Jammed, leaking,
or just humming
A disposal that hums is usually jammed rather than dead. A disposal leaking from its body usually is dead. We can tell the difference quickly, and we will say which one you have.
Four failures, and what each means
Two of these are cheap fixes. One usually means the unit has reached the end.
It hums but does not turn
Jammed. The motor is getting power but the plate cannot move. Usually freed rather than replaced.
Nothing happens at all
Tripped reset, a breaker, the switch, or a failed motor — in roughly that order of likelihood.
It leaks from the body
A seal failure inside the housing. This is generally the point where replacement is the honest recommendation.
It leaks where it meets the sink
Different problem entirely, and a much better one — usually the mounting or the flange, and repairable.
The sink drains slowly when it runs
Often a clog downstream of the unit rather than the disposal itself.
A persistent smell
Build-up inside the chamber or in the line just past it, rather than a mechanical fault.
What a call looks like
Usually short. The main thing is not replacing a unit that only needed freeing.
Power and safety first
Isolated before anyone puts a hand anywhere near the chamber. Non-negotiable.
Find out which failure it is
Jam, electrical, seal or downstream clog. They present similarly and cost very differently.
Free it where that is the answer
A jammed plate cleared, reset, and tested through a full cycle.
Replace only when it is warranted
A housing leaking from the body is finished. New unit fitted, sealed, supported and tested.
Garbage Disposal Repair
A hum is good news more often than not
The most common disposal call we get is a unit that hums and will not turn, and the most common outcome is that it did not need replacing. Something got in that should not have, the plate seized, and freeing it restores the unit.
The failure that does mean replacement is a leak coming from the body of the unit rather than from where it meets the sink. Once the internal seal has gone, water is getting into the motor housing, and no amount of tightening from outside will fix that.
- Jammed units freed and reset
- Electrical faults, tripped resets and switch problems
- Leaks at the sink flange and mounting assembly
- Clogs in the drain line downstream of the unit
- Odour and build-up in the grinding chamber
- Full replacement when the housing seal has failed
- Dishwasher drain connection checked while we are under there
Most disposal deaths are avoidable
Disposals fail for two reasons: what goes into them, and what is downstream of them. Fibrous scraps, grease poured warm, and coffee grounds are hard on the unit and harder on the line it feeds.
The second half matters more than people expect on our drains. Grease that cools in a line already narrowed by mineral deposit is how a disposal problem becomes a drain problem — which is why we look past the unit itself when the sink is slow.
Humming but not turning?
Leave it off and call — running a jammed unit is how the motor gets damaged.
Garbage Disposal Repair questions
Still not sure?
Describe it on the phone and we'll tell you straight whether it needs us.
Usually not. A hum means the motor has power but the plate is jammed. Freeing it normally restores the unit — do not keep switching it on in the meantime, because that is how the motor gets damaged.
Yes, Pulliam Plumbing Services has the expertise to diagnose and repair any issues with your garbage disposal, including leaks, clogs, and electrical problems.
It depends where from. A leak at the sink flange or mounting is repairable. A leak from the body of the unit means the internal seal has failed, and at that point replacement is the honest answer.
Grease, fibrous scraps and coffee grounds cause most of the trouble — often not in the unit itself but in the drain line just past it, especially on our mineral-heavy water.
Often not. That pattern usually points at a clog downstream of the unit rather than a fault in it, which is why we check the line rather than just the appliance.
Often booked alongside this
Garbage disposal repair across the Hill Country
- Alamo Heights, TX
- Alamo Ranch, TX
- Bergheim, TX
- Boerne, TX
- Bulverde, TX
- Castle Hills, TX
- Comfort, TX
- Cross Mountain, TX
- Fair Oaks Ranch, TX
- Helotes, TX
- Hill Country Village, TX
- Hollywood Park, TX
- Kendalia, TX
- Leon Valley, TX
- Nelson City, TX
- Shavano Park, TX
- Sisterdale, TX
- Spring Branch, TX
- Terrell Hills, TX
- Timberwood Park, TX
- Waring, TX
- Windcrest, TX
- All service areas
Disposal giving trouble?
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Boerne & Fair Oaks Ranch, TX · Licensed Master Plumber M-38925