jammed disposal

[John Dirks Jr]

A word of caution:

If you notice that the disposal is jammed, be very careful about checking the drain function. On a recent inspection, the disposal was so broken that water gushed out from the bottom of it.

It's a good thing the portion of basement below it was unfinished.

Click to Enlarge

26.77 KB

Click to Enlarge

21.34 KB

[Jim Morrison]

Huh? You did your job and found a leak. What exactly are you warning us of?

[Neal Lewis]

John, you have to run cold water through it before activating it, so you'll find the leak before finding out it's jammed. And how would the jammed motor cause it to leak?

[AHI in AR]

I think that what you'll find is that the leak caused it to jam since it corroded the motor. That's why I always recommend stainless steel grinding chambers. I find far more disposers in need of repair due to leaks than I do faulty motors. I've seen several 25-30 year old SS chambered models still cranking along.

[John Kogel]

Thanks, John. I have a tendency to let the water run for a minute before I open the cupboard door, bad practice. Hope the mop-up went OK. []

Here's another warning. Don't open a valve under the sink unless you know for sure it is not for a non-existent icemaker. []

[MTL_Inspet_Man]

just don;t stick your fingers in it!

[John Dirks Jr]

Huh? You did your job and found a leak. What exactly are you warning us of?

I let it run longer than I should have before looking under the cabinet. Had I turned the water on and looked right away, less water would have leaked. But it is true, there would have been a leak either way.

[John Dirks Jr]

John, you have to run cold water through it before activating it, so you'll find the leak before finding out it's jammed. And how would the jammed motor cause it to leak?

Could damage caused by a jamming event make the housing fail and thus create the condition for a leak?

The thing was jammed and it was leaking like a sieve.

[kurt]

The conditions are not likely related. I suppose it's possible, but unlikely. You got a leak. Somewhere.

And, it's a disposer.

"Disposal" is a trademarked brand name........(thanx to Les for this distinction......)

[Chad Fabry]

Actually "disposal" isn't trademarked, "disposall" is. I researched it when I was debunking portions of ITA's curriculum.

[kurt]

Talk about a skrinched up keester........sheesh.......one steenkin' "L".....

This is a tough room.

[Chad Fabry]

Yeh 'm Tpe A. I lef ot th comas oo.

[barlyhop]

Hey John, as explained above. The disposers with galvanized housings are notorious for rusting through. This in turn freezes up the motor over time. They usually leak very slowly, but you can't miss it. I almost always find the drip coming directly out of the wiring housing of the unit. Kinda scary ehhh.

[John Dirks Jr]

Thanks for the details everyone. It's nice to be kept on your toes.