Insinkerator Waste Disposal Troubleshooting Tips & Tricks

Insinkerator Troubleshooting Tips & Tricks

Insinkerator Waste disposal units are designed to Shred all kinds of food waste and scraps into small enough pieces which can the pass through your drains without causing any problems such as unwanted obstructions and blockages. This waste is then passed through your sewer system and eventually ends up in a wastewater treatment plant where it can be utilised and turned into renewable energy sources

Insinkerator garbage disposal units as designed for many different types of foods including fruit pips and bones. Bones and other similar items are actually quite beneficial to keep the shredding components in your waste disposal unit clean, although some of the entry level Insinkerator models strongly recommend not to dispose of bones and similar items into your disposal unit as this may significantly reduce the life expectancy and will not be covered under standard warranties – Please refer to the specific manufacturers user manual for your Disposal unit.

Fibrous and husky items such as celery, flower stems, corn cobs, coffee grounds. Egg shells, seafood shells, banana peels, onion skins and artichokes never be put down your waste disposal unit. Fibrous strings tend to tangle around the waste disposal blades causing it to come to an abrupt halt due to significant strain being placed on the motor which could lead to permanent damage.

Problems related to your Insinkerator waste disposal can be quite common and are generally related to the motor not running. These problems can be troubleshooted with positive results.

Troubleshoot your Insinkerator Waste Disposal – 5 Simple Steps

Step 1:

Unplug your waste disposal unit at the power switch generally in the cupboard below your Insinkerator. If your unit is ‘hard wired’ you will need to turn ‘off’ power to the unit at the main electrical circuit board of your home.

Step 2:

Wait for the water in the sink to drain or remove the water manually using a jug or cup if the sink won’t drain fast enough. Insert the Self-service ‘Jam Buster’ wrench into the hole at the bottom of the insinkerator. Turn the wrench backwards and forwards to un-jamm the Disposer, you may have to use some force to help the blades become unstuck. Keep doing this until the wrench turns freely in both directions.

If you don’t have the self-service ‘jam buster’ wrench readily available – we can have one delivered to you. Call our friendly Team today on 0508 367 468.

waste disposal 'Jam Buster' Tool

Step 3:

Push the red button on the bottom underside of the waste disposal unit. This button is the ‘overload protector’ which acts as a protection device and is designed to ‘trip’ if the unit comes under strain to protect the motor. If it has tripped this button will be pushed out ½ a centimeter. If this Button wont stay pushed in, try again after 10 minutes.

insinkerator waste disposal red reset button

Step 4:

Look into the waste disposal chamber from the top of the sink, you may need a flash light to help you check if anything has fallen into the unit causing it to become stuck or jammed. Use a pair of kitchen tongs or pliers to remove anything inside the chamber. Please wear a pair of protective gloves and DO NOT put you hands into the chamber.

Step 5:

Turn The power back “on” to the unit either at the plug or the Main circuit Board.

Step 6:

Turn on the water and let it run into the waste disposal unit and then turn on the point of use switch – as you would if you were disposing of your food scraps. The Unit should now be back up and running.

Step 7:

If your problem is now fixed. This may be a good time to easily clean your waste disposal unit to eliminate bad smells and odors. To do this, Once again turn of all power to the unit at the power switch or at the main circuit breaker (as per step 1).

- Place the sink plug/stopper in the sink.

- Fill the sink half full of warm tap water.

- Mix in approximately 500 grams of Baking soda

- Turn the insinkerator disposal unit “on” and remove the sink plug/stopper allowing the mixture of water and baking soda to mix and flush the system.

- Optionally you can then slice half a lemon and drop this into the disposal chamber.

- Done!

If the above steps don’t do the trick and your unit still isn’t working… Firstly Don’t panic! We are here to help. You can view online our current insinkerator replacement specials >> CLICK HERE

Alternatively call and speak to our friendly team today on 0508 367 468

Robinhood scrapeater waste disposal unit