Garbage Disposal Trouble Shooting

Before you start with any troubleshooting, please never put your hand in the hopper (down the drain into the disposal)! A common problem is the disposal will not turn on and it is not making a humming sound, then there is an electrical problem. This may seem obvious, but make sure the disposal is plugged in. If it is plugged in then press the Reset button found on the bottom of the unit. If it has reset, the button will be popped out.
If that does not work, check to see if the circuit breaker has tripped and turned off in the electrical service panel. If the breaker has not tripped and the reset button is not popped out, then it's either a faulty switch or a faulty garbage disposal. If this is the case please contact your landlord to make repairs.

A second common problem is that the flywheel becomes stuck. If the garbage disposal won't turn on but makes a humming sound when you flip the switch, it won't do that for long. That means you have a stuck flywheel and the reset button on the unit itself or the fuse or circuit breaker in your electrical service panel will trip and turn off very quickly. The flywheel is stuck because something is lodged between it or the impeller(s) and the shredder ring. To start the repair, turn off power to the garbage disposal at the electrical service panel. Don't ever put your hand down into the garbage disposal hopper (grinding chamber). Take the offset wrench that came with the disposal unit and insert the wrench into the flywheel turning hole in the bottom of the unit. If you don't have the wrench you can pick one up from the hardware store that sells your garbage disposal. Once the wrench is inserted, turn it clockwise to dislodge the stuck impeller or flywheel. When it dislodges, you'll feel the flywheel turn freely.
Another approach is to try and use a wooden broom-handle or similar wooden object to free the stuck impeller and flywheel from the top of the unit through the drain. Place the broom-handle into the hopper and against an impeller. Use leverage to try and free the stuck flywheel. As before, when it dislodges you'll feel the flywheel turn freely. If this does not work please contact your landlord to make repairs.