How to free a jammed or humming garbage disposal, and when to call a pro

If your garbage disposal only hums, or won't grind or turn on, it usually means a jam¹. Never put your hand in it, not even with the power off^2,3. Use tongs or pliers instead³.

Smaller disposals are not made to grind bones or stringy foods like corn husks. These can get stuck inside, and then the motor may hum because it can't turn the grinder. Trying to run it again and again can trip its built-in safety switch. Then it stops and makes no sound at all^1,4.

Cooking a big holiday meal? InSinkErator, GE and Maytag all say to keep grease out of the disposal^5,6,4. They don't agree on potato peels, rice, pasta, coffee grounds or eggshells^6,4,7,5. Their lists, and what to do with grease, are below.

How to free a jammed disposal

These steps are for a disposal that is jammed, humming, stuck or has stopped working. Some models need a different step, shown below³.

Turn the disposal off at its switch. Then cut its power: follow its cord under the sink and unplug it. If you can't unplug it, switch off its circuit breaker or take out its fuse.^4,8,2,9
If the sink is full of water, let it drain, or bail it out with a pot.^3,4
Take out the sink stopper, and the splash guard if yours comes out. Shine a flashlight down the drain. If you see something stuck, like a bone or a piece of metal, lift it out with tongs or pliers.^2,9,3
Look under the sink for a hole in the center of the disposal's bottom. Put a hex (Allen) wrench or a disposal wrench in it. If you can't find the wrench that came with an InSinkErator, it says a standard 1/4-inch Allen wrench will do. Work the wrench back and forth until it turns freely all the way around, both ways.^3,4
No hole on the bottom? Some models are freed from above instead. With the power still off, push the handle of a wooden spoon down the drain, and use it to turn the plate inside.^3,9
Look again with the flashlight. Lift out anything that came loose with tongs or pliers, never your hand.^3,3
Let the motor cool: GE says two to five minutes. Then find the small red reset button, on the bottom of the disposal or low on its side, and press it in. InSinkErator says a tripped button sticks out about a quarter of an inch, and if it won't stay in, to wait ten minutes and try again. On some disposals the button sits back a little, so Moen says you may need a screwdriver to push it.^10,4,11,1
Some InSinkErator models (EZ Connect, Builder Series, Amana and ES) have an automatic overload switch. For those, InSinkErator says to turn off the wall switch and let the disposal cool for up to 20 minutes before turning it back on. If yours runs on a push-button air switch, turn it off and unplug it for up to 20 minutes.³
Take the wrench out of the bottom of the disposal and your tools out of the sink. Put the splash guard back, and make sure no one is near the drain. Turn the power back on. Run cold water first, then switch the disposal on.^4,9,1,3,11
Still humming or jammed? Cut the power again and repeat the steps. InSinkErator says you may need to do this several times.^1,3

When it's a job for a pro

It still hums or won't start after you repeat the steps and check for a tripped breaker or fuse. GE recommends service, and Moen points you to more checks or its support team.^10,1
The reset button won't stay in, or you have to press it again and again. InSinkErator says the disposal may need service or replacement.¹¹
With the disposal's wall switch on, a lamp plugged into its outlet still gets no power, even after you check for a tripped breaker or fuse. Moen says the outlet is broken and may need an electrician to replace it.¹²
Water leaks from the drain pipes near the disposal, not the disposal itself. InSinkErator says to tighten the joints as needed, and to find a certified plumber for help.¹³
Water drips from the bottom of the disposal, or where its motor joins the body. First check that it isn't running down from higher up. For its own disposals, InSinkErator says to contact it for help.¹³
You aren't sure about the reset, or you run into trouble. Maytag says to consider one of its certified technicians.⁴
CrewButton doesn't check licenses. Before you hire, check the license with your state or county government, and ask for proof of insurance.¹⁴
Get more than one written estimate. Each should list the work, the materials, the finish date and the price. Don't pick one just because it is the lowest, and ask why if the estimates are far apart.¹⁴

Holiday cooking: what the makers say can and can't go in

GE gives a general list of things not to put into a disposer: bones; nuts and their shells; fruit pits and seeds; egg shells; seafood shells; stringy foods such as celery, pumpkin, artichokes, asparagus, onion skins and corn husks; coffee grounds; pasta and rice, which expand and can start to clog; potato peels; grease and fat, which build up and start to clog; and paper, plastic, cloth and other things that aren't food.⁶
Maytag says to run cold water before, during and for 15 to 30 seconds after use, and to feed food in small amounts. It says to avoid stringy foods like celery and corn husks, large amounts of starchy scraps like potato peels and rice, eggshells in bulk, coffee grounds, bones, and grease or oil.⁴
InSinkErator lists potato peels, rice and pasta among the food scraps it recommends for its disposals, when the disposal is used the right way. It says never to put fats, oils or grease into the disposal.⁷
InSinkErator says coffee grounds and eggshells don't harm a disposal. But too much at once, or old or partly blocked pipes, can mean a clog or a slow drain. Feed them in a little at a time, with a strong flow of cold water.⁵

Grease doesn't go down the drain

InSinkErator says never to put any fats, oils or grease in a garbage disposal, or down a sink drain at all. They collect inside the pipes and are usually the cause of many plumbing problems.⁵
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lists fats, oils and grease sent into the sewers among the problems that can make sewers overflow, releasing untreated or partly treated sewage. It says they may create blockages.¹⁵
For homes with a septic system, an EPA flyer says not to pour cooking grease or oil down the sink or toilet, and to put grease in a container to harden before throwing it in the trash. It also says not to rinse coffee grounds into the sink.¹⁶
For homes with a septic system, the EPA says never to pour cooking oil or grease down the drain, and to stop or limit using a garbage disposal. That greatly cuts the fats, grease and solids that reach the septic tank and could clog the drainfield, the part of the system that cleans the liquid coming out of the tank.¹⁷

Why it jams, and how to keep it running

GE says a built-in control stops the disposer's motor to protect it when it is overloaded. Packing food in too tightly, or feeding it in too fast, can overload it, and things like utensils can fall in and jam it.¹⁸
InSinkErator says to run a moderate flow of cold water while the disposal grinds, and for a few seconds after. Avoid hot water while grinding food; hot water is fine between grinding times.³
Moen says never to put lye or chemical drain cleaners into a garbage disposal, because they badly corrode its metal parts.¹⁹

Published by CrewButton (Econ Labs, LLC, Addison, Texas). Drafted with AI (Claude) from the sources below. Facts were checked against their sources by AI, and the page was approved by CrewButton's founder on November 11, 2026. First published November 7, 2026. Updated November 11, 2026. Last reviewed November 11, 2026.