Garbage Disposal

©Depositphotos.com/Krisdog

Before you work on any electric appliance like a garbage disposal, always turn off the electrical connection to the unit. This will protect you from cutting your hand or fingers with broken glasses or the spinning blades of the machine. If you notice a piece of glass inside and it’s within your reach, use long-nose pliers to remove it.

How to remove broken glasses from garbage disposal:

  • Remove big pieces of glass first – Since you can easily see and grasp big pieces of glass, remove them first. If you do this, you’ll be able to see smaller pieces of glass in the garbage disposal. This will also give you more space to maneuver in the area of the unit..
  • Use a standard vacuum to remove the bits of glass – This is a safer way to do it so you can avoid hurting yourself with sharp debris. Sucking the smaller pieces with the vac saves you from reaching beneath the disposal unit. This will also ensure that all tiny pieces stuck inside the container will be sucked. Make sure that everything is clear before you run the unit.
  • Test the garbage disposal – When you plug in the electricity outlet, put a cover over the drain to prevent flying up of any bits of glass out of the drain at the start of spinning. When you run the machine, the blades of the spinner will grind any small pieces of glass left in the disposal unit. Keep in mind that before you run the machine, you should pour a small amount of cold water to flush out the debris away from the glass.
  • Reset the disposal – If you sense that something has fallen into the disposal, it may fail to turn on until you push the reset button. Doing this could solve your problem.
  • Make sure that the blades spin freely before you turn on the unit again- In some occasions, the blades may lock up when something is stuck between them. You can solve this with the use of a small stick in removing the debris, and try spinning the blades again.

Once you have completed each of these tasks, you can turn the machine on, and observe if it’s working properly. If you can’t do it yourself because you’re worried that an accident might happen to you, let an expert offering flat rate on materials and labor do it for you!