Something you can fix yourself in five minutes, or a unit that needs replacing.
These aren't machines built to be rebuilt — motors are sealed, bearings aren't serviceable, and housings that corrode through are finished. Which means the diagnosis usually lands in one of two places, and the middle ground people hope for mostly doesn't exist.
That shapes how the visit should go.
If it's a jam or a tripped reset, you should be told on the phone and keep your money.
If it's genuinely finished, the replacement should happen on the same visit — not diagnosed today, quoted tomorrow, and fitted next week, with a hole under your sink and a bucket in the meantime.
So we carry replacement units in the common sizes, along with the flange kits, mounting hardware, and discharge fittings a changeover actually needs.
Tap the call button and tell us what it's doing.
AllPro Plumbing Services repairs, replaces, and installs garbage disposals across Upper Arlington, OH for homes and businesses.
Either might mean you don't need us at all — and we'd rather tell you now than after taking a booking.
The reset button. On the underside of the unit, usually red, and it pops out when the motor overloads, cutting all power until pushed back in. Most people don't know it's there, which is why a meaningful share of "dead" disposals are simply waiting for someone to reach underneath.
Then the breaker, and whether the unit is plugged in where it's a plug-in installation.
That's a jam, not a failure. Power is reaching the motor and something is wedged.
Then free it from underneath. Most units have a hex socket in the base and come with a matching wrench. Work the plate back and forth until it turns freely. No wrench? A wooden spoon handle levered against an impeller from above does the same.
Then press the reset and try again.
Worth knowing, because it's why carrying the unit matters more than it might sound.
Usually a mounting ring that twists free, though corroded ones can be stubborn.
This is the bit people don't expect. The flange, gasket, and mounting ring are consumable, and a new unit sitting on old, distorted mounting hardware is a leak waiting to happen.
Fresh sealant, properly tightened.
The outlet height rarely matches exactly — so an adjustment to the waste pipework is common rather than exceptional.
New units come with a knockout plug that must be removed if a dishwasher connects. Not removing it is one of the commonest installation errors there is.
Hard-wired units need the connection remade properly; plug-in units need the cord fitted to the new unit if it doesn't come with one.
Three positions, three different outcomes.
The mounting flange seal has failed. A reseat — and one of the few genuine middle-ground fixes in this category.
The discharge outlet or the dishwasher connection — a hose, a clamp, or a gasket.
Water from the body means internal seals have failed and water has been inside the motor. These are sealed assemblies not designed to be opened. That unit is finished — and it's the case for carrying a replacement, because water is currently running into your cabinet.
So "it's leaking" isn't a diagnosis. Two of three positions are inexpensive fixes; one is a same-day changeover.
A jam — free, and yours to do. A tripped reset or breaker — free. A mounting flange leak — a reseat. Discharge and dishwasher connection leaks — a hose, clamp, or gasket. A splash guard — a part. A blocked drain beyond the unit — drain work, not disposal work.
A leak from the housing. Failed bearings producing grinding and vibration. A burnt-out motor. A corroded chamber. Genuinely worn impellers and grind ring after years of use.
If yours has failed and you rarely used it, a plain waste and trap is cheaper, simpler, and one less thing to go wrong. We'll say so rather than fitting a replacement by default — carrying units doesn't mean selling them.
Mostly self-inflicted, and all avoidable.
Being run against a jam. Holding the switch while the motor strains.
Diagnosed and fitted on the same visit, rather than a hole under your sink until next week.
A new unit on old, distorted mounting hardware is a leak waiting to happen — and it's the part most commonly forgotten.
Reset button and jam wrench. If one of those is your answer, you keep your money entirely.
Top, side, or bottom. Two are repairs and one is a replacement.
A disposal grinding perfectly while the sink fills is not a disposal fault.
If you rarely used it, a plain waste and trap is cheaper and simpler — and we'd rather fit that than sell you a unit you won't miss.
Licensed, insured, and background-checked plumbers serving Upper Arlington, OH.
You'll have the diagnosis and every available option priced before work begins.
AllPro Plumbing Services proudly serves Upper Arlington, OH and the surrounding neighborhoods, repairing, replacing, and installing garbage disposals for domestic and commercial properties throughout the area. Unsure whether you're in range? Call and ask.
Click Here To Call Number(833) 435-3258Usually not at all. Replacement units in the common sizes are carried, along with flange kits and discharge fittings, so a changeover generally happens on the same visit rather than being diagnosed today and fitted next week.
Because a new disposal on old, distorted mounting hardware is a leak waiting to happen. The flange, gasket, and mounting ring are consumable parts of a changeover, and they're the item most commonly forgotten by a van carrying only the unit.
The reset button on the underside — it pops out when the motor overloads and cuts all power until pushed back in. Most people don't know it exists. If it's already in, check the breaker and whether the unit is plugged in.
That's a jam, not a failure. Switch it off at the wall immediately — running against a jam is what actually burns these units out — then fit the hex wrench into the socket underneath and work the plate back and forth.
No. Tongs or long-nosed pliers with the power off, or free it with the wrench from underneath.
Depends where from. From the top where it meets the sink is the flange seal — a reseat. From the side is a discharge or dishwasher connection. From the bottom of the housing means water has been in the motor, and that one is a replacement.
Honestly, no. These aren't built to be rebuilt — motors are sealed, bearings aren't serviceable, and corroded housings are finished. Jams, resets, flange seals, and connection leaks are genuine repairs. Beyond those, replacement is usually the answer, and it's better said plainly.
Then it isn't the disposal. The trap or the line beyond is blocked, and replacing the unit wouldn't fix it. Different job, and worth saying on the call.
Usually with an adjustment. Outlet heights rarely match exactly between models, so a small amount of waste rework is common rather than exceptional — which is why those fittings travel with us too.
Almost certainly the knockout plug in the dishwasher inlet, which has to be removed during installation and sometimes isn't. It's one of the commonest installation errors and a quick fix.
Yes, despite what you may have heard. Grounds settle downstream as a dense sludge. Eggshell membranes wrap the impellers and the shell becomes a grit that accumulates.
Not necessarily. If yours has failed and you rarely used it, a plain waste and trap is cheaper, simpler, and one less thing to go wrong. We'll fit that instead rather than replacing by default.
There's very little middle ground with these. It's a jam you can free in five minutes, or it's a unit that's finished — and the frustrating version is being told the second one, then waiting a week with a bucket under the sink while a replacement is ordered.
AllPro Plumbing Services gives you the free checks before booking, carries replacement units along with the flange kits and waste fittings a changeover actually needs, and will fit a plain waste and trap instead if that's what you'd genuinely prefer.
Tap the call button and tell us what it's doing — and where any water is coming from.
Click Here To Call Number(833) 435-3258