Solving troubles

When this occurs

Water from the sink drains away with difficulty

Picture – problems with a waste disposer

It may be caused by leftovers, which were left in the chamber after a not entirely finished crushing, and thus they block the flow of water through small openings in the ring. It is necessary to turn on water and finish the crushing.
It may also be caused by blockage of the siphon, which is in no way caused by the disposer, but by an incorrect procedure when operating it. Crushing with a small supply of water or even temporary dry crushing will cause that leftovers cannot be flushed away by water through the drainpipe; they accumulate in the siphon and with the subsequent supply of water saturate, increase their volume and form a blockage. For the purpose of making the siphon passable again, first try to proceed according to the steps mentioned in the following point No. 3. If this procedure does not help, it is necessary to dismantle the siphon and to clean it manually.
Another cause may be blockage of the drain pipe behind the siphon, which is not caused directly by the disposer, nor by any fundamentally incorrect operation, but most likely by old sediments in your pipes, that have been released by the pressure of water with crushed waste and that has gotten stuck somewhere in the conduit. Sediments are very common, they are formed mainly in places, where dishes with leftovers are washed in the sink or oils are poured into the sink. Caution: such sediments stuck on the walls, that diminished the pipe by more than a half of its original diameter, can be seen even in quite new buildings.

Photographs showing deposits in the pipe behind the siphon below the sink. These are often found before the disposer installation. These are original old deposits, which arose from normal use of the sink; this is by washing up greasy dishes, pouring out of fats, sauces, coffee grounds, etc. The disposer flushes these deposits away with the pressure of the crushed mixture and does not allow depositing of new ones.

Turn on water; wait until the flowing water is quite hot
Plug the sink by a stopper and fill it up with water to the rim
Switch on the waste disposer and unplug the sink
As soon as the water drains away, switch off the waste disposer

By using this procedure, we use the pressure of the water weight and the centrifugal force of the disposer, so the resulting pressure can push the sediment through and release it. Hot water is used to dissolve the sediment.

Caution: Before applying the above mentioned steps, check whether the doors of your washing machine or dishwasher are closed, if you have them connected to the same kitchen sink. If the sediment is released immediately, it may happen that a part of the water draining away from the sink will get through the drain hose even to these appliances and possibly to the floor through the open doors. This happens rarely, however, as it depends on the type of the drain pump in the given appliance, which usually don’t allow backflow of the water. If the pump of your dishwasher or washing machine lets the water from the sink flow back even during common crushing or draining of the sink, adjust the position of the drain hose of the appliance.

If you did not succeed, you have to clean the drain pipe mechanically by a cleaning string or you have to call a plumber.

Do not blame the disposer, it rather cleans the waste pipes and you will not see these sediments any more. Fragments of crushed waste pushed through by pressure will keep your piping perfectly clear.

Disposer does not work

1. Check the electric power supply, the plug might have been pulled out from the outlet or possibly another deficiency in the el. energy supply may have occurred.

2. The disposer hums slightly when it is switched on, but it does not rotate. The turntable is jammed by a piece of hard half-crushed bones or kernels, which could have been left in the chamber from some past crushing. When the disposer was not crushing, the draining water deposited this piece between the blade and the ring in a way that does not allow the disposer's motor to start rotating. It may also be blocked by a foreign object that fell into the disposer by accident. Spoon, bottle cap etc.

Switch off the waste disposer, so that the humming – an attempt of the engine to rotate – is not heard.
Preferably disconnect the supply of electric energy.
Take out the rubber guard.
With the edge of a mixing spoon, push against the protrusions of the turntable, which you must somehow try to turn counterclockwise (see the picture).
If you unblocked the turntable and it can be rotated freely, you have won.
Take out the foreign object; an uncrushed remainder may be left for subsequent crushing.
Check the mobility of the blades on the pivots that have to swing freely.
Then place the guard back.
After reconnection to the electric outlet, switch on the waste disposer.

3. The disposer does not rotate after switching it on, nor does it hum. It was put out of operation by its thermal fuse, which protects the engine against overload and automatically switches the appliance off. This may happen by an excessively fast insertion of food leftovers, by overheating of the engine or by a piece of hard half-crushed leftovers of bones or fruit kernels that might be left in the chamber e.g. after the last crushing – and at the time when the disposer was not crushing, the draining water deposited the piece between the blade and the ring in a way that the disposer was blocked. But it may also be blocked by a foreign object that fell into the disposer by accident. Spoon, bottle cap etc.

Switch off the waste disposer.
Disconnect the supply of electric energy.
Take out the rubber guard.
Remove the cause of the overload. Push against the protrusions of the turntable by the edge of a mixing spoon; you must try to turn the turntable counterclockwise (see click...picture. the separate window).
If you unblocked the turntable and it can be rotated freely, you have won.
Take out the foreign object, the uncrushed remains may be left for subsequent crushing.
Check mobility of the lugs on the pivots that have to swing freely.
Then place the guard back.
Press the red button of the thermal fuse on the bottom side of the disposer. Before the fuse can be switched on again, it is necessary to wait several minutes until it cools down (see click...picture. the separate window).
After connecting it again to your electric mains, switch your waste disposer on.

The disposer vibrates too much

A piece of rope, rubber band etc. got under one of the two swivel lugs. Thereby the lug cannot move on its pivot freely. Centrifugal force cannot straighten the lug to the correct working position any more and the turntable becomes unbalanced as a car wheel and bothersome vibrations occur, which may sometimes even shake the kitchen unit. Also the crushing is somewhat slower, as only one lug is working.

Turn off the waste disposer.
Take out the rubber guard.
First try to get the blade moving on the pivot with the edge of a mixing spoon. If it does not work, it will be necessary to use another tool, a metal bar which you knock by a hammer.

If all these attempts are unsuccessful, it will be necessary to separate the waste disposer from the neck for a better access to blades. But you’d better leave this activity to your husband, to a skillful neighbor or preferably to a qualified person. Or you can consult it with us.

You will find further information about this issue in your user's manual, which you received together with the disposer.

Only when the waste disposer still does not work, or you do not know what to do yourself, turn to the seller or to the professional company that executed the assembly.