What It Does When You Switch It On

A hum with no movement means the motor has power and the plate is jammed. Silence usually means the reset on the underside has tripped, or the switch has failed. Both are repairs. Water underneath is the one that decides things: a leak at the sink flange or the dishwasher connection is fixable, but water weeping from the body of the unit means the shell has corroded and it needs replacing.

We carry replacement units on the van, so on most Brentwood calls a failed disposal is dealt with on the same visit rather than booked back in.

The Drain Above It Matters

Tubular drains under a kitchen sink go brittle with age and are often the real source of a leak that got blamed on the disposal. With the old unit off it costs very little to rebuild that pipework properly, and it saves fitting a new disposal onto tired connections that will weep in a year.

Upgrades Worth Asking About

If the switch is on the wall behind the faucet, an air switch sits on the countertop or in a spare sink hole and triggers the disposal with a puff of air instead. Larger Brentwood kitchens with island sinks are where these make the most difference, because the wall switch is often nowhere near the sink.

A remodel is also the moment to do it. Sink, faucet, disposal and drains in one visit is cheaper and far less disruptive than four separate calls.

If It Just Smells

A smelly disposal is usually not a broken one. Residue builds under the splash guard and in the chamber where normal use never rinses it. That is a clean rather than a callout, and the ice cube method is what we tell people to try first. If the smell is really coming from the line, see drain cleaning in Brentwood.