A garbage disposal offers many benefits, including making your home more sanitary by allowing you to incur less trash in your house. Several tips on garbage disposal installation and repair can help you enjoy the benefits of these devices month after month and year after year.
Installation
Installing a garbage disposal can be complicated, thus requiring the help of a professional. First, a disposal needs to plug into a 120-volt ground-fault circuit interrupter, commonly known as a GFCI, located underneath your sink. If the area beneath your sink lacks this type of outlet, an electrician will need to install one. It’s also important to pay attention to the size of your sink; not all disposals may fit underneath yours. Note that a quieter and more powerful disposal will be larger than a louder and less powerful one. During the installation process, be sure the installer wears safety goggles and has a bowl or bucket handy to catch any drain water that appears when the drains are disconnected.
Repair
Once your disposal has been installed, one sign that it needs repair is if you notice leaks beneath the disposal. In this case, the leak’s source will need to be located, and the problem connection will have to be tightened. You also may need to replace your drain gasket or even the mounting screws on the unit. In addition, if your unit ends up being unreasonably noisy, be sure nothing inappropriately entered your unit. If everything looks clear, you might have to replace your unit’s motor, impeller or blade—this should be performed by a professional. You may instead wish to simply have the entire unit replaced in order to save on cost.
Other Repair Tips
Another common problem with garbage disposals is that they can sometimes get jammed. In this situation, a repair person will have to first unplug the unit and then push the unit’s reset button or use a hex wrench that fits a hole underneath the unit in order to free up the disposer. Pliers or tongs can then be used to pull out any material that should not be there, such as banana peels or other fibrous food materials, glass, rubber or metal. With help from the right professional, you can feel confident that your garbage disposal will be properly installed and/or repaired so that it will reliably meet your family’s needs long-term.
Apex Plumbing & Sewer has the expertise to address garbage disposal issues and other plumbing problems. To learn more about the company’s skillset, visit https://www.apexplumbingchicago.com/.
