Garbage disposals can be an essential addition to any kitchen, enabling food waste to quickly disappear down the drain. But when they become clogged with standing water in the sink, their usefulness is reduced considerably, and their use becomes inconvenient. Clogs may result from food build-up or improper usage, leaving standing water that won’t drain, which is an inconvenience. You should try clearing yourself before calling a plumber! However, you can often handle unclogging garbage disposal with standing water before consulting professionals for further help.
In this article, we’ll provide step-by-step instructions for safely and effectively unclogging a garbage disposal. We will also discuss when professional assistance from Houston plumbers free estimates can help resolve more serious problems.
Step 1: Switch Off The Power
Before working with your garbage disposal, be sure to completely switch it off for your safety and to prevent accidents. Do this either by unplugging it from under the sink or by switching it off at its circuit breaker switch. Do not place your hands into a running garbage disposal without first turning it off, as this could result in serious injury if its blades unexpectedly start spinning!
Step 2: Use A Plunger
Suppose your garbage disposal has become blocked, and there’s standing water in your sink. In that case, one effective tool to try first is using a plunger to unclog it and release trapped water pressure. This inexpensive yet useful investment may break up blockages to restore regular flow to the disposal unit. Here’s how it’s done:
- Get Yourself a Sink Plunger: Make sure the plunger you buy fits more securely over your drain than its larger toilet counterpart. Sink plungers have been specially designed to fit more comfortably over sink drains.
- Seal Your Drain: Use a plunger to create an effective seal over the sink drain, using wet cloth as needed to block off secondary compartment drains to make this step even more efficient. If your sink has multiple compartments, put one drain underwater first before using another plunger in another compartment to maximize the effectiveness of both.
- Plunge Vigorously: For maximum effectiveness, push your plunger up and down quickly to create suction. Remove your plunger after several seconds to check whether any water has started draining away. If it has, run hot water down your disposal system to help clear away any leftover debris.
- Repeat If Needed: If water doesn’t immediately drain from the basin, repeating this procedure may help unclog any remaining blockages.
Step 3: Check For Disposal Blockages
If plunging has failed to solve your disposal problems, step three should be checking it for visible blockages within its walls and extracting debris safely by following these instructions:
- Verifying that Power Is Off: Before proceeding, always double-check to see that the electricity has been properly shut off for your own safety and to prevent accidents.
- Use Tongs or Pliers: Never reach into your disposal using only your hands—instead, use tongs, pliers, or another long tool, such as an extendable stick, to retrieve food scraps, foreign objects, or debris that is likely contributing to its blockage.
- Rotate the Disposal Blades: Once all visible debris has been cleared away, use an Allen wrench (or similar tool) to manually rotate your disposal blades from below the unit to dislodge any hidden obstructions preventing their free rotation. This may dislodge any debris blocking them and free their movements more freely.
- Test the Disposal: As soon as your debris has been cleaned up, reconnect the power and run your disposal to see if its clog has cleared away. If so, and water drains smoothly through, that means your problem has been addressed!
Step 4: Use A Drain Snake
For stubborn clogs, using a drain snake may help. Here’s how it’s used with your garbage disposal:
- Insert The Snake: When inserting the drain snake, press against resistance until you reach a blockage point indicating where you need to push onward.
- Rotate The Snake: To open up any blockages or obstructions in your plumbing, turn the handle of your snake clockwise until its handle clicks back into its housing. It may require pulling and pushing multiple times before any debris has been dislodged from its path.
- Remove And Test: After working the snake through, pull it out and run water through your disposal until all clogs have been cleared away; if water flows freely, your clog has likely been resolved.
Conclusion
Unclogging a garbage disposal with standing water may seem daunting at first, but with proper tools and effort, it should not be difficult. By following the steps outlined here, you should be able to unclog and restore kitchen plumbing. However, if the problem continues or seems complex enough for DIY repair efforts alone, don’t hesitate to hire professional Houston plumbers with free estimates to handle the task for you.
