I installed a garbage disposal in my home a couple of years ago. It
had been running fine until a few weeks ago, when the drain started to
get plugged up. Snaking the drain would resolve the problem, but it
kept happening. Suspecting that it was the garbage disposal, we
stopped using the disposal, and the problem went away.

The garbage disposal *runs* fine, but it appears that it isn't
chopping up waste fine enough for it to flow into the sewer line
without clogging up the drain.

Do I have any hope of fixing this thing, or should I go out and get a
new one?

dave wrote:
I installed a garbage disposal in my home a couple of years ago. It
had been running fine until a few weeks ago, when the drain started to
get plugged up. Snaking the drain would resolve the problem, but it
kept happening. Suspecting that it was the garbage disposal, we
stopped using the disposal, and the problem went away.

The garbage disposal *runs* fine, but it appears that it isn't
chopping up waste fine enough for it to flow into the sewer line
without clogging up the drain.

Do I have any hope of fixing this thing, or should I go out and get a
new one?

Are you sure you've snaked the drain thoroughly enough? You may be just
punching a small/medium sized hole through a load of stuff which has
built up in a near horizontal run over the past two years. Are you using
a snake with some kind of expanding head which will really ream out the
drain pipe to it's full inside diameter?

I sure haven't seen everything, but I've never heard of a fault in a
garbage disposer which would keep it from chopping stuff up "fine
enough". Generally, something major gives up long before the grinding
parts could wear enough to let stuff "too large" get down the drain.

Just my .02,

Jeff

--

Jeff Wisnia (W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"If you can smile when things are going wrong, you've thought of someone
to blame it on."

"dave" wrote in message
m...
I installed a garbage disposal in my home a couple of years ago. It
had been running fine until a few weeks ago, when the drain started to
get plugged up. Snaking the drain would resolve the problem, but it
kept happening. Suspecting that it was the garbage disposal, we
stopped using the disposal, and the problem went away.

The garbage disposal *runs* fine, but it appears that it isn't
chopping up waste fine enough for it to flow into the sewer line
without clogging up the drain.

Do I have any hope of fixing this thing, or should I go out and get a
new one?

Don't know about your house, but at mine, my wife thinks that the garbage
disposer works like a trash can ............ when it gets full, you empty
it. I think that you turn it on every time you put something down there,
and don't let it ferment or fill up. Different strokes, I guess. I also
like to run water before I send something down the drain. And let it run
for a while after it's gone. It drives her up a wall. Maybe your problem
is the way you use it. They ARE garbage disposals, but they DO have some
limitations.

BTW, I can always figure on potato peels to clog mine. Particularly if you
put them down a whole load at a time instead of a slow stream.

Check your trap, too.

Steve

"dave" wrote in message
m...
I installed a garbage disposal in my home a couple of years ago. It
had been running fine until a few weeks ago, when the drain started to
get plugged up. Snaking the drain would resolve the problem, but it
kept happening. Suspecting that it was the garbage disposal, we
stopped using the disposal, and the problem went away.

Snaking the line may relieve the problem, but maybe is not fixing it. Could
be some residue is still in the pipe. Perhaps at a bend there is buildup.
Be sure to run lots of water with the disposal and for a minute or so after
the garbage has gone down. You want to clean the line well.

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

"dave" wrote in message
. com...

I installed a garbage disposal in my home a couple of years ago. It
had been running fine until a few weeks ago, when the drain started to
get plugged up. Snaking the drain would resolve the problem, but it
kept happening. Suspecting that it was the garbage disposal, we
stopped using the disposal, and the problem went away.


Snaking the line may relieve the problem, but maybe is not fixing it. Could
be some residue is still in the pipe. Perhaps at a bend there is buildup.
Be sure to run lots of water with the disposal and for a minute or so after
the garbage has gone down. You want to clean the line well.


Hi,
My understanding is, you don't use hot water when the unit is being used.
Tony

"Tony Hwang" wrote in message
news:vYy2c.730252$ts4.356699@pd7tw3no...
Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

"dave" wrote in message
. com...

I installed a garbage disposal in my home a couple of years ago. It
had been running fine until a few weeks ago, when the drain started to
get plugged up. Snaking the drain would resolve the problem, but it
kept happening. Suspecting that it was the garbage disposal, we
stopped using the disposal, and the problem went away.


Snaking the line may relieve the problem, but maybe is not fixing it.
Could
be some residue is still in the pipe. Perhaps at a bend there is
buildup.
Be sure to run lots of water with the disposal and for a minute or so
after
the garbage has gone down. You want to clean the line well.


Hi,
My understanding is, you don't use hot water when the unit is being used.
Tony

I have had mine kick out the reset when I run hot water while the motor is
on. Not a problem, but it senses overheating, and kicks out the little red
pin. Let it set, run some cold water, push the pin back in.

Steve

"SteveB" wrote in message
news:8cA2c.13402$BA.12483@fed1read03...

"Tony Hwang" wrote in message
news:vYy2c.730252$ts4.356699@pd7tw3no...
Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

"dave" wrote in message
. com...

I installed a garbage disposal in my home a couple of years ago. It
had been running fine until a few weeks ago, when the drain started
to
get plugged up. Snaking the drain would resolve the problem, but it
kept happening. Suspecting that it was the garbage disposal, we
stopped using the disposal, and the problem went away.


Snaking the line may relieve the problem, but maybe is not fixing it.
Could
be some residue is still in the pipe. Perhaps at a bend there is
buildup.
Be sure to run lots of water with the disposal and for a minute or so
after
the garbage has gone down. You want to clean the line well.


Hi,
My understanding is, you don't use hot water when the unit is being
used.
Tony

I have had mine kick out the reset when I run hot water while the motor is
on. Not a problem, but it senses overheating, and kicks out the little
red
pin. Let it set, run some cold water, push the pin back in.

Steve


We had to have our disposer drain line snaked out one time and the plumber
suggested that we should occasionally stopper the disposer, fill the sink
with water, turn it on and pull the plug. Those machines are pretty good
centrifugal pumps and the surge of water helps fight build-up in the drain.
Seems to work.

Marty