Garbage disposal grinding, drum moves freely

[Unhandyman]

The garbage disposal has started making terrible grinding sounds as if there were a spoon or something in there. I got my flashlight and poked around in there but I don’t see anything.

Using a fork, I can move the drum freely from the top, and using an Allen wrench I can spin it freely from below.

I do not see anything in the hopper, though I’ve looked over and over. With the drum moving freely I don’t think anything is stuck, but what could be making that sound and how can I find it?

 

[Snoonyb]

Welcome.

What is the age of the disposal?

 

[Unhandyman]

Just a couple of years old. Two or three at the most.

 

[Snoonyb]

You mentioned you use a tool to rotate the basket. I would rotate is using my fingers, because I could feel any minor obstruction. You can also feel in the basket tips side too side, which would be indicative.

Some units have a reverse function which may clear it, with several, short on off cycles.

As may be inevitable, changing them out is a DIY, and depending upon the brand, the trip to purchase could be longer than the labor.

 

[Unhandyman]

Thanks so much. I was sick yesterday and we had to leave the house today because the power went out, but I’ll check on this in the next day or so.

 

[Bob Reynolds]

There is a certain famous brand of well known disposals that are prone to failure because they use a plastic housing. I have replaced many of these with one that I buy on Amazon for under $50. It has a metal housing. Not one of these has failed me. They are cheap and they are good. They have over 7500 ratings on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Waste-King-L...ywords=garbage+disposal&qid=1613383603&sr=8-5

 

[Snoonyb]

In my experience, and while the disposals, all function similarly, the service calls involving wasting, have all began with the clearing from stopped operation, and inevitably from not being able to rotate the basket using the wooden spoon, recommended, to which another pry tool was employed, which resulted in the wasting being levered off the rubber mounting gasket, and left hanging from the plumbing.

The predominance of my installations have been insinkerator, because they have a positive mechanical attachment, at the sink, and the basket can be rotated from the bottom, with the hex wrench included, with a wooden spoon or a socket, extension and ratchet or lever handle, from the top.