A disposal that floods the cabinet or backs dirty water into the sink will not wait for morning, so our 24/7 dispatch covers it. For now, switch the unit off at the wall switch, unplug it or flip its breaker, and keep your hand out of the drain.
Garbage disposal repair in Reynoldsburg, OH means freeing a jammed flywheel, fixing a leaking seal or hose, or swapping a dead motor for a new unit. A disposal is a small grinder bolted under the sink drain, and it fails in predictable ways.
What your disposal is telling you
The sound and the symptom point to the cause.
Hums, will not spin
Something is wedged between the impeller and the shredder ring. The motor is working, but it cannot turn.
Silent, no hum
Check the red reset button on the bottom. A tripped overload or a dead outlet is the usual cause.
Leaks from the bottom
A cracked housing or failed internal seal. This one usually means replacement.
Leaks near the top
A loose mounting ring, worn gasket or bad plumber's putty at the sink flange.
Smells even when clean
Food residue clings to the grinding chamber and the drain arm past it.
Freeing a jammed disposal safely
Most jams clear in a few minutes if you stay off the blades and the power.
Cut power
Turn the switch off, then unplug the unit or turn off its breaker. A switch alone is not enough.
Use the hex key
Many units have a hex socket in the center underneath. Work a hex key back and forth until the impeller moves freely.
Clear the chamber
Look in with a flashlight and pull out the obstruction with tongs. Never use your hand.
Press reset
Wait a few minutes for the motor to cool, then press the red button and run cold water.
When repair is not worth it
A jammed unit or a loose mounting ring is a cheap repair. A unit with a seized motor, a corroded housing or a bottom leak is not, because the part that fails is the part that holds everything together. Replacing the whole disposal usually costs less in labor than hunting a leak through a worn-out body.
Age matters. A disposal that has run for a decade and now trips the reset every few uses is near the end of its life. We will say that plainly, and let you choose.
Disposal not grinding?
Tell us the sound it makes and we will tell you the likely fix.
Batch feed versus continuous feed
If you are replacing, this choice affects how you use it.
Continuous feed
- Wall switch turns it on and off.
- Scraps go in while water runs.
- More common and easier to find.
- Lid-off operation needs care around fingers.
Batch feed
- Runs only when the stopper is locked in.
- Safer around children and pets.
- Loads one handful at a time.
- Slower, with fewer models to pick from.
When a disposal leak or backup cannot wait
Dirty water coming up the other side of a double sink, or a steady drip under the unit that fills a bucket, means the plumbing past the disposal is involved. After-hours dispatch is available any night, and same-day appointments are available when the schedule allows.
- Stop running water in the kitchen right away.
- Switch the disposal off and cut its power.
- Put a bucket under the leak and empty it often.
- Close the valves under the sink if you have them.
- Do not pour drain cleaner into a disposal.
Tomato season in a Reynoldsburg kitchen
Reynoldsburg calls itself the Birthplace of the Tomato, and gardens across town produce a lot of skins, seeds and stems every August. Tomato skin is stringy and slips between the grinding teeth, so it collects in the drain arm. Run cold water for 15 seconds after each batch, and compost the bulk instead of grinding it.
Columbus water, which serves Reynoldsburg as a contract community, runs around 7 grains per gallon. Over time that hardness crusts the inside of a disposal and its drain connections, which is one reason a ten-year-old unit sounds rougher than a new one.
What a disposal should and should not grind
Soft scraps and small bits of food go down fine. Grease, coffee grounds in volume, and fibrous items like celery, corn husks and onion skins do not, because they pack into the pipe. A disposal does not make fat disappear. It chops it into pieces that cool and coat the line, which is how a kitchen drain slows over months.
If your sink drains slowly even after the disposal runs clean, the problem is probably in the line. See our kitchen drain cleaning service for the next step.
What changes the price of disposal work
A reset and a replacement are far apart, so the price follows the work.
Repair or replace
Freeing a jam is brief. A new unit adds the cost of the disposal itself.Horsepower
A bigger motor grinds more but costs more and needs more cabinet room.Existing mounting
A reusable mount speeds the job. A corroded flange adds time.Electrical and drain
A bad outlet or a clogged drain arm changes what the visit includes.Insurance may respond to sudden water damage from a leaking disposal, but wear and tear on the unit itself is usually excluded. Ask your insurer how your policy reads.
You hear the price before we start. For a number on your unit, ring (614) 656-1470.
Before you call about the disposal
These steps take two minutes.
- Press the red reset button under the unit.
- Look at the wall switch and outlet or breaker.
- Feel for water on the underside of the cabinet floor.
- Check the drain on the other sink basin.
- Note the brand and size stamped on the label.
Questions about garbage disposal repair
Yes. Dispatch is 24/7. Turn off the unit and its power, stop the water, and put a bucket under any leak. If the sink is backing up, tell us, since a clog past the disposal means the drain line needs clearing too.
Something is stuck, or the impeller is seized. Cut the power, turn the hex socket on the underside back and forth, and press reset. If it hums again, the motor may be failing.
Often yes. Dishwasher water goes into the disposal through a hose. A loose clamp, cracked hose or a blocked knockout plug on a new disposal is the usual cause. An air gap leak at the sink deck is a clog in the air gap line.
The dishwasher hose slides over the disposal inlet and gets clamped. Remove the knockout plug inside first on a new unit, or the dishwasher will not drain. Check the clamp is snug and run a cycle to see if anything weeps.
Many run for roughly a decade, but that depends on use and what goes down. A motor that trips often, rust at the housing, or repeated leaks mean the unit has had its time.
It can be, but it involves electrical power and sealing joints. If you are not comfortable with wiring or with plumber's putty, call a plumber. See our guide to sink fixture repair if the faucet above is also leaking.
Also serving nearby towns
Dispatch for this service runs from Reynoldsburg to the towns below.