HELP! Fork broke in Garbage disposal!

[marisakay]

my new garbage disposal is about 7 months old..it is a emerson E404..I was loading dishawasher and there were a few utensils laying in sink..I turned it on and one of the forks went down in it...I quickly turned it off and pulled the fork out...it was a cheapo fork w hard plastic handle and I pulled the plastic handle out but fished aroun and cannot find the metal part??? I tried to turn it on again for a sec and it buzzed lightly...then I fished around again...turned on again and now nothing...

I am hoping I did not burn the motor!! is the metal pice prob blocking somewhere? is this a easy fix for DH to take apart and look at??? or call a plumber??? any advice is great!

[LazyPup]

NOT TO WORRY,,getting things caught in the disposal is a common problem and one which the manufacturers have anticipated by installing an overload protector to prevent damage to the motor.

Step one,,,make sure the power switch is turned off, and if your disposal is connected to the electrical service by a plug and cord, it would be best to unplug it until you clear the jamb.

Fold the rubber flappers back and look down into the disposal to see if you can locate the piece that is lodged in the grinders. When looking inside you will see a round wheel with two metal slingers on top, the grinders are on the outside edge of that wheel where it meets the disposal body. If you see the object use a pair of needle nose pliers to reach in and pull it out. If you cannot see it, you will have to rotate the grinder and motor shaft manually to try to dislodge it.

On the underside of the disposal there is a hole in the center. Inside that hole is a recessed Hex socket on the bottom end of the motor shaft to permit inserting a disposal wrench or a 1/4" allen wrench. Insert the wrench into the hex socket and try to rotate the motor shaft. You may have to rock the disposal wrench back and forth a bit to loosen the object that has it jammed.

Once the motor shaft will turn freely remove the wrench and locate the overload protector button. Push the button in to reset it. (you should feel a slight click as it resets and the button will stay in,)

Plug the disposal in again, turn the water on and then turn the switch on to try it. It should go okay...if not, repeat the above process until you get it free.

[marisakay]

ty so much!!! I even figured it out by myself after reading your post so I did not have to wait on hubby I really appreciate the help