Garbage disposal does not work.
By suspenseful
@suspenseful (40193)
Canada
September 12, 2008 2:24pm CST
I have been relying on my garbage disposal to get rid of the scraps, those I could not put in a pail and out in the garbage. The other day, it was a week ago, I decided to clean out my sinks and did it all with my tried and true method of putting baking soda followed by vinegar down the pipes and running cold water after wards. I also included the sink with the garbage disposal.
Now it had been sticking, but I did get the stuff through, but after running the baking soda and vinegar through it, I found that the garbage disposal no longer works. My husband says to keep flipping the switch, but I did and nothing happened. I have had to reach into the hole and take out all the gucky stuff and put it in the compost pail.
Now I am asking, does baking soda and vinegar ruin garbage disposals or has it really given up the ghost and is it a coincidence?
5 people like this
13 responses
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
13 Sep 08
I cannot find the reset button and I bet the blind girl had someone show her the reset button. It does happen. I do not think there is a reset button on my disposal unit and I do not want to buy a new one. So I will just leave it and hope it turns on by itself one day.
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
15 Sep 08
I have no idea where it is. I also have no idea what it looks like That is the darn trouble. And I do not want to spend all my time just feeling underneath the sink and hope that I find it.
1 person likes this
@shoffman2000 (560)
• Alexandria, Virginia
13 Sep 08
There is a special tool available from any hardware insert it said garbage disposal and will fix it
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
17 Sep 08
I think it is worn out. It is ten years old. So we will have to go without. It was starting to have problems before but that baking soda and vinegar just blew it. So have to save for a new one and to pay the plumber. Husband's hands too weak because of arthritis and the stroke. Life stinks sometimes. 
@revdauphinee (5703)
• United States
12 Sep 08
did you check the fuse going to it????
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
13 Sep 08
I checked the fuse it is all right. The other things in the kitchen work all right. I heard there is a reset switch but I have to see where it is . I do not have one, I read the instructions on what to do, so I guess we do not have a disposer for a while. I will have to get a sink stopper with a mesh.
2 people like this
@ersmommy1 (12588)
• United States
12 Sep 08
Underneath our sink is a re set switch for the garbage disposal. You might want to give that a try.I have found that vinegar works in the disposal for odor. If that fails try some fresh lemon peel or straight lemon juice. That usually does the trick.
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
13 Sep 08
There is no reset for our garbage disposal. I can use straight lemon juice or vinegar to get rid of the odor, but in order for the lemon peel to work, the garbage disposal has to work.
1 person likes this
@punkin1803 (526)
• United States
12 Sep 08
Well like you!! I use baking soda and vinegar all the time with cleaning out my drains in the kitchen, and i have never had a problem with anything.
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
15 Sep 08
I thought it had ruined the garbage disposal. I heard that it does, and I poured hot water and fiddled with the on and off switch several times, I checked under the sink to see if there was a reset switch, but could not find it. I even went down stairs to check the circuit box, but all the switches were on, unless there is a separate part for the garbage disposal someplace other than the circuit box, but so far I have not found it. And the on and off switch acts like a regular light switch and before I could tell because I really had to push it hard to get the disposal to work.
@danishcanadian (28953)
• Canada
12 Sep 08
I read somewhere on one of those nifty e-mail forwards my relatives keep sending me that vinigar and baking soda will expand into a gas that will run though the garbage disposal, and blow things out, or something like that. Maybe you're having a problem with the disposal that goes far beond that. I don't know much more, because I don't have a disposal, but it sounds logical to me.
2 people like this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
13 Sep 08
So I did make a booboo. It was just that we had had fish sandwiches and my husband was complaining about the smell. Usually I put down orange peel and that helps, but I did not have any oranges in the house, and therefore no orange peel, so I figure baking soda and vinegar would do the job.
1 person likes this
@smacksman (6053)
•
13 Sep 08
The reset button is to protect the electric motor. If the blades jam and the motor can't spin then it starts to overheat and the thermal overload button (reset button) activates and trips out to cut off the power to the motor.
Every waste disposal unit I've seen has a reset button because jamming the cutting blades is very common.
If you have checked the fuse in the house distribution box and that is ok try to see if the unit itself or the plug into the socket has its own fuse. That may be lower rated than the house fuse and would blow first.
If your reset button didn't trip and the fuses are ok then the motor could have burnt out and made that very distinctive smell of burning rubber and shellack. If the motor doesn't smell then maybe the switch is faulty.
By this stage you need to call in an electrician to test the circuit and motor.
1 person likes this
@slickcut (8141)
• United States
28 Sep 08
my husband was a plumber & when mine stuck he took the plumger & plunged it ,if that did not work he would take the wood handle of the plunger & stick it down inside the hole of the disposal ( when off) and give it a stiff turn & it started working.something those teeth inside the disposal gets stuck..So try that & see if that works,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
1 Oct 08
I can see if that works. I tried it but the hole is too small, so I guess I am stuck without a garbage disposer for a long while, like forever.
@blackbriar (9076)
• United States
1 Oct 08
I don't see how vinegar and baking soda can ruin anything really. Both natural cleaning agents that really do a good job of cleaning together. Think your disposal just gave up the ghost right when you used them to clean. I don't have one but wish I could. They aren't septic tank friendly.
1 person likes this
@chrislotz (8137)
• Canada
13 Sep 08
I have to say it is a coincidence that it quit running. But then maybe not. Look under the sink where the garbage disposal is and see if it has a restart switch. I know the older ones have them, but I don't know if the newer ones do. I have one but mine is older so it has a switch to restart it. Sometimes I find that my gaburator doesn't work so good either and some things just don't chop up and go away. I found that I don't like to put onion peels down, they don't grind, or citrus fruit peels. Stuff like that.
But if it was just that the blades couldn't turn because it was clogged then it would automatically shut off and then would have to be reset. I think.
1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
1 Oct 08
It does not have a restart stitch, but then it was laboring for a while. So I expected that it would die sooner or later. I am going to let it go because in order to get it fixed we will have to get a plumber.
@chrislotz (8137)
• Canada
2 Oct 08
Your right, it is probably cheaper to buy a new one than it is to call a plumber to get it fixed. I know I only paid $100 for mine and they are so easy to install that even I can do it.
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
1 Oct 08
I sure do. I need my garbage disposal in winter when I cannot throw the food trash and mix it up on the compost pile. Now I suppose I will have to walk out in the deep deep snow in December and Janary and dump the pail then. 
@iskayz (5420)
• Philippines
13 Sep 08
Hi there!
Why don't you try pouring in some hot water. Maybe fats or oil from foods that has been in the hole hardened up already.
I don't have a disposal but everytime my sink seems clogged and water don't go down or goes down slow I pour hot water in the hole. Hot water can dissolve the fats and oil that has been sticking in the drainage and turn it into liquid form again so they can flow down smoothly and out of the drainage. Just keep on pouring until the water goes down quickly. It might help. I hope.
Ciao!
Why don't you try pouring in some hot water. Maybe fats or oil from foods that has been in the hole hardened up already.
I don't have a disposal but everytime my sink seems clogged and water don't go down or goes down slow I pour hot water in the hole. Hot water can dissolve the fats and oil that has been sticking in the drainage and turn it into liquid form again so they can flow down smoothly and out of the drainage. Just keep on pouring until the water goes down quickly. It might help. I hope.
Ciao!1 person likes this
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
16 Sep 08
I did try it and it helped. I will have to get a strainer, because with the vegetables going into the sink and down the drain, it will plug the hole up. It is quite small because of the blades.
1 person likes this
@iskayz (5420)
• Philippines
16 Sep 08
Oh really?! Oh I'm so glad to hear that. I always pour hot water every week just to prevent the fats from hardening up. Maybe you should make it a habit too.
It's a good idea to use a strainer. I also have a strainer in my sink and it does help a lot.
Ciao!
Oh I'm so glad to hear that. I always pour hot water every week just to prevent the fats from hardening up. Maybe you should make it a habit too.
It's a good idea to use a strainer. I also have a strainer in my sink and it does help a lot.
Ciao! 1 person likes this
