When a garbage disposal is an emergency
A jammed disposal alone can wait for a daytime visit. Water leaking from the unit, a burning smell, smoke, or a full sink that will not drain is a different matter. Turn the disposal off at the wall switch and flip its breaker. Never put your hand inside, even when it looks stopped.
If water is dripping from the body, empty the cabinet and set a bucket under the unit. Skip the dishwasher, because its drain hose usually ties into the disposal and a clog sends dirty water back into the dishwasher. Call us any hour and we will schedule the visit, with same-day appointments when available.
- Water dripping from the housing, the sink flange or the hoses.
- A burning smell, smoke or a breaker that keeps tripping.
- A sink full of standing water with the disposal off.
- A loud grinding or banging that began suddenly.
Humming, jammed or leaking
The sound or the drip tells you most of what you need to know. A hum with no spin means something is wedged against the grinding plate. Most units have a small hex socket in the center of the underside, and turning it with the matching wrench frees the plate. A red reset button on the base pops out when the motor overheats.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Repair or replace |
|---|---|---|
| Hums but will not spin | Jam against the grinding plate | Usually repair |
| Nothing happens at all | Tripped reset button, breaker or dead motor | Check power, then repair or replace |
| Leak from the top flange | Failed sink mount or putty seal | Usually repair |
| Leak from a drain or dishwasher hose | Loose clamp or worn gasket | Usually repair |
| Leak from the body or the underside | Cracked housing or failed internal seal | Replace |
What not to put down a disposal
Grease and oil cool and coat the pipes beyond the disposal. Coffee grounds pack into a paste. Rice, pasta and potato peels swell and turn to starch. Bones and fruit pits can jam the plate. Fibrous stalks such as celery and corn husks wrap around the blades.
Run cold water before, during and for about 15 seconds after grinding so the waste moves past the trap. Do not use boiling water to loosen grease, which only carries it further into the line.
Disposal leaking or sink full? A plumber is on the 24/7 line. Call now.
Call (855) 575-2890Repair or replace the disposal
The rule of thumb is simple. Replace the disposal if the repair would cost more than half the price of a new unit, or if the disposal is more than 8 years old. Below that line a repair is usually the better buy.
Horsepower matters when you shop. A one-third horsepower unit handles light use, while one-half or three-quarters suits a busier kitchen and grinds more easily. A larger unit also needs room under the sink, so measure the cabinet and the clearance to the drain.
How an install goes
- Cut power and remove the old unit. We disconnect the wiring or cord, the drain pipe and the dishwasher hose, then release the mounting ring.
- Reset the sink mount. A new flange goes in on plumber's putty or a gasket so the sink seal does not weep.
- Hang the new disposal. We connect the discharge, rejoin the dishwasher drain and knock out the dishwasher plug if there is one.
- Restore power and test. We run water, grind a test load and check every joint for drips.
If your sink has no wall switch or outlet for the disposal, adding one is electrical work. We will tell you when an electrician is needed.
What a garbage disposal costs
National cost guides put a new disposal install at $250 to $650, a replacement at $200 to $550, and a repair at $100 to $250. These are national ranges, not a local quote, and we give a clear price before work starts.
Replace the unit if a repair would be over half the price of a new one, or if it is older than 8 years.
Hazelwood kitchen drains and the sewer behind them
Hazelwood sits on the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District system, and MSD maintains the public sewers. The private line from your house to the public main is generally the owner's responsibility. Everything a disposal grinds goes through that line, so grease that clogs it is usually your repair. Confirm your own situation with MSD at 314-768-6260.
The City of Hazelwood names Republic Services for trash. Scrape grease, bones and starchy leftovers into the trash instead, and keep the disposal for soft scraps. If kitchen clogs keep returning, ask about sewer line cleaning or a sewer camera inspection to see what is in the lateral.
Household disposals are listed to UL 430 for waste disposers, and the International Plumbing Code (IPC) requires a proper trap and vent on the sink drain they connect to. Read the unit's instructions for the dishwasher knockout plug, which is the step most often missed.
Kitchen jobs that overlap
A stubborn kitchen clog behind the disposal is a drain cleaning call, and a dripping faucet at the same sink is covered under faucet repair. We take disposal calls from Hazelwood and from nearby towns such as Bridgeton.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Switch the disposal off at the wall, call, and we will schedule the visit with same-day appointments when available.
Something is wedged against the grinding plate. Cut the power, turn the hex socket on the underside with the matching wrench to free it, then press the red reset button.
Replace it when the repair would cost more than half the price of a new unit, or when the disposal is older than 8 years. A leak from the body itself always means replacement.
National guides list $250 to $650 for a new install, $200 to $550 for a replacement and $100 to $250 for a repair. We give a clear price before work starts.
Skip coffee grounds, rice and pasta, because they pack into paste or swell in the trap. Eggshells in small amounts are fine, though they add little. Grease and bones go in the trash.
The private lateral from the house to the public main is generally the property owner's responsibility, while MSD maintains the public sewer. Confirm with MSD at 314-768-6260.
Questions about your situation? A licensed plumber is on the line any hour.
Call (855) 575-2890