Commercial garbage disposals are important for restaurants and cafes to deal with food waste, but things become stressful if your garbage disposer drains slowly or stops draining. Is it the garbage disposal or the drain? Should you consult a plumber or a commercial appliances repair expert? Here are some causes of a clogged commercial garbage disposal.
Causes Of A Clogged Commercial Garbage Disposal
Something Is Stuck In The Garbage Disposal
A lot of stuff is thrown into the garbage disposal and it breaks it down into smaller pieces. However, in all that, something can get stuck in the disposal. It can be anything, a piece of a bone, nuts, shells, vegetable or fruit peels, bread, or any other things. It can even be a spoon.
Keep in mind that there are things you can put in the garbage disposal and then there are those items that you should never dump in the disposal. Allowed stuff can sometimes cause a clog, but restricted items are more likely to clog and jam your garbage disposal.
To avoid clogs, never put things that are not meant to go down the garbage disposal. And when grinding the allowed items, avoid going too quickly because this will create a jam.
Fixing A Clogged Commercial Garbage Disposal
For fixing a clogged or jammed commercial garbage disposal, turn off the power to the appliance by flipping down the breaker. Then, use a flashlight to inspect and find anything stuck inside the disposal. You should not only look for hard items, but also layers of grease and oil, because they can clog a disposal as well.
If you see anything solid, use a long-nose pliers to remove it. Never put your hand inside the disposal. Another method to remove a solid item from a commercial garbage disposal is by inserting a hex wrench into a hole at the bottom of the disposal and turning it in either direction.
If you can’t see anything during the inspection, use a plunger to remove the clog. After unclogging the commercial garbage disposal, press the red or black reset button at the bottom of the disposal. Note that some commercial units don’t have a reset button. So, consult the user manual.
You can reset a commercial garbage disposal that doesn’t have a reset button by turning off the breaker for 15 minutes and then restoring power to the unit.
Damaged Or Worn Impellers (Blades)
Commercial garbage disposals have impellers on a spinning plate that many believe are blades. The plate spins and the food is pushed onto the impellers that, with the help of grinding rings, grind the food into small particles. Impellers don’t need to be sharp like blades, but they still have texture that fades over time. With this, the impellers become less effective and the food waste is not completely shredded. Due to this, larger food particles may begin jamming or clogging the unit or the pipe, leading to a massive clog in some time where the unit doesn’t drain at all.
Common signs to watch out for inefficient impellers are the garbage disposal humming but not grinding, waste taking longer to clear, and the unit tripping frequently.
If the impellers are only jammed by something stuck inside or sludge, you can clean the garbage disposal to ensure the impellers work normally again. However, if the problem is due to wear or damage, you will have to replace the garbage disposal unit because impellers can’t be replaced individually.
Consult a plumber or the garbage disposal manufacturer’s service center so the unit can be inspected first. It’s required because if the grinding rings are worn, you can have them replaced, in some cases, without replacing the entire disposal, but in case of worn impellers, a garbage disposal replacement will be in order.
Motor Problems
A failing garbage disposal motor doesn’t generate enough power to rotate the plate, so the food waste is not grinded properly. This creates the same issue that worn impellers create. Larger food items may clog the unit and the pipes.
A common sign of a failing motor is the garbage disposal tripping the breaker even under regular usage. This is a sign of many garbage disposal problems, so other signs to look for are the disposal vibrating more than normal, unusual noises, the unit suddenly turning off after working for a short period of time, the unit may feel like overheating, and the garbage disposal keeps clogging frequently.
So, have a plumber or garbage disposal expert check the unit, including the motor, for problems. Keep in mind that there are other electrical and related issues, such as a bad capacitor, faulty control switch, bad solenoid (contactor), and the disposal tripping the breaker due to other issues like a stuck item in the unit. These issues can be mistaken for a failing motor.
An expert can repair and fix most of these electrical issues. However, in case of motor malfunctions, they are not repairable, so you will need to replace the whole garbage disposal.
However, if you have an ice machine with a bad motor, it’s replaceable. Consult a commercial ice make repair Fairfax service.
Improper Installation
Poor installation can turn using a garbage disposal into a nightmare because many kinds of problems can occur depending on which part of the installation went wrong. There can be electrical, mechanical, drainage, water supply, and safety issues. As we are discussing drain problems, improper installation in this regard can lead to slow drains, water backups, leaks, sewer-like smells, and other issues. These problems will put stress on the unit, which means premature failure of the motor.
If you have been noticing drain problems or water supply issues since day one of the garbage disposal installation, then the issue may be due to poor installation. Consult an expert to inspect the entire system and suggest fixes. Moreover, regularly maintain the garbage disposal to extend its life.
Clogged Drain Line
Sometimes, the issue is not with the garbage disposal but with the drain line. There are many drain problems that can be the cause of the disposal drain issue, such as scale or sludge buildup in the pipes, no grease trap or ignoring grease trap cleaning, insufficient water flow, sewer backup, incorrect drain slope, or a too small drain line.
You would want to determine whether it’s a garbage disposal clog or a drain line clog. So, you may have a clogged garbage disposal if the unit hums but doesn’t run, the p-trap is full of food waste, and the disposal feels jammed when you use a hex wrench on the socket at the bottom of the unit to dislodge any stuck items.
It may be a drain line clog, if the disposal runs and sounds normal but there is a drain issue, the p-trap is clear of food waste, the disposal rotates freely when you use a hex wrench for manually rotating the disposal, and other sinks nearby are also draining slowly. At this point, call in a plumber.
Old Garbage Disposal
It was explained earlier that worn impellers may cause drain problems that will put stress on the motor, leading to its failure. This has to do with the age of the unit, given that you’re not overloading the disposal and following the best practices.
Older units will slowly begin giving up as the motor won’t perform well enough and the impellers will be worn. So, if your unit is older than 10 years, have it inspected and ask the expert if you should replace it.
Conclusion
Drain problems in commercial garbage disposals are mainly due to something stuck in the unit, worn impellers, a failing motor, improper installation, or a clogged drain line. Contact a plumber who will let you know if they can fix it or you will need a commercial garbage disposal repair Clifton professional.
