Leaky garbage disposals are a pain and can cause a lot of water damage to your base cabinets if not attended to right away. Every day at Cypress Discount Plumbing and Drain, we field calls from worried property owners that don’t know what to do about their broken garbage disposals. If you find yourself in this situation, we don’t want you to worry. We have a number of practical solutions and may even be able to help you solve the problem over the phone.

DIY Garbage Disposal Repairs

Normally, we do not advise our customers to attempt DIY repairs on their plumbing appliances. However, some garbage disposal problems are so easy to fix that it doesn’t seem right to charge you for a service call when you can repair the problem yourself. When you call for service, we’ll ask you to check two things.

First, if your motor is not turning on at all or it suddenly stopped during operation, we’ll ask you to reset it. Underneath your kitchen sink, you’ll find the disposal’s motor. Either on the side or underneath the motor, you’ll find a red or black button. This is the reset button. Go ahead and press it. Now turn your disposal back on. Did it turn on?

If your motor hums, but the blades won’t turn this is an indicator that something may be caught in the blades. Turn the disposal off and grab a wooden spoon, a pair of tongs, or even a screwdriver or pair of pliers. Also grab a flashlight. Put the tool you choose into the disposal and try turning the blades. If the blades do not move, there is probably something lodged in between them. Use your flashlight to visually investigate and if you can locate the stuck item, remove it. Then turn your disposal back on and see what happens.

Garbage Disposal Repair

If these two suggestions don’t get your disposal up and running again, give us a call. More likely than not the problem is not serious, but something minor that just requires an expert touch. We’ll send a local, Cypress plumber to your home right away to investigate.

Garbage Disposal Installation

Most disposals can easily be repaired, but there are those cases when replacement is necessary. If this is the case for you, our plumbers will help you purchase and install a new disposal so you can enjoy the convenience of this appliance once again.

We offer affordable solutions for all home plumbing problems from toilet repair to sewer line inspection. For plumbing service in Cypress, CA, call today!