Disposal help please!

[sikiguya]

OK, I made a huge boo boo. I hadn't changed the fish tank water since we moved to our new house and it needed to be done. I did it but I did it over the wrong side of the sink! I got some of the small rocks in the disposal and now it does not work. The power is there but the blades are not spinning. I have dug inside and got out what I could. I can move the blades by hand but they do not work when I turn on the power. Any ideas of what I can try to clear it out?

Thanks!

 

[tolivac]

what brand of unit is it?Does it hum loudly when turned on and trip the disposers overload device or the line cicuit breaker-sounds like a peice of gravel is jamming the shredder.

 

[kenmore1978]

stuck disposer

You may have to remove the splash gaurd and peer down there with a flashlight and use a long forceps to pick out any gravel you find.

 

[tolivac]

Is the unit an ISE disposal?(In-Sink_Erator)If it is-there is an opening on the bottom of the motor housing for an allen wrench type tool-If you have a set of allen wrenches-one of them will fit.-If you don't have any the allen wrench ISE tool is available from an ISE dealer.turn the breaker off for the line feeding your unit-and use the tool to turn the motor and flywheel-often you can get enough torque with the tool to unjam the unit.That was a good advantage of ISE units.Otherwise you have to try to turn the flywheel from the top with a large screwdriver-Works better than a mop or broom stick.Some hardware stores sell a special tool to turn the disposer shred wheel from the top-looks sort of like a sink wrench.That may help unjam your unit.the tool fits thu the disposer feed opening.-and the projections on it engage the hammers on the wheel to allow you to turn it over by hand.Just remember to turn off the circuit breaker or remove the fuse from the power circuit feeding the unit before trying to unjam it with the tools.

 

[kenmore1978]

But if he doesn't take out the gravel, it'll just jam again. Those rocks are going to have to come out.

 

[tolivac]

Yes,the loose ones will have to come out-the ones already wedged in the shredder can not be so easily removed.The manual turning of the unit will crush them and free the unit-the same sort of thing can happen if a disposer is stopped before allowing it to completely shred bones-the bone fragments will be lodged in the shredders.Sounds like some of the gravel got lodged in beteen the flywheel and stationary shredders.These would be difficult to remove with tongs or other tools.In worst case conditions the unit will have to be removed from the sink and disassembled to remove the fragments.This would be if no other cure will work.If you can't turn the unjamming tool-don't try to force it-the jam would then be worse.Hope it isn't that bad.

 

[tolivac]

If the jam is really bad on your machine-remove it from the sink and turn it upside down-then try turning the shredder manually to dislodge the gravel peices.This would be something to try if you can't "fish" the peices out with tongs or can't unjam it with the disposal mounted to the sink.If you can turn it upside down that could cause the offending things to fall out.

 

[hoover1060]

best bet

First, if the machine is an ISE use the de-jam wrench. Insert the wrench in the bottom of the disposer, and use a couple of sharp motions back and forth to break the jam. Once you are able to turn the wrench, check the reset button and press it in if needed, then turn on the water and flip the switch to clear the rest of the gravel. It is grindable and won't harm the disposal.
If you don't have a de jam wrench, go to home depot or Lowes for one.
Good luck!

 

[kenmore1978]

Better yet

"If you don't have a de jam wrench, go to home depot or Lowes for one."

Give the business to your local hardware store rather than the "Behemoth" stores

 

[tolivac]

Sadly in some areas-there are no more "Local Hardware" stores-they are becoming rare-Used to love those.Home depot,Lowes are ISE dealers now. Sears Kenmore is built by ISE-you probably could get the tool from them.Also if you have an Allen wrench set-one of the larger ones will fit.Those you could get anywhere.Maybe even at your "Local Hardware" store if the one in your area is still open.

 

[kenmore1978]

local hardware stores

I notice that a lot of of old "local" hardware stores are aligning themselves with national names like Ace or True Value Haardware in order to take advantage of national advertising. Check the phonebook or Internet under those names

 

[sikiguya]

Allen Wrench Set

I do have a set of 10 different size allen wrenches so I will try that today after I get one of the one of the kiddies off to Kindergarten. It will be easier to set the little one in front of the TV and have them out of the way! LOL

We do have smaller Ace and True Value's around here. We always try to go there instead of Home Depot if we can. Our one local True Value is also a Radio Shack! LOL

 

[sikiguya]

I did it!!!

First, the water in that side of the sink was filling up so I figured it was time to try to clear it.

Well, I found an allen wrench that fit the de-jammer hole and turned and turned. Lots of grinding and a couple times it got really stuck and I had to put some muscle in it. Which I do not have......LOL. Then I tried it and still turning of the blades, just a humming noise. I pressed the reset button on the bottom and nothing. The water was still backed up so I put a little detergent in there in case there was a clog and I ran hot water. Still nothing. ThenI got out the plunger and pumped away. All the water disappeared and the unit started working again.

I am so happy that I could fix it with the help of you all!! I am not a mechanical person so this is a big deal for me.

Thanks again everyone for your advice.

Heather

 

[hoover1060]

WOOHOO!

Glad to hear the disposal is disposing again. Keep those Allen wrenches handy too, they are invaluable!

 

[sikiguya]

Allen Wrenches

They are especially handy when putting together IKEA furniture too! LOL That's all we got for the kids playroom (bookshelves, table, chairs, etc). Let them beat them and then Freecycle them when they are ready for better furniture.

 

[tolivac]

Yes,glad that your disposer is going again-glad it wasn't more serious.