Disposal Question II

mdshunk

It is quite common for an electrician (me) to be summoned for a suspected electrical problem with a disposal. 99% of the time, naturally, the disposal is just jammed. I just reset the Guardette, wiggle the allen wrench around, and call it good.

The other day I had a disposal jammed up so tight that everything was moving when I tried to unjam it. It took one guy to hold the disposal, and another guy to manipulate the allen wrench. Never had one like that before. Since plumbers get more jammed disposal calls than electricians, I have to ask... is one being jammed up this tight a normal thing?

Ron The Plumber

Heck ya, lots of items can cause a major jam up, any metal objects, glass, you name it, oh ya, fish rocks are in the top objects to cause this, why do people insist on cleaning fish rocks over there disposal?

Double-A

It happens, but not usually.

The older or less expensive models have steel or plastic (mostly plastic) grind chambers and steel grinding plates. If something gets wedged between a hammer and the side, it can really get jammed because the plastic chamber will deform to accommodate it. Also, with the steel units, you have can corrosion set in and help lock things up as well if they are not run often and with hard materials, like bone or ice to scour them clean.

If they jam that hard, it might be time to replace them, as the shaft might have pressed the seal out of place or deformed it enough that its allowed water to get to the bearing. Once that happens, they are dying fast.

__________________
"My clients’ wishes are the center of my attention." -- David Guido, a contractor in Woodstock, N.Y.
New York Times, July 20, 2006

Double-A

In case you drop a fish... Darn fish! Always staring at me. Here's an E-ticket ride you won't forget.....

__________________
"My clients’ wishes are the center of my attention." -- David Guido, a contractor in Woodstock, N.Y.
New York Times, July 20, 2006

K2

I've had two recently where it jammed and was full of stuff. The people didn't want to bother calling anyone so they put the stopper/lid on it and left it that way... for a year. Turned the wrench and the whole rotten unit broke in two.

Putty Truck

How many electricians does it take to unjam a disposer?

Two. One to rewire it and another to write the bill.

EricTheHandyman

I got called for a jammed disposal the other day. The guy broke a glass while washing dishes and decided to wash the pieces down the disposal. I just can't imagine why the disposal got jammed...

MALCO.New.York

Coke can Pull-Tab. Havoc!

__________________
Something to One may be Nothing to another!

Ultimate Wisdom---------
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW-cnizLDEE

MALCO.New.York

A little glass down a disposal is just fine (sort of)....As long as the disposal is running BEFORE you shovel the glass in!

Consumers like to feed the disposal THEN turn it on! So backwards. It is like, let me place my blade on the wood THEN turn on the saw!

__________________
Something to One may be Nothing to another!

Ultimate Wisdom---------
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW-cnizLDEE

Teetorbilt

I seem to find a lot of change, a penny can lock one up tight and be a real pain to extract.

__________________
You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

Sewerologist

So can a dishrag that made it's way below the shredder plate.

Speaking of disposers, how many of you guys here are ISE Pro Circle members? How about Pro Circle authorized repair companies? I'm a Pro Circle dealer but not repairman. I'll be damned if I'm only getting paid 50 bucks to repair a disposer under warranty whether I install it or not. This has always griped me about ISE. Kenmore, Kitchenaide, etc. Same damn disposer, different warranty depending on who sold it. They have been cutting plumber's throats for years and recently trumpeting their new Evolution line to professionals then selling the same thing through Home Depot (or is it Lowes, who cares) sorry for the rant.

masterk

Sewer,
I feel the same way.
If a select few would not lower their standards to work for these companys, they would be forced to pay the going rate.
Thank your fellow trademens for that.
I will not work at cut rates.

turdherder81

replace it

Herk

I have had a few ISE's with either a bent turntable (shredder plate?) or the end of the shaft was bent. It doesn't matter much how good the disposer is, if you put something down it that's unreasonable, you can wreck it.

And water that's too hot can damage the seals on the motor shaft - pretty soon you've got water running through the innards. Warn your customers who do canning. Of course, if you have plastic tubing or rubber SJ washers, it can damage those, too.

I always recommend that they (at least!) run cold water with it and pour very slowly when emptying a pot.

__________________
There are no dumb questions - just a lot of inquisitive idiots.