If your garbage disposal stopped working suddenly, there few things you can do to try and fix the problem yourself. If nothing happens when you flip the disposal switch, get down and take a look under the garbage disposal. There is usually a small red button under the garbage disposal that resets the system. Push the little red button and see if anything happens. If your disposal was just overworked or if there was a power surge, this could fix the problem.
If that doesn’t work, you will need to use a wrench-like tool (it usually comes with the garbage disposal) that is shaped like a squared “S” and is hexagonal in shape. On the end, there should be a flat piece of metal with 6 sides. With the tool, look at the bottom of the garbage disposal. There should be a hole in which this tool will fit. Stick it in there and turn the tool a few times. This will manually force the garbage disposal to turn, breaking up any hard pieces that may have caused the disposal to stop. A few turns should unclog the disposal. Try to flip the garbage disposal switch again and see if it is working properly. If you lost this tool or need a replacement, you can find it at your local hardware store for around $3.
Did both solutions not work for you? You can either buy and install a new garbage disposal yourself, which costs no more than $100, or you can hire a professional to look at it and fix it, which will likely cost a few hundred dollars. To find a high quality plumbing service that offers a reasonable price, use TalkLocal to get in contact with local businesses. TalkLocal will comparison shop for you to find a business that can accomodate your needs.
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Many thanks for the interesting write-up!