Garbage Disposal Repair
To what extent are garbage disposers serviceable? Many people who sell them often claim that garbage disposer repair is more expensive than the unit is worth. This is undoubtedly the case if yours is a bottom line unit. Such devices are not worth repairing, since it is as difficult to fix them as to fix the best, and the chances of lasting service after a major repair are slight. Also, most repairs are “major” if you have to remove the unit. The labor involved is considerable; you have to remove the disposer from the sink at the top by unbolting the flange with its various supporting rings, and then you have to remove the drain system and the electrical connections. You combine plumbing with electrical skills and procedures. Also, you lose the use of the sink, temporarily.
Electrical testing and repairs can, in some cases, be done without such radical surgery, if all that is wrong is a defective relay or motor overload switch. These come out from the switch box. If they are mounted on the motor, the entire unit will have to be removed to get at them. At that point, you have to decide how much work you are willing to invest. In troubleshooting a garbage disposer that doesn’t work, look first at the red reset button, which is a circuit breaker to protect against motor overload. Then, if that doesn’t work, remove the cover from the switch box here the other switching components will be—for the most part. The main switch should be there; in many models it is operated by a trip lever from above, which can wear and lose enough metal so that it no longer pushes the switch far enough to turn it on. (The trip lever is moved by the control handle on the sink flange.) The relay switch, the reversing switch (if any), and possibly the capacitor, will also be found here. If your sink is arranged in a way to allow easy access to the switch box, it is probable that any failure to turn on will be located here. But if you can’t actually work on it in its installed position, the unit will have to come out.
In many cases though, garbage disposal repair is not an option. Replacement is your best bet.
If you need to have someone repair or replace your garbage disposal,call
Mike at 207-619-3888 and we will have a garbage disposal repair person contact you promptly to assist you with your problem. Our customers are our greatest asset and your recommendation to your friends is you’re your greatest compliment to us. We are more than happy to answer any questions about garbage disposal repairs that you might have. Even for the “do-it-yourselfers”.
