Unjam Your Garbage Disposal With This 5-Minute Fix

If your garbage disposal is making a humming sound instead of its typical grinding noise when you flip on the switch, it’s jammed. Shut it off right away to avoid burning out the motor. While garbage disposals are powerful appliances, they're meant to chew up soft food. Bones, corn kernels, fruit pits, glass and other solid materials can get stuck in a garbage disposal’s grind ring, jamming it (I even once had an errant penny clog my garbage disposal). Unjamming it is a relatively simple process that doesn't require any special tools. Here’s how to get your garbage disposal unjammed and back in service in five minutes. 

Tool

• 1/4-inch hex wrench (included with garbage disposal)
• Flashlight

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How to UnJam a Garbage Disposal

Step 1: Cut the Power

Cut off power to the garbage disposal either by unplugging it (if it’s plugged into an outlet under your sink) or by shutting off power to it at the circuit breaker box. You’re going to be sticking your hand in there, so simply turning off the power switch isn’t enough.

Step 2: Inspect the Disposal

Use a flashlight to peer down into the garbage disposal opening. You're looking for any bits of material or objects that are jamming it. Look specifically at the plate and grinding ring at the bottom of the disposal. Reach into the garbage disposal and feel around for any objects. The metal pieces inside the garbage disposal are blunt, so there’s no risk of cutting your hand. 

If you’re able to remove whatever it is that’s jamming the disposal, turn the power back on to see if the garbage disposal is working. You may need to reset the garbage disposal first (see below). If it's still not working you’ll need to cut the power again then head to the sink cabinet to attempt to free the jam from the garbage disposal base. 

Step 3:  Loosen The Jam

Your garbage disposal comes with a special hex wrench that you can use to free jams. If you can’t find it, you can use any 1/4-inch hex wrench, though the one that comes with it is longer, giving you more leverage than a standard hex wrench. 

Once under the sink, locate the hole on the base of the garbage disposal. Stick the hex wrench in the hole and rotate it back and forth to manually work the grinding mechanism and free whatever is clogging the garbage disposal. It should spin freely when you clear the jam. 

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Step 4: Remove the Object

Now that whatever has been blocking the garbage disposal is free, return to the sink and reach into the garbage disposal to remove the object. 

Step 5: Restore Power

Plug the garbage disposal back in or turn the circuit breaker back on. Turn on the garbage disposal to see if it’s working properly. If the garbage disposal doesn't turn on or make any noise when you turn it on, you may need to reset its internal breaker switch.

Garbage disposals have an internal breaker that will switch when the garbage disposal jams to prevent the motor from burning out. Press the red button on the base of the garbage disposal to reset it then attempt to turn it on again.

Step 6: Turn it on

If the garbage disposal spins freely, you’ve removed the jam and the garbage disposal is ready to go back into service. If it hums, it’s still jammed and you’ll need to repeat the unclogging process. If it doesn’t turn on at all, the motor is burned out and you’ll need to replace it.