Garbage Disposal Hums

The flywheel is the part that rotates and performs the disposing once the switch is flipped. In the event of a jam, the flywheel may hum, won’t spin, and eventually trip the breaker. Shine a light down the disposal to see if a utensil or other hard or large object has fallen down. If so, unplug the unit remove the foreign objects stuck in the blades. This could look like a spoon, plastic toy, or produce stickers.

If there’s no visible jam, then the motor itself may have jammed. Some units come with an offset Allen key just for this fix. If you don’t have the correct Allen key, the standard size is around 1/4 inch. Insert the wrench into the bottom of the machine, and turn the wrench a back and forth, noting any resistance. In the event of too much resistance, attempt the unjamming with a specialty wrench from the sink-side for more leverage in turning the motor. Plug the machine in, and try turning on the garbage disposal unit.

Specialty wrench

Offset Allen Key

When the mounting assembly that holds the disposal to the sink is loose, the entire garbage disposal can vibrate, shake, and hum. Inspect mounting bolts, and tighten with a wrench if loose.

In the event of a clogged drain, Your sink may be backing up your garbage disposal may not be able to dispose of its waste and must be cleared. Remove any sink stoppers and look inside the drain. Remove any debris blocking the drain, and see if the garbage disposal will turn on.

The impeller is the component that advances food waste through the grinding chamber. When loose, the disposal unit may hum. Remove power to the unit, and remove the bottom plate or splash guard to inspect if the impeller is properly tightened. If you can wobble the impeller, use your hands or pliers to tighten.

The workhorse of your garbage disposal unit is your motor. In the event of excessive rust buildup in the flywheel, or cracked o-rings, water infiltration can rust or destroy the internals, creating a non-functioning unit. The garbage disposal will have to be replaced.