I need a Handy Man's advice

[azazyel]

Ok my garbage disposal quit on me last night. When I click the switch I hear a hum but nothing else happens. Now normally this would mean that there's a jam but when I put the hex into the bottom it turns fine. So, it's not a jam thus I am stuck.

When anything around the house breaks I feel like this..


http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=UL4_yEoTwfyRo&v=4_yEoTwfyRo&feature=player_detailpage#t=407s

 

[DaTT]

sounds like the motor is burnt out.

 

[waggy]

who cares? the wife will just have to work harder now!

 

[coldmeat]

Wikipedia says 50% of homes had garbage disposals in the US in 2009.

I've never seen one here in Canada.

 

[azazyel]

who cares? the wife will just have to work harder now!

no she'll "forget", it'll flood and I'll have to clear the drain.

 

[azazyel]

sounds like the motor is burnt out.

Fark I hope not.

 

[KeithTalent]

Sounds exactly like mine. Let me know if you figure out a solution.

KT

 

[JulesMaximus]

sounds like the motor is burnt out.

Probably this. Go to Home Depot and buy a new one. They aren't that expensive.

 

[azazyel]

Sounds exactly like mine. Let me know if you figure out a solution.

KT

You've made sure that your isn't jammed? Figuring that out the first time made me feel very manly.

 

[highland145]

Start up capacitor. That's all I got.

 

[DaTT]

I don't imagine a motor is going to be overly expensive.

 

[highland145]

You've made sure that your isn't jammed? Figuring that out the first time made me feel very manly.

Now show her you're a real man and follow Jules advice. Might lead to sex.

 

[azazyel]

Probably this. Go to Home Depot and buy a new one. They aren't that expensive.

I'm in an apartment and the washer's busted as well (doesn't agitate) and don't want to call the landlord until after xmas. Was hoping that I could fix this one myself. (we can just go to the laundry room to wash clothes).

 

[KeithTalent]

You've made sure that your isn't jammed? Figuring that out the first time made me feel very manly.

It does not appear to be jammed as far as I can tell. I tried yelling at it too, but it did not work.

KT

 

[edro]

They are ~$150 at Home Depot... go get a new one.
Replacement is pretty easy.
New install is harder, but still fairly easy.

 

[highland145]

It does not appear to be jammed as far as I can tell. I tried yelling at it too, but it did not work.

KT

That works on your SO?

 

[jlfirehawk]

I had a badger 5 model and cost me 90 bucks at home depot and about 30 minutes to replace with only a screw driver and hammer (helps that the replacement was the same model and brand). Pretty easy to replace actually. Mine did the same thing would just hum and tried the hex tool and just turned. New one works great in comparison who knows how old the other one was.

 

[dougp]

Easy fix. Figure out what you want in a disposal and pick up that model from Home Depot. You'll need a pipe wrench, screwdriver, putty knife, plumbers putty and some strength/patience. Make sure the switch is off and disconnect the wire that runs to the current disposal. You'll need to disconnect the pipe that runs down from the disposal to the elbow joint and into the wall - you might have a drain hose coming from a dishwasher if you have one. Don't be disgusted by the elbow joint, but it can be nasty. Once this is done, you'll need to figure out how your current disposal is attached to the sink - mine had a clamp I needed to remove. Notice I said you need strength and patience - it factors in here. Depending how old your broken disposal is, you'll have to break the putty that's sealing it down on the sink. BE CAREFUL AND GO SLOW. You can break your sink if you're not careful, and it gets a lot harder. You can find plenty of guides online from good sources.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/improvement/electrical-plumbing/1276526
http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-replace-a-garbage-disposal/index.html
http://www.insinkerator.com/service/install_disposerreplace.html

 

[KeithTalent]

Easy fix. Figure out what you want in a disposal and pick up that model from Home Depot. You'll need a pipe wrench, screwdriver, putty knife, plumbers putty and some strength/patience. Make sure the switch is off and disconnect the wire that runs to the current disposal. You'll need to disconnect the pipe that runs down from the disposal to the elbow joint and into the wall - you might have a drain hose coming from a dishwasher if you have one. Don't be disgusted by the elbow joint, but it can be nasty. Once this is done, you'll need to figure out how your current disposal is attached to the sink - mine had a clamp I needed to remove. Notice I said you need strength and patience - it factors in here. Depending how old your broken disposal is, you'll have to break the putty that's sealing it down on the sink. BE CAREFUL AND GO SLOW. You can break your sink if you're not careful, and it gets a lot harder. You can find plenty of guides online from good sources.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/improvement/electrical-plumbing/1276526
http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-replace-a-garbage-disposal/index.html
http://www.insinkerator.com/service/install_disposerreplace.html

...

Well I don't use my garbage disposal that much anyway, I think I can get used to living without it.

KT

 

[dougp]

...

Well I don't use my garbage disposal that much anyway, I think I can get used to living without it.

KT

Man, it's an easy fix. If replacing a garbage disposal intimidates you, owning a house is going to be EXPENSIVE. I can't imagine how much a plumber would charge you to install it. If I had the patience, I probably would have replaced my rear doorjam myself with a friend, but that's a job I didn't want to undertake and it ended up costing me $500 ...

 

[lxskllr]

...

Well I don't use my garbage disposal that much anyway, I think I can get used to living without it.

KT

Disposals are hard on the waste treatment system. They're bad, and shouldn't be used.

 

[Drako]

Wikipedia says 50% of homes had garbage disposals in the US in 2009.

I've never seen one here in Canada.

That's because they are called garburators in Canada :biggrin:

 

[KeithTalent]

Man, it's an easy fix. If replacing a garbage disposal intimidates you, owning a house is going to be EXPENSIVE. I can't imagine how much a plumber would charge you to install it. If I had the patience, I probably would have replaced my rear doorjam myself with a friend, but that's a job I didn't want to undertake and it ended up costing me $500 ...

My buddy owns a plumbing company, so I may just ask him to do it for me. I was hoping the fix would be easier than what you described so I could just do it on my own; your post makes it sound out my league, being a noob and a klutz. Thanks for the info though.

KT

 

[Baked]

I have a 1.5 HP garbage destroyer in the sink, but I rarely use it 'cause I dump all the left over in the trash bin before I wash the dishes by hand, even though I have a state of the art dish washer.

 

[dougp]

My buddy owns a plumbing company, so I may just ask him to do it for me. I was hoping the fix would be easier than what you described so I could just do it on my own; your post makes it sound out my league, being a noob and a klutz. Thanks for the info though.

KT

I'm a noob and a klutz, also. I checked the chord like 20 times before I stuck my hand down the drain to even see if I could feel a jam. Just watch the tutorial and follow the instructions that come with a new one. Maybe ask your buddy to come over and watch you to make sure it's fine and just give him a few beers. Just make sure you try it before you give up - nothing feels better than fixing a problem yourself. I had some leaks in my roof that were solved with liquid nails - I tried to get up on my roof at least 4 times before I chickened out because of my fear of heights + angle of my roof. Ended up paying the guy $250 to fix it - next time, I'm just gonna buy some climbing ropes and have my wife hold them down on the other side of the house while I go up, or just belay myself somehow.