Your garbage disposal not working is one of those kitchen problems that manages to feel both minor and deeply inconvenient at the same time. You flip the switch and nothing happens — or something happens, just not the grinding you were expecting. Before you call a professional or start pricing replacements, it helps to know what kind of “not working” you’re dealing with, because the fix depends entirely on that diagnosis.
Most garbage disposals fail in a predictable handful of ways. This guide walks Aurora homeowners through the most common garbage disposal problems, what each failure pattern usually means, and the troubleshooting steps to take before you reach for the phone. Some of these are genuine five-minute fixes. Others are signals that a malfunctioning garbage disposal needs professional attention.
Table of Contents- Garbage Disposal Not Working?
Common Garbage Disposal Problems: Where to Start
Garbage disposal issues generally fall into one of three buckets: the unit is completely dead (no sound at all), it’s humming but not grinding, or it’s running, but something else is wrong — draining slowly, leaking, or making strange noises. Each pattern points to a different root cause, so identifying which one you have is the first step in troubleshooting.
The good news is that most problems don’t require a new unit or an immediate service call. Working through the diagnosis systematically can save you from costly repairs — or from replacing a disposal that just needed a simple reset.
Garbage Disposal Stopped Working? Press the Reset Button First
Every garbage disposal has a small thermal overload protector — the red reset button on the bottom of the unit, facing the floor beneath your sink. When the motor gets overloaded (after grinding something too dense, running too long, or recovering from a jam), it trips this button automatically as a safety measure.
If your disposal isn’t responding at all, reach under the unit and feel for that button. If it’s popped out a quarter inch or so, it tripped. Turn the wall switch off, press the button in firmly until you feel or hear a click, then try the switch again. That’s often all it takes.
What causes a reset trip? Usually, a jammed motor, a long run cycle, or — in older units — age-related heat sensitivity. If you find yourself needing to press the reset button every week, that pattern is telling you something: the motor is struggling, and the unit may be approaching the end of its life. For a one-time trip, though, the reset is all you need. InSinkErator’s step-by-step reset guide walks through the full procedure if you’d like additional detail.
Is It Making a Humming Sound? You Probably Have a Jammed Flywheel
A humming noise from the disposal without any grinding is the classic jam symptom. The motor is receiving power and trying to spin, but the jammed flywheel — the rotating plate that drives food against the grinding mechanism — is locked by something stuck in the chamber. A piece of bone, a fruit pit, or even a small piece of debris can cause this.
To clear the jam: turn the wall switch off, then look underneath the disposal for the hex port in the center of the unit. Insert a hex wrench (also called a hex key or Allen wrench — usually 1/4 inch) and work it back and forth to manually turn the flywheel and break the jam loose. If you can’t find the wrench that came with the unit, a wooden spoon handle inserted from the top to push the impeller can sometimes free a minor jam, but the hex key method from below is more reliable and safer. Once the unit moves freely, use tongs to remove any waste or debris from above before restoring power.
Check for jams by inspecting the grinding mechanism before assuming the problem is electrical or motor-related. One important caution: if the unit hums and the flywheel won’t turn at all, even with the hex wrench, shut it off immediately. Letting a jammed disposal hum burns out the motor in minutes. At that point, you’ve gone from a jam — a $0 fix — to motor problems that cost more than the disposal itself is worth. Don’t force it; if the jam won’t clear, that’s when to schedule garbage disposal repair in Aurora.
Electrical Problems: When the Disposal Is Completely Silent
A disposal that produces no sound whatsoever — no hum, no click, nothing — most likely has an electrical issue rather than a mechanical one. The motor isn’t even being asked to run, which means power isn’t reaching it.
Start under the sink. Most disposals plug into a standard outlet mounted inside the cabinet. That outlet is almost always protected by a GFCI (ground-fault circuit interrupter) — either the outlet itself has reset buttons, or it’s wired to a GFCI outlet elsewhere in the kitchen or in an adjacent bathroom. Press the reset on every GFCI outlet you can find on that circuit and test the disposal again.
If that doesn’t resolve it, inspect the home’s breaker box for a tripped circuit breaker. Look for a breaker labeled “disposal” or “kitchen” that’s sitting in the middle position rather than fully on or off — that’s a tripped circuit. Flip it fully off, then back on, and test again.
This catches a surprising number of calls before they become service visits. Aurora has many condominiums and townhomes — many built in the 1980s and 1990s — whose original electrical work is starting to show its age. GFCI outlets trip more easily on older circuits, and wiring to the disposal switch can loosen over time. If you’ve ruled out the GFCI and the breaker, and the unit is still silent, that points to a failed motor or an internal electrical issue. At that point, the problem persists beyond what a homeowner can safely address, and it’s time to call a professional.
Drain Trap, Leaks, and Other Garbage Disposal Issues
Not every broken garbage disposal problem shows up as a motor or electrical issue. Sometimes the unit runs fine, but something else is clearly wrong. These complaints are common — and they have different solutions.
Leaks are the most urgent. Where the water is coming from tells you everything. A leak at the top of the unit — where it meets the sink flange — usually means the putty seal has failed, which is a straightforward repair. A leak from the discharge pipe on the side is typically a loose connection. A leak from the bottom of the unit indicates a failed internal seal, and in most cases, that means the disposal needs to be replaced rather than repaired.
If water is draining slowly from the disposal or you’re seeing standing water in the sink, the issue is almost always downstream — a partial clog in the drain trap or the drain pipe running to the wall, not the disposal itself. The P-trap (the curved pipe section under the sink) is the most common culprit. A clogged drain trap is a plumbing fix, not an appliance repair.
Persistent odors from the disposal are a maintenance issue, not a mechanical one. Running a few ice cubes and coarse salt through the disposal scrubs the grinding chamber walls and knocks loose built-up food waste. Follow with citrus peels for freshness. A weekly habit of running cold water through the disposal for 15–20 seconds after use helps flush food waste through the system and prevents buildup from accumulating in the first place.
Strange noises — rattling, metallic grinding, or clanking — usually mean something hard has gotten into the grinding chamber. Shut the unit off, use tongs to check for and remove any debris, and inspect the grinding mechanism before running it again.
What to Avoid Putting Down the Disposal
A significant portion of garbage disposal problems are preventable. Most garbage disposals are more capable than people think, but they do have clear limits — and ignoring those limits is a reliable way to create the kind of issues this article is about.
Avoid putting grease and fibrous materials in the disposal. Grease and cooking oils seem liquid when warm, but they solidify as they cool and coat the grinding mechanism and drain lines over time — a leading cause of slow draining and clogs. Fibrous foods like celery stalks, artichokes, and corn husks wrap around the flywheel, causing jams. Starchy foods like potato peels expand when soaked in water and turn into a paste that sticks to everything inside the unit.
Hard items — fruit pits, large bones, shellfish shells — can damage the grinding mechanism or jam the flywheel. Coffee grounds and eggshells aren’t as dangerous mechanically, but they accumulate in the drain trap and contribute to clogs over time. When in doubt, the trash or compost bin is the safer option. Always run cold water when the disposal is operating to help solidify fats and carry waste through the drain line.
Repair or Replace? What Aurora Homeowners Should Know
According to Consumer Reports, garbage disposals typically last around 12 years under normal use. That lifespan benchmark is your most useful decision-making tool when something goes wrong.
If your disposal is under five or six years old and the problem is mechanical — a jammed flywheel, a tripped circuit, a loose connection — repair almost always makes sense as a cost-effective solution. The unit still has the majority of its functional life ahead of it, and the repair cost is far less than the cost of replacement. The same logic applies to premium units: a good 3/4 horsepower or 1 HP disposal is worth repairing early in its life.
If your disposal is 10 years old or older and experiencing motor problems, leaking from the body, or repeatedly seizing, you’re likely to spend as much as or more on repairs as a new unit costs — and still own an aging disposal on borrowed time. At that stage, replacement is usually the better investment.
The trickiest decisions involve midlife units — five to ten years old — with intermittent garbage-disposal issues. That’s exactly the kind of situation where a professional evaluation is worth the cost of a service visit. A technician can tell you whether you’re looking at a one-time repair or a malfunctioning garbage disposal that’s heading toward recurring problems.
Call a Professional: When to Contact Appliance Repair Emporium
If you’ve worked through the troubleshooting steps above and your disposal still isn’t cooperating, it’s time to bring in someone who can evaluate it directly. Appliance Repair Emporium has been serving Aurora and the surrounding Denver metro — including Centennial, Parker, Highlands Ranch, Littleton, and Englewood — since 2008. We’re factory-authorized, which means our technicians are trained and certified for the brands we service.
We offer upfront pricing before we start any work, same-day and next-day scheduling when availability allows, and flexible appointment times that fit your schedule. No hidden charges — the price we quote is the price you pay.
If your garbage disposal needs a professional eye, visit our Aurora garbage disposal repair service page to get scheduled. Or call us directly at (303) 369-8888 — we’re ready to help.
Frequently Asked Questions: Garbage Disposal Not Working?
Why is my garbage disposal humming but not working?
A humming sound without grinding is almost always a jammed flywheel. The motor is receiving power, but the grinding mechanism is locked by debris stuck in the chamber— such as a bone, pit, or other foreign object. Insert a hex wrench into the center port on the bottom of the unit and work it back and forth to manually turn the flywheel and clear the jam. Always turn the wall switch off first, and never reach into the disposal with your hand.
Where is the reset button on a garbage disposal?
The red reset button — also called the overload protector — is on the bottom of the disposal unit, facing the floor directly under the sink. If it has tripped, it will be slightly extended outward. Make sure the wall switch is off, then press the button in firmly until you feel it click, and test the disposal.
How do I know if my garbage disposal needs to be replaced?
Age and failure pattern are the clearest indicators. Most garbage disposals last around 12 years. If yours is approaching or past that mark and has started leaking from the body, experiencing motor problems, or needing frequent resets, replacement is typically the better investment. A broken garbage disposal that requires the same repair more than once in a short period is also signaling it’s near the end of its useful life.
Can a garbage disposal be repaired, or does it always need to be replaced?
Many common garbage disposal problems — jammed flywheels, tripped overload protectors, loose connections, flange leaks — are genuinely repairable and cost far less than a new unit. Motor failures and internal seal leaks on older units are more often a case for replacement. A repair that makes sense on a four-year-old disposal may not make sense on a twelve-year-old one.
How much does garbage disposal repair cost in Aurora, CO?
Repair costs depend on what’s wrong. Clearing a jam or resetting the overload protector is often handled in a standard service call. Seal or flange repairs cost more but are typically far less than full replacement — making repair a cost-effective solution for newer units. At Appliance Repair Emporium, we provide upfront pricing before any work begins. Call (303) 369-8888 for a quote.