Jammed, Humming or Leaking Under the Sink?
4.9 ★
500+ Google reviews
Tommy Bynum repairs, replaces and installs garbage disposals in Gastonia and Gaston County homes. Call (704) 825-4463 and tell us what yours is doing. We’ve been in Gastonia homes since 1979, and disposal work is the same phone number and the same company that handles your heating and air.
- Serving Gastonia since 1979
- Licensed plumbing contractor (L.12997)
- 500+ Five-Star Google Reviews
What Garbage Disposal Repairs and Installations Do We Handle?
Tommy Bynum repairs household garbage disposals and replaces the ones that aren’t worth fixing. Repairs cover jams, disposals that won’t turn on, and leaks at the sink, the dishwasher hose or the drain pipe. A replacement covers removing the old unit and connecting and wiring the new one. We also add disposals to kitchens that don’t have one, including the switched outlet under the sink. A sink that drains slowly even with the disposal running usually has a clog past it, which is a drain cleaning call.
Why Is My Garbage Disposal Humming, Leaking or Not Turning On?
A disposal that hums is almost always jammed, one that does nothing has usually tripped its reset button or lost power, and a leak is usually a worn seal or loose connection. Before you look inside, turn off the switch and unplug the disposal or shut off its breaker, and never put your hand in it. If water is leaking into the cabinet, stop using the sink and call (704) 825-4463. We take emergency calls 24/7. A jam or a dead disposal can usually be booked.
| What you notice | What usually causes it |
|---|---|
| Hums but won't grind | A jam. Something is wedged against the grinding plate, and the motor's overload protection may trip |
| Grinds, rattles or clanks loudly | Something hard in the chamber, like a spoon or a fruit pit, or a mounting ring that has worked loose under the sink |
| Does nothing when you flip the switch | The red reset button on the bottom has tripped, the switch, outlet or breaker has failed, or the motor has burned out |
| Water at the top, where it meets the sink | The seal at the sink flange, or a loose mounting ring |
| Water at the side | A loose clamp or worn gasket at the dishwasher hose or the drain pipe |
| Water dripping from the bottom | Often a leak higher up running down the unit, which InSinkErator says to rule out first. If the disposal itself is leaking, it usually needs replacing; check the warranty first |
| Dishwasher won't drain after a new disposal went in | The knockout plug inside the disposal's dishwasher inlet was never removed |
| Smells even after it runs | Food trapped under the rubber splash guard, which InSinkErator says to clean on the underside |
Should You Repair or Replace a Garbage Disposal?
Repair it if the problem is a jam, a tripped reset button or a loose connection, which covers most disposal calls. Replace it if the disposal leaks from its own body, if the motor has burned out, or if it trips its reset button no matter what goes in. Age matters too. A disposal that fails in a big way after years of service is rarely worth a major repair, and the warranty on the model is a fair guide to how long it was built to run.
Warranty length is a fair guide to lifespan
InSinkErator warranties its Standard Series disposals for 1 to 3 years, its Power Series for 4 to 7 and its Quiet Series for 8 to 10. If it’s still covered, check with the manufacturer before paying for one.
A disposal grinds food, not grease
Grease goes down a drain as a liquid and hardens in the pipe as it cools, and a disposal does nothing to stop it. The City of Gastonia’s grease program warns that flushing grease with hot water “only pushes the problem further down the sewer line.” Scrape grease and oil into a container and put it in the trash instead. Gaston County’s landfill accepts used cooking oil, and so do the county’s household hazardous waste events. When you run the disposal, InSinkErator’s instructions call for cold water.
Adding a disposal where there isn't one
A kitchen without a disposal needs three things before one can go in: power under the sink, usually a switched outlet; a drain connection lined up with the trap; and, if there’s a dishwasher, a hose connection to the disposal’s inlet. Tommy Bynum handles all three. Tell us when you call whether there’s an outlet under the sink, and we’ll tell you what the job involves.
How a Garbage Disposal Repair or Installation Works
Every disposal call follows the same order, and you get the price before any work starts.
The four steps
01. You tell us what the disposal is doing. We tell you what to shut off, whether it can wait, and when we can be there. If you’ve already bought a new disposal, tell us the model when you call.
02. We find the cause. We confirm what failed before we quote.
03. You get the price before work starts. If the disposal is worth fixing, you get the repair price. If it isn’t, you get the repair and replacement prices side by side.
04. We fix or install it and test it. We run it with water and check the sink, drain and dishwasher connections for leaks. If a dishwasher drains through it, we run the dishwasher too.
Garbage Disposal Repair and Installation Across Gaston County
We repair and install garbage disposals in Gastonia, Belmont and Kings Mountain, and across Gaston County from our shop at 2232 Plastics Drive in Gastonia. Call (704) 825-4463 and we’ll tell you when we can be there.
Garbage Disposal Questions From Gastonia Homeowners
A disposal repair call starts with a $95 diagnostic. Ask about current offers when you call. Most repairs are a jam or a connection and a short visit. A replacement depends mostly on the disposal you choose, and a kitchen that needs an outlet added under the sink adds work.
It’s jammed. Turn off the switch and unplug the disposal or shut off its breaker. InSinkErator’s fix is to put the wrench that came with the disposal, or a standard 1/4-inch Allen wrench, into the hole in the center of the bottom and work it back and forth until it turns freely. Pull out whatever caused the jam with tongs, never your hand, then press the reset button. If it keeps jamming after a few tries, call us.
On the bottom of the unit, facing the floor. It’s a small red button, and InSinkErator says a tripped one sits about a quarter inch lower than normal. Press it gently. If it won’t stay in, wait ten minutes and try again. A disposal that trips its reset button over and over is overheating, and it needs a look.
Many homeowners replace their own. What goes wrong is a sink flange that isn’t sealed and drips into the cabinet, a drain that doesn’t line up with the trap, or a dishwasher that won’t drain because the knockout plug inside the new disposal was never removed.
Grease, oil and fat, first of all. InSinkErator also says to keep out harsh cleaning products and anything that isn’t food, and its Standard Series models can’t handle stringy, fibrous food like celery and banana peels. Bones and fruit pits are a common cause of jams.
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