garbage disposal

[KarenGarner]

My brand new (3 week old) Badger 5 has been working beautifully until yesterday. It tripped the breaker and now hums but doesn't work. The allen wrench turns freely in both directions at the bottom. I put my hand inside (I know I'm not supposed to) and the blades turn freely in both directions. I pressed the reset button. Do I need to replace my new unit? I don't have the sales slip any more so I don't know if the warranty will apply. Boo hoo, it's only 3 weeks old......
Is there anything else I can try...?

[learning]

I am having a problem with one of my disposal blades (sorry I'm at work and I don't know the brand off-hand) - there is a small knife blade from a tiny butter knife jammed under one of the blades so it can't swing freely, and I can't loosen it. The diposal hums and won't go - I tried the allen wrench in the bottom of the unit but that seems to just turn the whole round part in the middle. Is there a way to loosen the blade to get the knife part out?
thanks!!

[LazyPup]

Getting it out may prove really difficult, fortunately it is really presenting no problem. Contrary to what most beleive, the two rotating parts on the top of the rotor are not the blades, they are slingers. The purpose of them is to sling the material against the inside walls of the disposal housing. If you examine the outside edge of the rotor you will see a serious of small half round holes on the edge. Those holes are the top of groves machined in the rotor. There are corresponding ridges on the inside of the housing. The actual grinding action takes place between the outer edge of the rotor and the inner wall of the disposal in much the same way as a mill wheel grinds grain to make flour. (in fact, i have known people who get a new disposal, mount it on a box and use it to grind field corn into cornmeal)
It is quite common for the slingers to become corroded and stick in place but it has little to no effect on the actual grinding ability of the machine.

[calibro101]

quote:Originally posted by Ven

Folks,

I gave 1 turn with Allen wrench (1/4 Inch) and hit the red RESET button and Badger 1 WORKED FOR ME.

Thnaks All.

V

THanks so much !!! i did it on mine and it worked purrfect!!! saves me calling the handyman ( i live in an apartment complex)...

[David C Black]

I need to replace a Waste King ss5000, but cannot figure out how it comes out. It appears to have a lot of threads, but twist as I may nothing happens. What is the secret? Photograph below:

[LazyPup]

If the disposal shaft will turn freely with the service wrench, but the motor does not spin and trips the reset, there is an internal problem in the motor.

Although some motors can be serviced, in most cases the cost of parts and labor to service disposal motors is simply not cost effective.

In order to explain the problem I will have to discuss some basic AC motor theory.

The principal problem is the law of inertia, a body at rest tends to remain at rest, or a body in motion tends to remain in motion, unless acted upon by an outside force.

The electrical windings in a motor are arrainged in a mammer that will cause a continuos opposite magnetic field between the windings and the armature of the motor. In operation the magnetic fields are constantly pushing the armature as it rotates. The problem is that when a motor is first energized the armature is at rest, so the magnetic fields are pushing from the outside in toward the armature, but inertia tends to keep the armature in one place and the motor simply doesnt know which way to turn.

With some rare exceptions all AC motors have two sets of electrical windings, the run winding generates the magnetic fields required to produce the mechanical energy while the motor is in motion.

A second set of windings, called the start windings are arranged a few degrees out of sync with the start winding. When the motor is energized the run windings come to full power but can not determine the direction of rotation. For a few moments during start up, the Start winding is energized which causes a second magnetic field that pulls the armature in the correct direction of travel. As soon as the armature begins to rotate the start winding is dropped out of the circuit and the motor continues to run on the run winding.

There are basically three methods used to control the start winding. The motors in refrigerator compressors and washing machine motors use external potential relays to sense the start current and energize the start winding.

The motors used in residential disposals normally use an internal centrifical relay that has a pair of govenor weights and springs. When the motor is at rest the centrifical switch is closed and the Run winding is connected to the circuit. As the armature turns centrical force swings the weights out and at a preset RPM a spring mechanism then disconnects the start winding from the circuit.

A third method of controlling the start winding is by means of a start capacitor. The capacitor causes a minor delay in the phase of the current to the start winding, which in turn changes the position of the magnetic fields on the start winding.

Due to the extremely high torque required for starting the START windings are heavier than the run windings, and consequently the START winding consumes more electrical current.

Typically the Locked Rotor Amperage (Start current) is 3 times the normal Full Load Current (run current). That explains why we often see lights flicker or dim momentarily when motors start. That also explains why most electric motor internal failures occur in the start winding or starting relay mechanism first.

In the cse of disposals a failure in the starting mechanism results in a motor that will turn freely when turned by hand, but when the power is turned on, the motor simply hums a few moments before tripping the overload.

Normally rebuilding electric motors is a very tedious, time consuming operation that is simply not cost effective on small fractional horsepower motors such as are common to home appliances.

[David C Black]

My first concern is HOW DO I REMOVE THE UNIT FROM THE SINK?

I'll probably replace the unit, but I cannot even do that at the moment
because it won't come off!!! :-(

[jaronomo]

i have been checking out the posts and replies, but haven't seen anybody with the same situation as me.

the disposal DOES spin, i've done the allen wrench trick several times, but that even seems unecessary because the slingers(?) rotate very easily. i also tried pressing the reset button, that didn't work either.

when i turn it on, it works, but no water goes down, and some air bubbles come up.

after all this, i took out the middle drain pipe under the sink to see if it was clogged, but it's not. i ran a little water and it came through the disposal just fine. i wanted to then take out the unit to check it out in more detail, but i can't figure out how to get it off. it rotates fine, and seems like it will unscrew, but it doesn't.

do you have any idea what is wrong here, and what i can do to fix it?
i'll cross my fingers...

thanks,
jaron

[LazyPup]

It sounds as if your cutters may be clogged up. The cutters are actually machined groves on the outside edge of the rotating platform wheel in the top of the disposal.

Try putting a big handful of ice cubes in the disposal and running them through, usually that will clean the cutter grooves.

If that doesnt work, unplug the disposal and remove the drain connection on the side of the disposal body. Check the drain line to make sure there is no partial clog in it, then, using a flashlight, look into the drain hole on the side of the disposal and your should see the outer edge of the rotating wheel. You will probably see gunk built up in the grooves on the wheel. Clean that off as best you can, replace the drain line and try it. It should be ok now.

[ttschoenke]

Using an allen wrench in the hole on the bottom got the unit working again. Not sure what was stuck in there, but cranking for a few minutes got it spinning smoothly.

Thanks!

quote:Originally posted by BG

I tried using an allen wrench in the receptacle at the bottom of my humming Badger1 unit, and had the thing working in a minute. I then discovered that a foreign bolt had somehow dropped into the drain causing the jam. I would have spent this entire evening disassembling the unit had I not come across your tip through a quick search for help on the internet. THANKS!!!

quote:Originally posted by 16x80

tigger

Welcome To the Home Repair Forums

Its on the bottom, along with a hole in the middle to stick an allen wrench to help unjam it!


16x80

[flojo]

I have a similar problem with a slight twist. My garbage disposal spins and hums. I don't have a drainage issue. There is nothing lodged inside the disposal. I've tried the reset button and still only get the humming noise. As I mentioned before...it turns. Any suggestions[?][|)]

flojo

[LazyPup]

Flojo,,when you say your disposal spins i presume you mean it will spin free with a service wrench, but just hums or possibly turns very slowly when you turn it on.

If that is the case, most likely the problem is a defective start relay or start winding in the motor.

While it is possible to disassemble and repair the motors, in most instances the cost of parts and labor outweighs the economical cost of replacing the unit.

[MISSY]

I have had a small object hung the blade before. I ran water while turning the each blade by hand. The object finally moved and I was able to remove it.

[bak12]

The Badger Gabage Disposal unit in my house stopped working last week. After failing to figure out how to fix it, I came across your forum yesterday and it took about 15 seconds to get the unit going again.

Thank you.

[bak12]

The Badger Gabage Disposal unit in my house stopped working last week. After failing to figure out how to fix it, I came across your forum yesterday and it took about 15 seconds to get the unit going again.

Thank you.