I Need Help With My Sink-Erator!?

Question

usually when i flip the switch the water goes down the sink, but nowadays the water comes up out of the sink when i turn on the ISE sink-erator. does anyone have any ideas of why this might be happening? thanks

the blades spin, but the water comes out

Answer 1

Many garbage disposals do a fair but not good job of grinding. The partly ground garbage passed through the disposal's screens and have collected in the trap under the sink.

Take everything out from under the sink - everything! Unplug the disposal so no one turns it on.

Get a bucket and place it under the trap (the U shaped line with screw on mounting fittings). Get at least one if not 2 extra buckets nearby as you may need them.

Use a flashlight for light, not electric powered light as you may have water to contend with.

Open one of the fittings on the trap and let the water drain into the bucket. Switch buckets as needed. It is better to do this SLOWLY and let the water drain rather than open it fully and have water all over the place.

Once all the water has drained, empty the buckets but leave one bucket under the trap - and ultimately replace the bucket with an empty bucket.

Although the water may be foul smelling you can dump it in on the lawn. If it has ground garbage in it do not dump it in another sink as it will plug it.

Now fully remove the trap and let the trap fall into the bucket. Put another bucket under the open line. Remove the vertical line all the way back to the garbage disposal. Take the trap and all of the drain line you removed outside and clean it completely. Rinising it with a garden hose can do the job. Let this drip dry outside.

Now, back under the kitchen sink, look into the disposal from the vent line (flash light needed) and see if there is garbage in it; if so remove the disposal, take it out and rinse it completely clear. DO NOT GET WATER ON THE DISPOSAL MOTOR. Let things dry.

Now reassemble everything and check for leaks. If you have rubber gaskets on the drain line, replace them if they are worn or you will have leaks.

All should now be OK

Answer 2

The only reason water should come back up out of the sink would be a plugged drain line. Somewhere between where the drain exits the side of the disposal and where it should go out thru the wall, there's something plugging the line. That's why when the disposal is turned on the water comes back up instead of going out. You'll need to dissassemble the drains to find the problem and possibly rent a power snake if you don't find anything in the pipes directly under the sink.

Answer 3

Agreed, I've had garbage disposals too and there's always a switch (like a light switch) mounted somewhere on a wall or in the cupboard under the sink. Always run cold water, then turn it on, and shove the food down it with a long handled wooden spoon. But be careful not to get the spoon near the blades, just poke the food until it goes down. Never use your hands. Don't put anything hard down there like bones, and try to keep the fat out of there. But you can put ice cubes or lemon rinds down there to keep the blades sharp and to freshen the smell. Just wait until it sounds like it's running clear and then you can flip the switch and shut the water off.

Answer 4

The blades on your garbage disposal are jammed. All disposals are equipped with a manual"key". usually attached somewhere under the dink or on the disposal itself. Put the key in the manual turn slot. Free up the blades, then look down into the disposal for what was jamming them. Be sure to shut off the breaker, or unplug the unit before reaching your hand in, or placing a pair of pliers in to avoid accidental injury if the unit were to turn on.

Answer 5

sounds like the drain is pluged, the s-erator just grinds stuff up, so it will go down the drain, has nothing to do with the drain flow,

Answer 6

It's clogged!