To identify the problem and fix it, begin with the most likely problem (and easiest solution) and proceed to the more complicated: If the disposal will not turn on when you flip the switch and you do not hear the humming sound of the motor, it indicates there is an electrical problem that is preventing the appliance from getting current. What all these models have in common is that the power feeding the disposal should come from an outlet under the sink. There is also an air switch model that uses air to activate the disposal. Continuous utilizes a switch to turn the unit on and off. Batch feed needs to have the cover placed over the drain opening to activate the disposal.
There are several types of garbage disposals, including batch feed and continuous. If you follow that basic rule, the most common problems with a garbage disposal are easy to diagnose and almost always easy to fix. But this is not a risk that is necessary in any way.
If a disposal gets turned on accidentally while your fingers are in the opening, the likelihood is that you will end up with bruised fingers, not bloody amputation. That is not to say that a disposal should be taken lightly-it is indeed possible to be painfully injured if you don't practice basic safety measures.īut there is really only one rule you need to follow: Never put your hand or fingers down into the disposal, even if you think the disposal has been unplugged or its circuit has been shut off. In reality, the blades inside a garbage disposal are rather dull grinders, not gleaming, razor-sharp sabers.
The horror movie image of victims having hands and arms severed in a garbage disposal is entirely a Hollywood invention. The Spruce Home Improvement Review Board.