Garbage Disposal Problems:
Debris, Homemade Cords and Wiring

Debris in the grinder

Russ looks into the disposal with a light before he runs it. Utensils, bottle caps, broken glass and fruit pits show up more than you’d think, especially in vacant houses where someone cleaned the kitchen in a hurry. He notes it so it gets pulled out with the power off before the unit runs. A fork in a running disposal can chip the grinding plate and lock up the motor.

Homemade power cords

A disposal is either hardwired or plugged into an outlet under the sink with a cord. The cord is where people improvise. A Portland report described one: the garbage disposal had an unapproved power cord, and appliances need a cord set listed for their specific electrical load. That one got a recommendation for a qualified electrician to install a proper, approved cord.

Most manufacturers sell a cord kit made for their disposals, with a grounded plug and a strain relief clamp at the unit. A lamp cord with a bare splice, or a cord with no clamp where it enters the disposal, is a different thing.

Wiring and breakers

Two houses had the wiring at the bottom of the disposal left without proper conduit or a cover. That little plate on the bottom of the unit is a junction box. If it’s open, the connections are exposed under a wet sink.

The odd one came from Battle Ground. A double-pole 60-amp breaker in the panel was labeled for the garbage disposal. Russ’s report noted that a standard residential disposal circuit typically calls for a 15- or 20-amp breaker, and an oversized breaker won’t trip before the wire overheats. A licensed electrician should evaluate a mismatch like that. The small panel findings post covers labels and the other panel items that often travel with it.

Leaks and the dishwasher hookup

The disposal connects to the sink drain and, in most kitchens, to the dishwasher drain hose. Russ runs water through it and watches the connections. A drip at the disposal flange or the outlet elbow tends to stain the cabinet floor long before anyone notices it. The dishwasher high loop post covers how that hose should run.

What Russ checks

He looks inside with a light, runs the disposal with water, listens, and looks at the drain connections, the cord or wiring, the switch and the outlet under the sink. He looks at the panel for the breaker serving it when it’s labeled. He doesn’t disassemble the unit or test the motor’s internals. Electrical findings get a licensed electrician; leaks and jams get a plumber.

The guide to what to look at in the kitchen before you make an offer covers the range, the vent hood and the rest of the room. To set up an inspection, you can book online.