When the under sink food waste disposer starts making unpleasant noises, users often get discouraged and either hire a repairman or buy a new appliance, although the problem can be fixed on your own.
To solve a problem, one must first find its source. The main causes of chopper hum include:
- Stuck flywheel;
- Faulty motor bearing.
And sometimes the device can be working properly, but still continue to make sounds. The sequence of actions in different cases is different, you need to carefully consider each situation.
Stuck flywheel
The most common cause of noise when grinding food waste. Residues get stuck in the mechanism, which causes the system to put extra effort into grinding the items. This causes buzzing sounds during operation.
Correcting the problem in this case is not difficult. First of all, you need to disconnect the device from the electricity network. Next, you need to check the sink, pipes and the flywheel itself for the presence of debris, which causes a slowdown in the chopper and, as a result, noise during its operation.
To make sure that there is no debris left in any area, use a long and thin stick, this can be a knitting needle, for example, to scroll the flywheel plates and clean out previously invisible gaps.
After cleaning the system, turn on the grinder and turn on the cold water. Within 2 – 5 minutes, the mechanism will cool down and be cleaned of residues. If, after cleaning, the problem with the buzzing sound does not go away, then you need to look for the problem in other parts of the device.
Bad bearing
First you need to visually assess the condition of the flywheel. If it rotates freely and if there are no elements preventing its operation, then the problem may be in a faulty bearing. In this case, the sounds from the chopper indicate that the mechanism is still receiving energy.
Moreover, sometimes the bearing starts to work incorrectly, not due to mechanical damage, but due to the activation of the circuit. The solution in this case is the usual reboot of the device: press and hold the red button on the device. Next, you need to wait for 5 – 10 minutes for the grinder to cool completely. After the device must be turned on.
Grinder hums and smokes
If smoke is added to the humming sounds, this indicates a burnt motor or capacitor. This problem should be considered when the usual cleaning and rebooting of the device did not solve the noise.
In this case, a complete replacement of the garbage chute with a new one will be required. You can contact the service center or the warranty center.
Grinder hums and leaks
In addition to noise, there may also be a leak. How to eliminate the buzz is described in the previous paragraphs. In order to solve the problem of leaks, you need to disassemble the recycling mechanism: you need to turn it off, remove it and check all its components and fastening.
As a rule, the root of the problem lies in a loosely screwed device. You need to tighten the bolts to the support more tightly. However, if water continues to flow, check that the sink flange is high enough. With prolonged use, it can fall, it must be tightened in time and fixed in the right place to avoid leaks.
Pay special attention to the putty at the flange: it acts as a kind of gasket between the devices. Accordingly, any unfilled gaps may be the cause of leaks. Therefore, you need to tighten the mechanism so that there are no gaps and gaps.
If these manipulations did not solve the problem, most likely the root of the problem is inside the plumbing system. This is quite difficult to solve on your own, so it is better to contact a specialist.
If it buzzes and leaves blockages in the sink
Long-term operation of the food waste grinder leads to clogging of the device. It accumulates solid food residues, fat, hair and other elements that prevent smooth operation. This can cause blockages and noise.
You can solve this problem yourself at home. It is necessary to turn off the disposal, pour soapy water into the sink and clean the pipeline with a plunger. Depending on the severity of the blockage, the duration of manipulations can vary from 1 to 5 minutes.
If the plunger did not help to cope with the blockage, use a special cable. It must be passed through the water pipe until a blockage is found. Then it will need to be pushed through, perhaps additional efforts will be required. After that, you can additionally carry out manipulations with the plunger. When the water from the sink starts to come out freely, you can reconnect the food waste disposer to the network.
As a rule, after cleaning the pipeline, the problem with blockage and noise is solved. But, if in your case it was not possible to fix the problem, make sure that the hose is not kinked or deformed anywhere, as this, among other things, causes water obstruction and stagnation. If this does not help, use the services of specialists.
Chopper is noisy but works well
If no food remains were found in the flywheel, then a foreign object may have fallen into the grinder, which prevents free rotation. For example, it can be a plastic straw or a disposable spoon.
Disconnect the device from the electricity network, and then unscrew the siphon with a wrench. The siphon must be cleaned of debris accumulated during use. If large objects were found in it, then most likely they prevented the passage of water through the pipeline.
If the problem with the hum was not a blockage, then the short circuit may not be producing enough power to run the grinder quickly, causing it to make humming noises.
In this case, you need to restart the device: press and hold the red button on the device until it turns off. Next, you need to wait for 5 – 10 minutes for the grinder to cool completely. After the device needs to be turned on and check if it makes more noise.
How to reset your device
There is a red button on the body of the food waste grinder, which is responsible for turning the device on and off. You can try restarting your device if none of the above steps worked for you.
To do this, you need to turn off the grinder, press the button and hold it for 5 – 10 seconds. It should be noted that the sequence of actions may differ depending on the manufacturer and system functions. After the reset, allow the mechanism to cool down for up to 10 minutes, and then turn it on again.
Usually rebooting the shredder system will solve the noise problem in the device. However, if none of the points and tips helped you, it may be worth changing the grinder for a new one. This is especially true in cases where the old unit has been in operation for a long time.
In the event that the problem cannot be solved with a new device, contact a specialist or a warranty service center, where you will be offered either a free repair or a replacement with a new device.