said to turn it with the Allen wrench to unjam it, but
they didn't say to turn it *backward* to unjam it. Hopefully that will
free up whatever has it jammed. If it's humming, odds are the breaker
on the unit didn't pop, but it's worth checking anyway.

Indeed!

You usually "wiggle" it back and forth until it moves freely.

If it "jams" very soon again without obvious cause (you don't put another
spoon down it) you can get a flashlight and look inside for something that
should not be there. Use common sense and whatever is handy to remove it.

Another trick before replacment is to remove the outlet tube and see if
there is come kind of back up. Again, use common sense as to the best way
to remove "stuff."

As they age, they get "sloppy" inside and don't chop as well. The bigger
pieces tend to jam.

As things go, disposals are pretty cheap (if you don't get carried away) and
easy to replace. Find a model with the same dimensions and you can replace
it in a few minutes. You can leave the part what attaches to the sink.
You remove and attach the electric while the disposal is sitting down.
Then it's easier than changing, say, a worn out switch.

Jr. wrote:
All of a sudden today my wife says the garbage disposal just hums when you
flip the switch.

I tried to turn it by hand (with the power off of course) and it is locked
in place.

Is it shot or is there something I can do?


Hi,
Sounds like it is jammed, 1. Unjam it by using Allen key tool, 2. Make
sure thermal breaker is not popped, reset it by pushing it in.

Jr., 7/15/2007,11:08:34 PM, wrote:

All of a sudden today my wife says the garbage disposal just hums
when you flip the switch.

I tried to turn it by hand (with the power off of course) and it is
locked in place.

Is it shot or is there something I can do?

There is usually a hole in the bottom you can insert an Allen wrench
into and turn manually until it unjams.

"badgolferman" wrote in message

There is usually a hole in the bottom you can insert an Allen wrench
into and turn manually until it unjams.

If that does not work, take a look inside to see if something visible is
jamming it. Bone chink, spoon, etc.

On Jul 15, 11:08 pm, "Jr." wrote:
All of a sudden today my wife says the garbage disposal just hums when you
flip the switch.

I tried to turn it by hand (with the power off of course) and it is locked
in place.

Is it shot or is there something I can do?

2 folks have said to turn it with the Allen wrench to unjam it, but
they didn't say to turn it *backward* to unjam it. Hopefully that will
free up whatever has it jammed. If it's humming, odds are the breaker
on the unit didn't pop, but it's worth checking anyway.

"badgolferman" wrote in
:

Jr., 7/15/2007,11:08:34 PM, wrote:

All of a sudden today my wife says the garbage disposal just hums
when you flip the switch.

I tried to turn it by hand (with the power off of course) and it is
locked in place.

Is it shot or is there something I can do?

There is usually a hole in the bottom you can insert an Allen wrench
into and turn manually until it unjams.


I just use a wooden dowel thru the sink opening.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
kua.net

Use the DUSTBIN
"Jr." wrote in message
m...
All of a sudden today my wife says the garbage disposal just hums when you
flip the switch.

I tried to turn it by hand (with the power off of course) and it is locked
in place.

Is it shot or is there something I can do?

"John Gilmer" wrote

As things go, disposals are pretty cheap (if you don't get carried away)
and
easy to replace. Find a model with the same dimensions and you can
replace
it in a few minutes.

Amen to that. When I went purchasing replacement disposals, I would look at
the ones big enough to digest semi truck tires and say, "Huhhhhh?"

They're disposable disposals, folks. You can get a good one for $60. Less
on sale. If you use them to chew up very large chunks of "stuff", you might
want a bigger one. Or, if you're of the school that you NEVER turn on the
garbage disposal or dishwasher until you can't put another cubic centimeter
of "stuff" in there, then you might need a big one.

The first one's a bugger to change, and after that, they take less and less
time until you can change one in a very short time.

Steve

Jr. writes:

Is it shot or is there something I can do?

Get a curb key (Home Depot plumbing) or similar cheap implement to grab
down on the impeller and work it loose.

"DerbyDad03" wrote

In order to install this disposer
properly, everything from the old unit had to be replaced.

Hey, you got the whole thing apart. Why NOT put everything back new? It
comes right there in the box. And that new ring and rubber thingus looks
SOOOOOOO good.

Steve

On Jul 15, 11:10 pm, "John Gilmer" wrote:
2 folks have said to turn it with the Allen wrench to unjam it, but
they didn't say to turn it *backward* to unjam it. Hopefully that will
free up whatever has it jammed. If it's humming, odds are the breaker
on the unit didn't pop, but it's worth checking anyway.

Indeed!

You usually "wiggle" it back and forth until it moves freely.

If it "jams" very soon again without obvious cause (you don't put another
spoon down it) you can get a flashlight and look inside for something that
should not be there. Use common sense and whatever is handy to remove it.

Another trick before replacment is to remove the outlet tube and see if
there is come kind of back up. Again, use common sense as to the best way
to remove "stuff."

As they age, they get "sloppy" inside and don't chop as well. The bigger
pieces tend to jam.

As things go, disposals are pretty cheap (if you don't get carried away) and
easy to replace. Find a model with the same dimensions and you can replace
it in a few minutes. You can leave the part what attaches to the sink.
You remove and attach the electric while the disposal is sitting down.
Then it's easier than changing, say, a worn out switch.



- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Other than this part, I agree with this reply:

"You can leave the part what attaches to the sink."

My old Kenmore had a rubber shield that was sandwiched between the
sink and the chrome drain ring (the part you see when looking into the
sink.) After years of sticking our hands into the disposer to retrieve
plastic bottle caps, bars of soap, etc. half the shield was ripped
away. We definitely did not want to leave this in place when we
replaced the unit.

We went with the InSinkErator Evolution series which has a removable
shield that just drops into the drain opening. With this shield in
place the disposer is so quiet that there are times I don't realize
it's on until I turn the water off. In order to install this disposer
properly, everything from the old unit had to be replaced.

Thanks to all for the advice.

I took some of it and the disposal is working fine again.

The allen key did not work because it was really jammed but I can see how
that should work.

I finally got frustrated and took a screwdriver I had that is 12 inches long
and has a pretty thick shaft (about 1/2" of steel) and put it down the sink.
I pushed the blades counter-clockwise and it suddenly spun.

I put something over the drain so nothing could spin out at me and turned on
the disposal and it spun like a new top.

I think there might have been part of a coffee bean stuck in ther.

Again, thanks to all!!

"Jr." wrote in message
...
Thanks to all for the advice.

I took some of it and the disposal is working fine again.

The allen key did not work because it was really jammed but I can see how
that should work.

I finally got frustrated and took a screwdriver I had that is 12 inches
long and has a pretty thick shaft (about 1/2" of steel) and put it down
the sink. I pushed the blades counter-clockwise and it suddenly spun.

I put something over the drain so nothing could spin out at me and turned
on the disposal and it spun like a new top.

I think there might have been part of a coffee bean stuck in ther.

Again, thanks to all!!



You got lucky. If it had been something hard like a bone or a bottle cap,
you could have knocked a hole in the housing.

Spinning the blades without finding the cause of the jam = a bad idea that
can cost you a good disposal.


Steve

On Jul 16, 8:19 am, "Jr." wrote:
Thanks to all for the advice.

I took some of it and the disposal is working fine again.

The allen key did not work because it was really jammed but I can see how
that should work.

I finally got frustrated and took a screwdriver I had that is 12 inches long
and has a pretty thick shaft (about 1/2" of steel) and put it down the sink.
I pushed the blades counter-clockwise and it suddenly spun.

I put something over the drain so nothing could spin out at me and turned on
the disposal and it spun like a new top.

I think there might have been part of a coffee bean stuck in ther.

Again, thanks to all!!

-- I think there might have been part of a coffee bean stuck in there.

If a part of a coffee bean jammed your disposer, then I think you need
a new one!

The InSinkErator I have says that you can put small bones in it - rib
bones, drumsticks, etc. (although I never have)

The sounds you can here at this site are very accurate -

http://www.insinkerator.com/disposer...stration.shtml

and this site shows a commercial - lemons, bones, corn cobs, pineapple
tops:

http://www.insinkerator.com/disposer...ercial_vid.php (click on the
Lemons thumbnail)

I wouldn't recommend getting a cheap garbage disposal. One call to a drain
plumber can pay for the extra $ on a good stainless steel disposer.

The Insinkerators mentioned are good units and very quiet-I believe
Insinkerator makes the Sears disposers and possibly others.

Because the unit I recently put in was so quiet, I put in a new electrical
switch with a small light to indicate the unit was on.
"Jr." wrote in message
m...
All of a sudden today my wife says the garbage disposal just hums when you
flip the switch.

I tried to turn it by hand (with the power off of course) and it is locked
in place.

Is it shot or is there something I can do?

"DerbyDad03" wrote in message
s.com...
On Jul 16, 8:19 am, "Jr." wrote:
Thanks to all for the advice.

I took some of it and the disposal is working fine again.

The allen key did not work because it was really jammed but I can see how
that should work.

I finally got frustrated and took a screwdriver I had that is 12 inches
long
and has a pretty thick shaft (about 1/2" of steel) and put it down the
sink.
I pushed the blades counter-clockwise and it suddenly spun.

I put something over the drain so nothing could spin out at me and turned
on
the disposal and it spun like a new top.

I think there might have been part of a coffee bean stuck in ther.

Again, thanks to all!!

-- I think there might have been part of a coffee bean stuck in there.

If a part of a coffee bean jammed your disposer, then I think you need
a new one!

The InSinkErator I have says that you can put small bones in it - rib
bones, drumsticks, etc. (although I never have)

The sounds you can here at this site are very accurate -

http://www.insinkerator.com/disposer...stration.shtml

and this site shows a commercial - lemons, bones, corn cobs, pineapple
tops:

http://www.insinkerator.com/disposer...ercial_vid.php (click on the
Lemons thumbnail)


Well, possibly whatever jammed it is now down the drain.
That was the only thing light enough to come back out into the sink.
I did check to see if there were any big pieces, etc as well as any metal
objects before starting it. Nothing that I could feel or see so I started it
up.
Turned out OK this time.

"newman" wrote in message
news:GEKmi.4045$fj5.2694@trnddc08...
I wouldn't recommend getting a cheap garbage disposal. One call to a drain
plumber can pay for the extra $ on a good stainless steel disposer.

The Insinkerators mentioned are good units and very quiet-I believe
Insinkerator makes the Sears disposers and possibly others.

Because the unit I recently put in was so quiet, I put in a new electrical
switch with a small light to indicate the unit was on.


We have a Sears. It is a good model.Think I paid about $100 five years ago.
First time in years that it jammed. This was a replacement for the original
disposal about 5 years ago.

I watched that insinkerator film and all I could think of was

"man, I would never put bones or pineapple tops in my disposal"

I guess we are not getting the best use of ours. We rarely put really solid
stuff in it like the video shows.

Are we goofy for not doing this?

On 16 Jul, 09:51, "Jr." wrote:
"newman" wrote in message

news:GEKmi.4045$fj5.2694@trnddc08...

I wouldn't recommend getting a cheap garbage disposal. One call to a drain
plumber can pay for the extra $ on a good stainless steel disposer.

The Insinkerators mentioned are good units and very quiet-I believe
Insinkerator makes the Sears disposers and possibly others.

Because the unit I recently put in was so quiet, I put in a new electrical
switch with a small light to indicate the unit was on.

We have a Sears. It is a good model.Think I paid about $100 five years ago.
First time in years that it jammed. This was a replacement for the original
disposal about 5 years ago.

I watched that insinkerator film and all I could think of was

"man, I would never put bones or pineapple tops in my disposal"

-- I guess we are not getting the best use of ours. We rarely put
really solid
-- stuff in it like the video shows.
--
-- Are we goofy for not doing this?

We dump solids into the garbage, with maybe a light scrape. The dishes
then get a quick rinse - sometimes. The instructions for my dishwasher
say that there is no need to rinse soft food from the dishes, so we
don't waste a lot of time or water cleaning the dishes before putting
them in the dishwasher. We'll rinse them a little if they're going to
sit for a while, but if they're going to be washed soon, then they
don't get rinsed.

Fun With Garbage Disposers:

Break a glass in your sink. Rinse the pieces down then drain. Turn on
the disposer. It makes a really cool noise!

On 16 Jul, 09:54, Meat Plow wrote:
On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 13:46:14 +0000, newman wrote:
I wouldn't recommend getting a cheap garbage disposal. One call to a drain
plumber can pay for the extra $ on a good stainless steel disposer.

The Insinkerators mentioned are good units and very quiet-I believe
Insinkerator makes the Sears disposers and possibly others.

Because the unit I recently put in was so quiet, I put in a new electrical
switch with a small light to indicate the unit was on.
"Jr." wrote in message
om...
All of a sudden today my wife says the garbage disposal just hums when you
flip the switch.

I tried to turn it by hand (with the power off of course) and it is locked
in place.

Is it shot or is there something I can do?

-- I've used a broom handle on the impeller blades using the rim of
the
-- disposal for leverage to free my stuck disposal.- Hide quoted text
-

I've actually disposed of brooms in my InSinkErator.

Tony Hwang wrote:

Jr. wrote:

All of a sudden today my wife says the garbage disposal just hums when
you flip the switch.

I tried to turn it by hand (with the power off of course) and it is
locked in place.

Is it shot or is there something I can do?


Hi,
Sounds like it is jammed, 1. Unjam it by using Allen key tool, 2. Make
sure thermal breaker is not popped, reset it by pushing it in.

Hmmm, how could it hum if the breaker was popped?

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

DerbyDad03 wrote:

On Jul 16, 8:19 am, "Jr." wrote:

Thanks to all for the advice.

I took some of it and the disposal is working fine again.

The allen key did not work because it was really jammed but I can see how
that should work.

I finally got frustrated and took a screwdriver I had that is 12 inches long
and has a pretty thick shaft (about 1/2" of steel) and put it down the sink.
I pushed the blades counter-clockwise and it suddenly spun.

I put something over the drain so nothing could spin out at me and turned on
the disposal and it spun like a new top.

I think there might have been part of a coffee bean stuck in ther.

Again, thanks to all!!


-- I think there might have been part of a coffee bean stuck in there.

If a part of a coffee bean jammed your disposer, then I think you need
a new one!

The InSinkErator I have says that you can put small bones in it - rib
bones, drumsticks, etc. (although I never have)

The sounds you can here at this site are very accurate -

http://www.insinkerator.com/disposer...stration.shtml

and this site shows a commercial - lemons, bones, corn cobs, pineapple
tops:

http://www.insinkerator.com/disposer...ercial_vid.php (click on the
Lemons thumbnail)


I remember my folks taking me to a home show over 50 years ago when
garbage disposals were just becoming mainstream consumer items and
watching some guy demo one on a table top.

The disposal was upright on a stand ith the motor running and the guy
was dropping glass marbles into it "dry" while we stood there and
watched ground glass streaming from the outlet into a bowl placed next
to it on the tabletop.

It was one of those memories that stays with you forever...

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

"Jr." wrote in message
I watched that insinkerator film and all I could think of was

"man, I would never put bones or pineapple tops in my disposal"

I guess we are not getting the best use of ours. We rarely put really
solid stuff in it like the video shows.

Are we goofy for not doing this?

Just because you can do something, does not mean it is best to do so. If
you put bones down, it should be mixed with softer material so they don't
just fly around inside the chamber.

The more stuff you put down, the greater the chance of a sewer line clog. I
find is just as easy to put the larger bulk and bones in the trash Clean
leaf type stuff goes on the compost pile. Anything with the potential to
stink goes down the drain.

"Jeff Wisnia" wrote in message
...
Tony Hwang wrote:

Jr. wrote:

All of a sudden today my wife says the garbage disposal just hums when
you flip the switch.

I tried to turn it by hand (with the power off of course) and it is
locked in place.

Is it shot or is there something I can do?


Hi,
Sounds like it is jammed, 1. Unjam it by using Allen key tool, 2. Make
sure thermal breaker is not popped, reset it by pushing it in.

Hmmm, how could it hum if the breaker was popped?

Jeff

Is that the new Monica Lewinsky model?

Steve

On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 07:19:10 -0500, "Jr." wrote:

Thanks to all for the advice.

I took some of it and the disposal is working fine again.

The allen key did not work because it was really jammed but I can see how
that should work.

I finally got frustrated and took a screwdriver I had that is 12 inches long
and has a pretty thick shaft (about 1/2" of steel) and put it down the sink.
I pushed the blades counter-clockwise and it suddenly spun.

I put something over the drain so nothing could spin out at me and turned on
the disposal and it spun like a new top.

I think there might have been part of a coffee bean stuck in ther.

Disposals shouldn't have coffee until they are over 18.

Again, thanks to all!!