There are all kinds of garbage disposal questions and answers on the internet but none of them seem to address my issue.
My garbage disposal seems to be jammed, but not in the usual way. If I go to run it and look down into the hole with a light it tries to start but then catches on something and stops. If I don't turn it off it pops the reset switch, like it should. To help loosen whatever is in there I pulled out an Allen wrench and tried spinning it from the bottom. To my surprise, it spins totally freely. Finally, I removed it from its mount and (while unplugged, obviously) inspected the inside for anything obviously jammed between the rotator and the grate-like thing. Seeing nothing, I reached my hand in to spin it manually from the top and found that it spins freely that way as well.
Any thoughts on what may be wrong or what I should try next? FWIW, it's an insinkerator and I have no idea how old it is. I just bought the house, but it's a 17 year old house whose kitchen was redone somewhere in that time.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Best Answer
sounds like a mechanical failure, most likely the pin(s) or bushing(s) that hold the anvils in position are worn. when you hand spin it you can't product enough force to replicate the problem. a new disposal should be no more than $125 and maybe an hour to install.