A garbage disposal leakage is something that you can fix quite easily. The only difficulty that you will experience with your garbage disposal is determining where the actual leak is coming from.
Usually, there are unique areas of a garbage disposal where leak mostly occurs. Such are mainly connections, rings or at the seals.
Causes of Leakages
I live in an apartment that has a septic system installed. The previous owner of the house had a garbage disposal installed. It is old fashioned so has been here for an extended period.
Although I had the septic inspected by a profession plumber before moving into the house three years ago, I have had leakages especially on the sink, the metal seal between the sink and the garbage disposal as well as from the cracks in my garbage disposal which is proven tough to repair. You can also be facing such a challenge and probably wonder what you can do to alleviate the crisis. This is the right article for you.
There can be quite some other causes of leakages on your garbage disposal system most of which originate from the garbage disposal itself. The uppermost part of a garbage disposal system called the sink flange, for instance, could be the cause of the leakage.
Sink flange is a point where disposal and the sink meets. If its mounting bolts are not tight enough to support to two gadgets, then leakages will develop. The leakage could be due to the failure of the plumber's putty or continued rusting of the sink flange.
The garbage disposal is often situated under the sink. If there was a tendency that you hit the unit while trying to reach out for something different, this could result in the unit sitting in an awkward position probably due to loosening of the bolts. If this occurs, then there is a chance that your disposal system will start to leak.
Some garbage disposals are usually connected to the drain pipe of the dishwasher. This is done to get strategically rid any leftovers of foods obtained from pans and plates. In case there is a leak in the hose pipe that connects the disposal to the dishwasher unit, this can be problematic.
Another cause of the leakage could be the presence of cracks in the body of the disposal caused by the disposal getting older becoming vulnerable to cracking in the inner shell. If this occurs, then the disposal system will likely be replaced with a new one.
Your garbage disposal could also be jammed. You will get to know whether it is stuck if its motor vibrates but its disposal fails to grind, run and stop before you can think of turning it off, or is excessively noisy. The problem often occurs if a fruit pit, piece of bone or a piece of stone get wedged between the drain hole and the impeller.
Unjam the Disposal
If your garbage disposal is jammed, there are several things that you can do to unjam it including unplugging the entire unit or rather turning off the circuit breaker that serves it. At the bottom of you disposal, you may look for hex-shaped whole and in case you find one, fit the hex wrench into the whole, by compelling it back and forth in each direction to free the impellers.
If some materials were put inside the disposal like for instance pieces of glass, metal, rubber or fibrous material, use pliers or a tong to pull them out of the disposal.
Replacement with Another One
If the disposal grinds poorly, that implies that you are not running it with adequate water. This could be caused by damages to the blade. If this is the case, then it is usually cheaper to just replace the entire garbage disposal system with a new one.
Resealing the Garbage Disposal
Most garbage disposals are fitted with a plumber's putty. If the putty is old or dysfunctional, you will have to open up the disposal, clean off the old putty or replace it with another one, then reseal it to stop the leakages. Some disposal will likely utilize a flange that is fitted with bolts. Such may require to be replaced or rather tightened and compressed appropriately with a screw.
Resealing or Tightening Connections
If your disposal is linked to the dishwasher via a metal clamp, you can try to tighten the screw with a screwdriver as you watch whether the leakage stops.
In case the drain line is joined with a screw and has a rubber gasket onto the inside, you may try to tighten the screw or replace the entire rubber gasket with a new one. This will stop the leakage completely.
Garbage disposal leakages can be very annoying if severe, resulting in wasting flooding randomly in your kitchens, gardens or another part of your house. As such they will instill dirt to utensils and other essential equipment in our houses. Leakages will create bad odors in our homestead making it very uncomfortable for us to live in our houses.
Leakages will pollute our sources of water for both use and consumption. Therefore, management of garbage disposal leakages remains an important aspect of our life.
If you might require additional information concerning the causes of such leakages as well as the means to manage them, you can contact Magic Plumbing that operates in San Francisco, CA with the contact phone number (415) 441-2255.