Garbage disposals are motor operated devices, and oftentimes due to the careless way they are treated, jamming of the apparatus is a common issue. But before calling a commercial garbage disposal repair service, below are some easy to follow steps to quickly get rid of such jams.

Initiate The Reset Sequence On The Garbage Disposal Machine

The first thing that you should do when you experience a jam is to press the reset button on your garbage disposal. If you are wondering where that is, consult your user manual. Every garbage disposal appliance comes with one for this very reason. This will, as the name implies, reset the motor operation back to its default state, and chances are, this might solve the problem. If not, proceed to step 2.

Make Sure That The Garbage Disposal Is Connected To Power

Sometimes it just so happens that due to all the shaking and whirring, the power plug of your garbage disposal appliance just might come loose, stopping the motor in its track, which if the machine was in the middle of grinding, may feel like the blades have jammed. But fret not. Simply plug the appliance back into its socket again and initialize the garbage disposal sequence, and there is a good chance that the process will continue back from where it left off.

Free The Blades With The Help Of A ¼ Inch Hex Wrench

To do this, first of all turn off your garbage disposal in order to ensure that there is no risk of the blades moving while you are working on them. Once you have done that, take your quarter inch hex, which can be easily acquired from home depot or amazon online, and then insert it into the hex shaped hole on the underside of your garbage disposal. From there, simply turn it a few times in both directions to free up the blade from any jammed bits of refuse, and then turn the disposal back on, and voila. Your appliance is unjammed.

Free The Blades From Above If The Hex Tool Fails To Do The Job

In case the jam is too tight and the blades won’t budge even with the help of a hex tool, it is most likely because a piece of rubbish is lodged in between the ring and the blade, and you will have to manually remove it to allow the blades to turn freely. To do this, once again first of all make sure that the garbage disposal is fully turned off, and then from above, use the handle of a broomstick or a ladle to turn the blade back and forth around the impeller to free it from whatever is blocking the path of its motion. Once you see that the blade is rotating without any hindrance, simply turn on your disposal back and get grinding.

Do Not In Any Case Force The Blade To Rotate As It May Break

That’s right. When carrying out the above step, you feel that the blade is really stuck in its place and won’t budge even an inch when you try to rotate it, remember to not put excessive force in trying to free it from the jam and there is a chance that the ring might give away, causing the blade to break loose. The proper thing to do in such a case is to call a appliance repair technician who will use the proper tools to disassemble and take care of the jammed blades from your garbage disposal.

Prevent Garbage Disposal Jamming Through Maintenance

A commercial garbage disposal puts in many hours of work in a day, and therefore it makes sense that parts and electronics under the hood undergo severe wear and tear due to this constant load. This, in turn, results in problems developing in the operation of the appliance over time, as well as negatively affecting its lifespan. The key to preventing this is to, first, use the garbage disposal properly and with care, and secondly, get proper maintenance and in time.

If the above steps don’t work, hire a commercial appliance repair Fairfax company that have staff who know how to repair and fix different kinds of commercial garbage disposals.