Kitchen Plumbing · Lake Havasu City, AZ
Garbage Disposal Repair Lake Havasu City AZ: Jams, Leaks and Swaps
A disposal gives you three warnings and they all sound different. A hum, a silence, and a puddle.
This page covers garbage disposal repair in Lake Havasu City, AZ, from a jammed flywheel to a unit that is worth replacing.
Each one points somewhere specific, and only one of the three usually means the unit is finished.
Disposal hum, silence or puddle: repair or replace?
Work out which of these you have before anyone quotes you for a replacement, because two of the three are often repairs.
| Symptom | Usually means | Usually a repair or a replacement |
|---|---|---|
| Hums but will not turn | Jammed impeller or a seized plate | Repair |
| Completely silent, no hum | Tripped reset, failed switch or a dead motor | Either |
| Runs, but drains slowly | A blockage past the unit, in the drain line | Drain work, not the disposal |
| Leaking from the top rim | Sink flange seal has failed | Repair |
| Leaking from the bottom of the body | Internal seal has gone, water is in the motor | Replacement |
| Rattles loudly | Something metal inside, or worn mounting | Repair |
Where the water under your sink is coming from
An under-sink puddle gets blamed on the disposal more often than the disposal deserves. There are four candidates in that cabinet and they are easy to tell apart once you know where to look.
Water at the top rim is the sink flange, and that is a reseal. Water from the side is usually the dishwasher inlet or the drain elbow, and both are replaceable parts. Water from the bottom of the body means it has reached the motor, and that one is a new unit.
If it turns out to be the tap or the supply lines rather than the disposal, that work is on faucet and sink repair instead.
Water under the sink and not sure what is leaking?
Call (928) 766-1925
What 19 grain water does to a disposal
City water here is measured at 19 grains per gallon. On a disposal it shows up somewhere specific. Mineral deposits form on the grind ring and the underside of the splash guard. There they trap food residue and produce the smell most people assume is coming from the drain.
It also stiffens the moving parts. A unit that sits unused for weeks at a time is more likely to seize than one that runs daily. That is common in a city where a lot of houses are seasonal.
Running cold water for a few seconds after the grinding stops does more for a disposal here than any additive. It carries the ground material past the point where it would otherwise settle.
Before you call about a jam
A humming unit is often a five minute fix you can do yourself. Work through these in order, and stop if anything resists.
- Switch it off at the wall. Not just the sink switch, the breaker if you can.
- Never put a hand into the chamber, even with the power off.
- Use the hex key in the slot underneath and work the motor back and forth by hand.
- Press the small red reset button on the base, which pops out when the motor overloads.
- Turn the water on, then the switch, and listen for a change in the sound.
- If it hums with no movement after that, the plate is seized and it needs opening up.
Repair or replace
A jam, a flange leak, a failed switch or a tripped reset are repairs, and on a unit under about eight years old they are usually worth doing. Water coming from the bottom of the body is not a repair at any age.
The other case for replacing is horsepower. A unit that jams repeatedly on normal use was probably undersized for the household when it went in, and repairing it returns you to the same jam.
Garbage disposal installation in Lake Havasu City: fitting a new unit
Replacement is mostly about what is already under the sink. The mounting type, whether there is a dishwasher inlet to connect, and whether the outlet is switched and grounded correctly.
The electrical side is the part most often got wrong on a self-install. A disposal sits across plumbing and electrical work, and an outlet that was adequate for the old unit is not automatically adequate for a larger one.
Garbage disposal questions
My disposal hums but will not turn. Is it dead?
Usually not. A hum means the motor has power and something is stopping the plate, which is almost always a jam. Switch the power off, turn the motor by hand with the hex key underneath, then press the reset button on the base. If it still hums with no movement, the plate is seized and it needs opening up.
Where is the water under my sink actually coming from?
Water at the top rim is the sink flange seal and is a reseal. Water from the side is usually the dishwasher inlet or the drain elbow, both replaceable. Water from the bottom of the body means it has reached the motor, and that unit needs replacing rather than repairing.
Is it worth repairing a disposal or should I replace it?
Jams, flange leaks, failed switches and tripped resets are worth repairing on a unit under roughly eight years old. A leak from the bottom of the body is not worth repairing at any age. A unit that jams repeatedly on ordinary use was probably undersized to begin with, and repairing it returns you to the same problem.
What does a garbage disposal replacement cost here?
There is a range for replacement on the cost page. What shifts it is motor size, whether the existing outlet is switched and grounded properly, and the flange type, because a different mounting system turns a straight swap into a longer job.
Should the person doing this be licensed for the electrical side too?
A disposal sits across both trades, so it is a fair question to ask before work starts. Look the registration up on the state's azroc.gov lookup, and settle who is handling the outlet if it turns out to need changing, rather than assuming that is included in the price.
Do I need a plumber for garbage disposal repair?
For a jam, often not. With the unit switched off, turning the flywheel from underneath frees many of them. A leak under the unit, a motor that hums after that, or a unit that trips the breaker is worth a call.
Need a plumber for a jammed garbage disposal?
Describe the sound and where the water is coming from. Two of the three common disposal faults are repairs, and it is worth knowing which one you have before buying a new unit.