Garbage Disposal Repair in Riverside, CA

What the disposal is telling you

• Humming, no spinning: something is wedged between the plate and the grind ring. Turn the power off before trying to free it.
• No sound at all: press the red reset button on the bottom, then check the switch and breaker.
• Water under the sink: a leak at the sink flange points to putty or mounting hardware; a leak from the body of the unit usually means it has corroded through.
• Grinding noise or rattling: metal or glass in the chamber, or worn internal parts.
• Sink drains slowly or backs up: often a clog in the trap or branch line rather than the disposal itself.
• Dishwasher water in the sink: the shared drain connection may be blocked.

What not to send down it

Grease, fats and cooking oil cool and harden inside pipes, and fibrous scraps such as celery, onion skins and corn husks wrap around the parts. Coffee grounds, eggshells and rice can settle into a paste in the trap. In most of Riverside the City's Public Works department runs the wastewater collection system, and keeping grease out of household drains helps both your own pipes and the public lines downstream.

Repair or replace

Jams, tripped resets and loose drain connections are repairs. A unit that leaks from its housing, will not start after a reset, or has a seized motor is usually replaced, since disposals are not built to be rebuilt. When a plumber installs a new one, they also check the trap, the dishwasher connection and the drain slope. In homes from the 1970s and earlier, which describes a good share of Riverside where the median home dates to about 1976, the kitchen branch line under the sink can be older and narrower and may be part of the problem.

What affects the price

Cost depends on whether the fix is a reset, a cleared jam, a new seal or a full replacement; the horsepower and model of a new unit; whether the electrical connection is a plug or hardwired; and whether the drain line needs clearing too. Ask for the diagnosis and the price before the work starts.