(Only the very oldest garbage disposals do not have a reset feature.)
It’s an easy task that should take just a few minutes.
What Are Impellers?
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
The impellers inside your garbage disposal are metal lugs screwed onto a metal plate.
The impellers then force the food through small openings, grinding it into extremely small particles.
Most disposals come with a little wrench just for this purpose.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
(It’s probably somewhere at the bottom of your sink base cabinet.)
If you don’t have a disposal wrench, you could use a standard 1/4-inch Allen wrench.
Need more help?
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
This ensures that the disposal can’t be turned on accidentally.
Warning
It’s much better to be safe than sorry here.
Check for Obstructions
Use a flashlight to peer down into the sink opening of the disposal.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
You may be able to see the object jamming the impellers.
If you see an obstruction, you’ve got the option to attempt to remove it by hand.
(There’s nothing sharp inside the disposer, including the impeller lugs, which are blunt metal.)
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
Loosen the Jam
Identify the hex socket on the center of the underside of thegarbage disposal unit.
It’s inside a small, round hole in the motor housing.
The reset button works like a circuit breaker that automatically trips to prevent the motor from overheating.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
Pressing the button resets the little internal breaker.
If it spins freely, you’re done.
Repeat the same process to free the jam and reset the unit.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
For most homes, however, a 3/8- or 1/2-horsepower motor offers plenty of power.
The Spruce / Meg MacDonald
