Unclogging a Garbage Disposal

RE: Unclogging a Garbage Disposal Post By Richard (Guest Post) (10/10/2008) Wow! I was skeptical at first as I read through the home remedies. But after a short trip to the grocery store, eureka! Baking soda, vinegar, and a follow-up of boiling water did the trick. This was after a major clog from fish guts and red fish scales not to mention all the other things I dumped down the drain over a long period of time. Thank you all for your feedback. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Unclogging a Garbage Disposal Post By (Guest Post) (09/17/2008) I have tried running the dishwasher & using a plunger. It takes a few plunges but it doesn't take long to unclog the disposal! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Unclogging a Garbage Disposal Post By Rob (Guest Post) (08/30/2008) We had tried liquid Drano to unclog sink drain with minimal success. Garbage disposal was not functioning either. After searching the internet, we found this site and the recommendation to try the baking soda, vinegar, and plunger method. After 3 rounds of baking soda/vinegar, then running hot water with the plunger, the clog broke free and now garbage disposal works fine! Thanks a bunch Report Spam or Abuse RE: Unclogging a Garbage Disposal Post By CindiN (Guest Post) (08/10/2008) The vinegar, soda and boiling kettle of hot water worked GREAT! Many thanks for the wonderful tip! I will be doing this to all of my drains twice a year! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Unclogging a Garbage Disposal Post By Mary (Guest Post) (08/10/2008) I put discarded lettuce leaves down the disposal and it caused a major clog. I didn't have baking soda or vinegar. Before I tried the Pepsi, I used a plunger and it worked! Thanks for all the tips. I thought I was going to have to call a plumber tomorrow. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Unclogging a Garbage Disposal Post By Bernadette (Guest Post) (07/20/2008) OK - I put about a pound of edamame shells down the disposal (bad idea!) and all of the fibers clogged the drain so badly that I thought I had broken it completely. I used the vinegar, baking soda, plunger and viola! It worked! I am so thankful b/c I really thought it was a lost cause! Thanks so much! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Unclogging a Garbage Disposal Post By Leah from las Vegas (Guest Post) (07/02/2008) Thank you so much for your comments . You saved us a call to the plumber. I pushed too much carrot peels down the disposal and clogged it. We poured the vinegar down the drain waited a few minutes and plunged it like crazy. We then removed the elbow to the underneath drain and plunged some more and everything eventually came out! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Unclogging a Garbage Disposal Post By Kellie (Guest Post) (06/14/2008) I plunged and plunged, did the vinegar and baking soda per Linda's instructions above, plunged once more and it worked! Thanks! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Unclogging a Garbage Disposal Post By 1 Iota (Guest Post) (12/05/2006) Try the reset button.. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Unclogging a Garbage Disposal Post By Kathy (Guest Post) (09/09/2006) Even though we had tried the "broom handle system" and used the Allen wrench (which was moving freely), the disposal remained jammed. Tried the baking soda/one cup of vinegar method twice and the clog broke loose. Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Unclogging a Garbage Disposal Post By Lynda (Guest Post) (08/01/2006) I don't believe disposals are built differently than when first developed. If the Allen wrenches and natural chemicals don't work, do what we always did: " glove one hand, reach inside to search for particles of bone, metal or glass to dislodge, if possible. If you THINK you've dislodged it, before turning it on to check, use the handle end of an old straw broom to move the blades just a bit to free them, THEN turn it on to check. It ALWAYS worked for us. Also, I remember something about, "if the disposal won't turn on, there is a safety button on the back side beneath the sink to find and push." Reminder: Don't use the disposal unless ABSOLUTELY necessary, and then ONLY for soft foods, not bones, heavy rinds or egg shells or grease. (Use ice cubes and baking soda to "sweeten the odors, about once a week. Since my disposal and dishwasher drain together, it seems to stay sweet without this, but some folks aren't this lucky to have them plumbed together.Whatever you do, use NO BLEACH because bleach RUSTS metal such as in the disposal blades. If you HAVE used bleach, you MIGHT try as a last resort, using a 1/2 bottle of Rust Remover or CLR, UNLESS there is a warning on the label against it. Penetrant which loosens rusty bolts, etc. would NOT be a good idea because it might also loosen what holds the blades in place.).Good luck!" Report Spam or Abuse RE: Unclogging a Garbage Disposal Post By Linda (Guest Post) (07/30/2006) Dump a handful of baking soda down there, and follow with cup of cheap vinegar. It will bubble and foam. When the foaming stops, add more vinegar. Leave this about 10 min, and follow with a kettle-ful of boiling water. This always works for me. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Unclogging a Garbage Disposal Post by hedera (76) | (07/30/2006) Contact Try pouring a bottle of Pepsi Cola and leave for several hours > even over night. A friend used this to disolve the clog in her kitchen sink. On the TV show "How Clean is Your House" > they used vinegar & baking soda > pour baking soda down the drain hole, followed by a cup of vinegar > repeat until the drain is clear. Last, but not least, have you tried one of those pressured air plungers? They are about $10 and can be used multiple times. Good Luck Report Spam or Abuse RE: Unclogging a Garbage Disposal Post by Ree 127 (55) | (07/29/2006) Contact You can also try a small sink plunger. That's what we use for all our sink drains, including the disposal. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Unclogging a Garbage Disposal Post By Dean (Guest Post) (07/29/2006) Disposals come with a allen wrench just for this purpose.The wrench fits into hole in the bottom of the disposal.Insert the wrench and turn.This should unclog the disposal.If you don't have the wrench visit a hardware or big box store and explaine the problem.Also go to google and type in "unclogging a disposal." They have more information. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Unclogging a Garbage Disposal Post by TxSavr (64) | (07/29/2006) Contact We had this problem once and here's what I did to solve it. (Beware: this is a messy job): First put a bucket in the cabinet under the pipes that lead from the garbage disposal. At the "elbow" of the pipe you should be able to loosen and remove that section with a pipe wrench. This is where the messy part comes in because when you remove that section of pipe everything in there pours out. After removing that section of pipe, we were able to use a coat hanger , I believe, to run it up the pipe that leads to the wall to try to loosen whatever is stuck up in there. Good luck and I hope this helps! Report Spam or Abuse