Garbage Disposal Repair & Replacement in Lithia Springs, GA

Something that should not be there has dropped into the garbage disposal: a wedding band slipped off while washing up, a measuring spoon, the cap from a jar. Most of the time it can come out safely, and most of the time the unit is fine afterwards. What happens in the first minute decides most of the outcome.

Stop before anything else

Do not flip the switch to see whether it will grind through, and do not run water to wash it out of sight. Water can carry a small item past the disposal into the trap, and running the motor can ruin a piece of jewelry and chip the grinding parts. Unplug the disposal under the sink, or switch off its breaker if it is hardwired. The wall switch alone is not enough protection, because anyone in the house can flip it back on without knowing what you are doing.

Find where it went

Shine a flashlight through the drain opening. Many splash guards lift out, which gives a clearer view. The object will be in one of three places:

• On the plate, in plain sight. The easy case.
• Wedged between the plate and the grind ring, or under the plate. Turning the plate slightly with the hex key in the bottom of the unit can shift it into reach.
• Already past the disposal. If water ran after it fell, a small ring may be sitting in the trap below.

Tools that reach without hands

Kitchen tongs and long needle-nose pliers handle most retrievals. A strong magnet on a stick picks up steel spoons and bottle caps, and a wet/dry shop vacuum with a narrow nozzle can pull small loose items out of the chamber. Keep a flashlight pointed into the opening the whole time, and work slowly so the object is lifted rather than pushed farther down.

Glass and sharp pieces

A broken glass is the one case to take slowly. Lift out the larger pieces with tongs, then vacuum up the fragments. Turn the plate with the hex key a few times and vacuum again, since slivers hide underneath. Run the disposal with plenty of cold water only once you can see nothing left. If pieces stay lodged under the plate, leave the unit off and have it cleared.

If the disposal already ran

A disposal grinding on metal makes an unmistakable clatter. Once the object is out, turn the plate with the hex key; it should rotate freely without catching. Then run the unit with water and listen. A new rattle, a wobble or grinding that sounds rougher than before can mean a bent lug or a chipped ring, which on most household units means replacement rather than repair. If it sounds as it always did and stays dry, it probably came through intact.

When it is past the disposal

A ring that reached the trap can usually be recovered by removing the trap over a bucket, though old traps sometimes crack when disturbed, so a technician may replace the trap at the same visit. An object that went beyond the trap into the wall pipe is a job for drain repair. Something lost down a bathroom sink or tub falls under general plumbing services, and replacing a damaged unit is covered on our disposal service page.

Douglas County rules for Lithia Springs

Lithia Springs is served by Douglas County, whose Building Permits & Inspections office handles plumbing permits for new or renovation work. Under the county code, those generally go to a plumber with a state master license or to a homeowner working on their own home. Fishing out a spoon involves no new piping, but a retrieval that grows into new drain work comes under the county's rules.

Questions about objects dropped into a disposal in Lithia Springs

Is it safe to reach into a disposal if the power is off?

With the plug out or the breaker off, the motor cannot start, but your hand is still at risk. The toothed grind ring and any broken glass can cut, and you cannot see well inside the chamber. Tongs, pliers, a magnet for steel items or sticky putty on a dowel will reach anything that is visible. If none of them can get it, the object is probably wedged and needs the unit cleared from below.

Will a magnet pick up a ring that fell into the disposal?

Only if the ring contains iron or steel, and most rings do not. Gold, silver and platinum ignore magnets entirely. Use tongs or long pliers instead, or press a dab of sticky putty onto the end of a dowel and lift the ring out with that. Keep the water off the whole time so the ring does not slide down into the trap while you work.

How can I keep things from falling into the disposal?

Take rings off before washing up and set them well away from the sink. Keep the splash guard in good shape, put the stopper in whenever the disposal is idle, and scrape plates over the trash rather than the drain opening, since small spoons and bottle caps tend to ride along with the scraps. A sink strainer in the other bowl catches what slips there.

Still out of reach?

If the object is stuck where tongs cannot get it, or the unit sounds wrong afterwards, phone Alpha Plumbing and Sewer at (404) 409-4448 and keep the power off until we have looked at your Lithia Springs disposal.