home repair rob on 09 Nov 2008 11:14 am
Fixing a Broken Badger 5 Plus Insinkerator Garbage Disposal
My Badger 5 Plus garbage disposal seized up a few weeks ago after some mango peels made their way down into the drain. The disposal simply made this humming noise when it was on. It sounded like the motor was going but the blades were not turning.At first, I was ambivalent. “Maybe it will fix itself” I thought. But it didn’t. And then the sink stopped draining. So, I did the horror-movie thing and reached down into the bog of coffee grounds, lettuce and bloated cereal flakes to check if the blades were moving.
Apparently, you’re supposed to use a broom handle to do this, but that doesn’t get the same adrenaline rush of wondering if a freak accident will cause the fingers on your right hand to be appropriately diced up.
The blades did move freely down there, so I sort of just shifted the food particles around and the water drained a little less slowly, but no less disgustingly from my sink. And then mid-terms hit so I didn’t do anything about it for a few weeks. I tried it again at one point and noticed that even the hum of the motor had gone away. The problem with the disposal had progressed to the death of the machine.
This morning I emptied out some old rice milk, (who knew rice milk could congeal?) and headed to the grocery. On my return, I found the rice milk peices still floating in my sink and decided enough was enough, it was time for action.
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I put my serious game face on and googled until I found people with my same problem. This guy Ryan at the Daily Ping had a post with a ton of responses that were similar to my situation. I distilled a lot of posts down to the following steps to troubleshoot and fix the Badger 5 Garbage Disposal when it stops working for you:
- When you flip the switch, does it hum?
- If it doesn’t hum:
- Check is it plugged in?
- If it is plugged in, feel around on the bottom of the disposal for the reset button. More info on that button here.
- Hit the button and test it again. Humming now?
- If it hums:
- Are the blades moving freely?
- If not, use a broom handle or a long wooden spoon to try and spin the blades.
- You can also try sticking your hand down there, but you are risking your career as a hand model. (Turn off your circuit breaker for safety!)
- If they are spinning freely when you touch them, but they won’t engage when you turn the disposal on::
- Go to your local hardware store and buy a 1/4 inch sized Allen wrench also called a Hex key or Hex tool. It is an L-shaped, six sided tool. These usually come in a small set for about $4.
- Look under the disposal for a mysterious hole at the center. Place the short end of the hex tool into this hole and rotate it around a few times, back and forth. If you have a small bog of eternal stench in your sink like I did, and you’re lucky, you should see/hear the water immediatly drain.
- Try the switch again. With luck, your disposal will be back to hacking up your food bits.
Note: In the comments some folks have said it can take more vigorous repetition in some cases. All I’m saying is you may have to show that drain who’s boss.
- Are the blades moving freely?
- If it doesn’t hum:
I hope that these steps help a few people fix their sink. If you have any other questions, or these instructions helped you you’re welcome to post about your victory here.
Update: I’m so pumped at how many people this helped and posted in the comments. You’re welcome. I couldn’t have done it without the mango peel that got me into this mess. That was an important mango.
on 10 Nov 2008 at 9:00 am 1.rrb said …
You could have also called Joe the Plumber. I hear he has lots of free time now…
on 10 Nov 2008 at 2:35 pm 2.Mary said …
But Joe the Plumber is woefully unlicensed, so using him would be as risky as sticking your hand into the garbage disposal.
on 11 Nov 2008 at 12:35 pm 3.Israeli said …
We don’t have garbage disposals in Israel! Lucky you!
on 23 Nov 2008 at 12:05 pm 4.Des said …
Rob,
Great troubleshooting tips! My disposal just broke in the middle of the football game. After cursing for a while, I read your blog. Your blog both gave me some laughs as well as helping me fix the problem. Didn’t help my team win but thanks a lot for the tips!
on 27 Nov 2008 at 8:59 pm 5.Young said …
Thank you so much!!!!!!
I made it. Wow.
on 20 Dec 2008 at 1:36 pm 6.NotSoHandyGirl said …
Thank you! You saved me from having to call my landlord. I never thought I would be so happy to hear the growl of my grinder.
on 02 Jan 2009 at 8:27 am 7.Deely said …
Thanks for the tips. I was debating buying a new one or calling for service. You just saved me ~$100 by being able to free it up with the hex wrench.
on 03 Jan 2009 at 10:18 am 8.Connecticut said …
Thank yom, thank you. I went to a local store, bought a 1/4″ Allen wrench and hey presto it worked. Two small pieces of bone had lodged in the disposal unit. I sucked them out with a wet/dry vac.
on 06 Jan 2009 at 6:23 pm 9.Tim said …
Thank you–worked perfectly!
on 13 Jan 2009 at 5:14 pm 10.Andy said …
Awsome Thanks
on 21 Jan 2009 at 5:52 pm 11.Anita said …
Yes!! Just when I was ready to throw in the towel and call for help for our 3 year old disposal, I googled and found your post. The sweet sound of rotating, grinding blades fills my kitchen again. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
on 26 Jan 2009 at 6:48 pm 12.Josh said …
OMG!! Was ready to call Landlord and Joe the Plumber to be without a garbage disposal for a few days. Worked like a charm!!
Rob, thank you so much for this!
J
on 11 Feb 2009 at 6:54 pm 13.Lauren said …
Thank you Rob! You are the best for saving me from being in the dog house with my husband because I somehow got our dish rag got caught in there.
Your instructions worked great! Thanks again.
on 16 Feb 2009 at 10:40 am 14.Chad said …
Rob, your the best. I thought I was going to have to install a new unit. After reading your post I got it fixed. Thanks…
on 20 Feb 2009 at 6:49 pm 15.Anna said …
Thanks for the info on the Badger 5 unit. I also thought I was going to have to replace mine, but after reading your post, I was able to fix it. It saved me the time and effort to replace it and the money as well. Keep up the good work!!!
on 24 Feb 2009 at 10:18 am 16.Steve said …
Wow,
Thanks really thought my wife did it this time.. Busted vase or something was in there. Reset button has worked in the past, but I never knew about the allen wrench deal. Had one in the garage and it solved it (after vacuuming out a bunch of glass) Thank You! I thought I was about to buy a new one and was deciding between calling a plumber or do it myself!
on 27 Feb 2009 at 4:48 pm 17.sharon said …
You are my hero!!! Thank you so much. A metal clip had wedged down in there and I could not get it out. That manuver worked and I was able to pull it out. I could not afford a new one and pay the plumber to install it. It is a beautiful sound, the ole garbage disposal.
on 27 Feb 2009 at 7:46 pm 18.Steve said …
I have had this machine apart in the past, and I still did not realize there was a reset switch on it! Thanks!
on 06 Mar 2009 at 9:18 am 19.Laura said …
Thank you!!!!!!!
on 08 Mar 2009 at 12:14 pm 20.Otto said …
So I am following your instructions. What if after 1-3: Hit the button and test it again. Humming now? It still is not humming. Because part 2 goes into: Its humming but blades are not turning.
So I turn it on, I checked to make sure it is plugged in, I hit the reset button, it still is not humming, but one of the blades feels stuck. Should it still be humming?
on 08 Mar 2009 at 1:26 pm 21.rob said …
I’m glad this seems to have helped so many people, thank you for the replies!
otto: It looks like you uncovered a hole in my guide. I can only assume that the humming sound is the motor trying to spin engage the disposal blades. If you can’t hear the motor trying to work at all, I would guess the stuck blade isn’t what’s preventing that. Though, I’m not sure.
Please post what you end up having to do.
on 11 Mar 2009 at 1:11 pm 22.fixit girl said …
Ok, I have tried the reset button, flipped switch on, it’s hummming, used the hex wrench that came with the disposal (about ten times in both directions), unplugged and checked for obstructions, and it still won’t work.
What now?
on 11 Mar 2009 at 1:48 pm 23.rob said …
I’m not sure, fixit. Please post what happens!
on 19 Mar 2009 at 1:04 pm 24.Cliff said …
The allen wrench did the trick. Sure saved me a lot of hassle. THANX!
on 20 Mar 2009 at 4:05 pm 25.Jim said …
Humming, loose grinders, not draining. Have done the hex but it still won’t drain, just bubbles. Can’t find a reset button…felt all around and cut my thumb. Can someone tell me where it is?
on 21 Mar 2009 at 9:05 pm 26.Justin said …
Great article! I too was sticking my hand into the abyss just picturing the blades somehow turning themselves on taking my fingers off. Thankfully that didn’t happen, but the blades never did start moving. I did a Google search and came upon this article.
I had a bunch of small pieces of gravel fall into the disposal and it caused the blades to stop, water to stop draining, and terrible smell to develop.
I tried your tips but my Badger 5 doesn’t seem to have a place for the allen key where you say to put it. Right in the center of the disposal where you say to put the allen key is only like a big nut with no place for an allen key. I’d it’s say just over 1/2″. I tried using my socket wrench to loosen it, but couldn’t get enough leverage because the disposal is a bit too far down from the sink.
Anyway, I did see a couple pieces of gravel in the crevices of the base the blades sit on so I used a fork to force them all the down as they wouldn’t come up. Now my blades move, but I think something else should be occurring. It sounds much softer than I remember when it worked fully. Am I correct or just mistaken?
If the blades move but there should be another piece moving as well, any further tips based on the above description?
Thanks so much!
on 24 Mar 2009 at 11:19 am 27.kate said …
Thank you! I followed your steps and presto, all good. And you are entertaining too, which is a nice plus.
on 07 Apr 2009 at 5:35 am 28.ab said …
Hey thanks a lot i had a guy come out a few years ago and do this and after reading your article i did the same thing without the $50 surcharge and 4 hour wait. Much appreciated!!
on 07 Apr 2009 at 6:13 pm 29.Dubya said …
Rob you Rock! Thanks this was way easier than my plan of action, which was to take it apart and test/replace etc. Thanks for you Blog!
Jim – The reset button is on the bottom of the disposal and is red, it isn’t very conspicous, but it’s there. If you hear no noise then it is probably tripped. I reset mine and it worked fine. When tripped it actually sticks out just a little bit, when reset it is flush with the bottom of the diposal.
Justin – I tried the same as you initially guessing that the 1/4 hex key slot was inside the disposal, but it is actually underneath it, smack dab in the center. Mine turned easily back and forth, the water drained, and disposal worked.
Beautiful!
on 12 Apr 2009 at 6:12 pm 30.David said …
David – I just used this on my Badger 5. The allen wrench underneath the disposal did the trick. Works great…..all good. Thankyou so much:-).
on 12 Apr 2009 at 8:57 pm 31.Sean said …
Thank you! Your information helped us greatly. Our disposal is working again, like a charm!
on 15 Apr 2009 at 3:11 pm 32.Leslie Sr said …
Great tips, broom handle and reset button worked perfectly. The wife is happy again.
Thanks
on 16 Apr 2009 at 5:52 pm 33.mutch said …
LOL! hilarious writing, and fantastic tips. my sister panicked before googling. ive cleared a clogged insinkerator before and when hers stopped working, i was on your blog to perform the checks on the badger 5 when it spat out the veggies and started working again
on 02 May 2009 at 4:03 pm 34.Victoria said …
Brilliant! Thanks bunches!
on 02 May 2009 at 8:38 pm 35.gareth said …
Wish I’d read this *before* doing the dinner party dishes tonight without a disposal.
Rob, thanks!! I’m about to be underemployed and thought I’d be dropping much needed bucks for repairs or replacement. More ice cream to celebrate!
on 04 May 2009 at 9:12 pm 36.Jojm said …
Blades move freely and we get the buzzing noise but the motor does not move the blades only humm. Any ideas ? I have detached and cleaned out this Stinky thing re installed and still only buzzing yet no engaging of the blades, eventhough they are not stuck…
Appreciate any tips…
on 06 May 2009 at 5:00 pm 37.Mary said …
Thanks. I just fixed my garbage disposal. It broke once before and we called a repairman. He took about ten second to fix it and charged us 125 bucks. We just couldn’t remember what he did. Thanks a million.
on 16 May 2009 at 7:16 am 38.Nelson said …
Rob, Thanks for the info. Grinder had the buzzing sound, blades would not turn. Tried the reset button a couple of times to no avail. Read your article, got the wrench and loosen the blades. Works great. Thanks…
on 18 May 2009 at 11:18 am 39.j said …
Okay, easy fix but obviously an optimal piece of equipment if so many of us have trouble, or do we all just have that many kids?
on 19 May 2009 at 5:21 pm 40.Dawn said …
I was this close to calling a plumber. The allen wrench under the disposal worked perfectly. I had washed some sanded grout down the drain…
on 21 May 2009 at 4:11 pm 41.Annie said …
Thanks you so much for the tip! Got the Allen Wrench and it did the thing. I used a vacuum to suck out whatever was lodged in there and got loosened. It’s working like normal now! I only spent $8 on the wrench, and you probably saved me a lot more than that.
on 22 May 2009 at 10:33 am 42.Deana said …
The sweet sound of success. Thank you Thank you Thank you. It worked like a charm and now I feel like Super Woman Thanks again!
on 23 May 2009 at 1:00 pm 43.brett said …
Dude- the allen wrench trick worked like a charm! Actually, I don’t have a 1/4″ allen wrench, so I just used a flat head screwdriver. Thanks for the help!
on 24 May 2009 at 2:59 pm 44.Betsy said …
Hi, Rob,
Did the reset thing, turned the blades with the wrench, even turned the reset switch on the electrical control panel as well as the reset switch on the bottom of the In sink erator which happens to be a Badger from Home Depot, 1/2 horsepower. Still no motor sound. What will happen if I turn the dishwasher on? If it floods, then I will really need a plumber, or sign up for an appliance policy. Hope I am not the last to write.
Think I may just use the drain cup, and make believe I don’t have a disposal unit. ( :
Betsy
on 24 May 2009 at 3:02 pm 45.Betsy said …
Which company has the better home appliance policy? Total? Service America? Sears? Other?
on 25 May 2009 at 8:55 am 46.KC said …
You’re my HERO! I was headed to the local home repair store to buy a new disposal and thought it couldn’t hurt to Google first. I would have spent much, MUCH more than the paltry amount my already idle Allen wrench would have cost me. If I had been offering a reward, it would have gone to you! Thanks much!!!
on 25 May 2009 at 7:26 pm 47.Ed said …
my badger 5 is pissing water through the power cord on the bottom is it fairly simple to get a seal and replace it or should i just dispose of it and buy a new one
on 27 May 2009 at 12:05 pm 48.Philip said …
I too have used all the advice given but my Badger B1-79 disposal will only hum when I turn on the power switch. The cutting blades move freely, the allen wrench moves it freely and the reset button button doesn’t help it. The reset button will not go into a set/stationery position. It moves freely when I push or move it side-to-side.Could this be the problem? HELP!
on 28 May 2009 at 2:38 pm 49.Saundra said …
Thank you. Its been broken for two months. Called in a Handyman. He said I needed to buy a new unit. I went on line to check warranty and prices and found your blog. Voila, I fixed it!!!!!! all by my lonesome.
on 31 May 2009 at 9:08 am 50.Anthony said …
Thanks for the tips – worked awesome. Popped breaker and it was jammed. The hex broke it loose and now my wife is free to clog it once more!
on 31 May 2009 at 10:40 am 51.Kaye said …
Awesome, concise answer, thanks!
on 01 Jun 2009 at 9:18 pm 52.Rohan said …
Thanks for the suggestions! I didn’t realize neither that there is (1) reset switch on the underside nor (2) that the hexagonal driver that came with the unit can be used to manually propel the motor to remove the obstacle preventing it from rotating freely. Surely saved me a call to the plumber. Thanks again!
on 06 Jun 2009 at 6:01 pm 53.Martha said …
Still having problems after I use the hex tool. The blades are moving freely, not much garbage in the disposal. Still hearing the humming, just can’t figure out what the problem is. Can you help me.
Thanks
Martha
on 08 Jun 2009 at 4:29 pm 54.Cory said …
You are the man. I did exactly what you told me and it fixed it. I thought I was going to have to call a plumber. Thank you so much
on 09 Jun 2009 at 3:37 pm 55.Bobby said …
Thank you! I thought I was going to have to call for support, but your trick worked like a charm. I thought I remembered reading about something like this in the manual, but Iwouldn’t find it anywhere.
on 15 Jun 2009 at 4:59 pm 56.Robert-s said …
Hi folks,
This might be helpful for those of you who have the hum, free blades, but no start condition on the Badger series GD. I had the same problem and found replacing the start switch in the bottom of the unit solved the problem. The switch is a white plastic assembly with a brass finger. You have to remove the bottom plate of the disposer (by removing the four long screws on the top of the unit) and carefully pry off the bottom plate. Check the motor windings, they should be copper color, if not the motor may have burned out. Next check the centrifugal governor (on the motor shaft) to see of it moves down freely. If that’s OK take a look at the switch. There is a white lever that makes contact with the governor plate, gently lift it up and verify the brass switch finger makes contact and there is no corrosion. If not it’s possible to bend it a bit but replacement is the permanent fix. You can find the part here:
http://www.repairclinic.com/SSPartDetail.aspx?s=a2b99c276i868785&PartID=868785
on 17 Jun 2009 at 5:56 am 57.Angela said …
Thanks!!!! I used the hex key and then pushed the little red button on the bottom and it now works!! This was very important because we have a party this weekend and the garbage disposal is very important. Thank you so much!
on 21 Jun 2009 at 6:57 pm 58.Spook said …
Whooohoooo…Roommate shoved a shot glass down there that shattered. This fixed it!!! You da’ man!!!
on 23 Jun 2009 at 4:21 pm 59.kryssy said …
MANNNNNNNNNNNN…i appreciate this post soooo much. I was about to call the plumber…just had something jammed in the blades. never thought to actually get a flashlight and take a look…i just was putting my hands in and moving things around…i really appreciate your posts…I LOVE THE INTERNET…what would we do without it…
on 23 Jun 2009 at 5:28 pm 60.Bill said …
WOW, I like many others on here was to the point of calling the landlord and I stumbled on to your site. THANK YOU !!!!! I kinda feel stupid though, you had great instructions. It was so simple….
Thanks again!!
on 25 Jun 2009 at 7:03 pm 61.Annie said …
You are awesome. Asked my boyfriend if he could fix it, said needs to be replaced. Googled and found you post, did exactly what you said and she’s grinding again! Thank you so much!
on 28 Jun 2009 at 5:29 pm 62.cb said …
yea-sss! that allen wrench was hard to turn but i didn’t give up. i wasn’t letting the machine or the plumber win this time. thanks for your post!
on 06 Jul 2009 at 1:29 pm 63.Marie said …
Thanks very much. I pressed the reset button (I didn’t even know there was one), and I did hear a whirring noise. When I did what you said and used a wooden spoon handle to try and move the blades I saw it was very clogged. I cut up some debris and removed it with some tongs. Then I saw a huge chunk of watermelon laying right on top of the blades. I cut it in half and removed it with the tongs. When I ran the H20 and pressed the start switch, the disposal started to GO! I felt like I was a plumber! Thanks to your blog.
on 06 Jul 2009 at 7:37 pm 64.Mike said …
Amazing! I was about to call a service tech. Worked like a charm!
on 07 Jul 2009 at 12:53 pm 65.Eric Reyna said …
You are the man! I used a paintstick handle moved the blades around until the water started to drain and tried again ..started to worked noisily until I removed a tiny metal spoon that was all bent up…..You just saved me $250 ….!!!!
on 09 Jul 2009 at 4:23 pm 66.Alicia said …
Thank you so much! Had a problem tonight and decided to use google. Your page was first. Thanks for the help!
on 13 Jul 2009 at 7:08 am 67.Orna said …
Youv’e just fixed mine! Brother, sister-in-law, niece, nephew coming to stay tomorrow, so I needed it to work. Thanks for sharing.
on 14 Jul 2009 at 4:17 pm 68.Andrew said …
The allen key goes in the bottom of the disposal on the underside (for those looking for it). A slight turn and bingo!
Thanks a million….
on 14 Jul 2009 at 10:38 pm 69.chb said …
Thought it was going to be a long road to fix it. Googled and found your post, did exactly what you said with the broom handled and it worked. Thank you so much. Loved your humor as well.
on 18 Jul 2009 at 5:02 pm 70.wescac said …
You’re funny, I’ll give you that. But absolutely no help to me. Thanks anyway.
on 21 Jul 2009 at 6:10 am 71.Now look like a hero said …
Rob,
I mirror everyone else sentiments here. First a humming, then no worky. Started gearing up for the image of me, standing there in front of garbage disposals in HD. Thought “Let me google this before I leave…” and BLAM! Here you are. Saved the day man, thanks again.
on 22 Jul 2009 at 3:46 pm 72.ed savage said …
Disposal quit working – reset the reset button but as soon as the disposal turns on the reset button goes off. What now?
on 22 Jul 2009 at 5:04 pm 73.Anjanika Walker said …
Thank you so much for posting this information. I am lousy at stuff like this, but have a really good neighbor, who came over and read this post. He went and got his Alan key and voila – its running again. Saved a heap of money, I would have had to pay a handyman to come and breathe under the sink.
on 01 Aug 2009 at 9:02 am 74.Gary said …
Thanks for the tips , blades are moving again. Have a great day!
on 01 Aug 2009 at 7:09 pm 75.mtc said …
Thanks for the amazingly accurate and concise “how to”….
Obviously, it worked for me as well.
Just a clarification, b4 I fixed it, I too was not sure about the allen wrench instruction part of it.
My situation was:
1. blades turning
2. Motor humming
But disposal would not “turn on”…
So the allen wrench part is applied to the bottom of the disposal and the allen wrench actually enables you to forcefully “lodge free” whatever is preventing the base that holds the blade from turning.
So forcefully turning the allen wrench allows you to forcefully turn the disposal base to dislodge whatever is stuck in between.
Great instructions and thanks again!
on 02 Aug 2009 at 10:24 am 76.Ryan said …
Summary: if it hums but doesn’t move, you might try a drill’s power to move the hex portion rather than your hand’s strength on the wrench.
This blog was very helpful but after many tries, I was completely stumped. The reset button was fine. The engine hummed. The blades turned fine or so I thought. After feeling around for a while, I wondered why there was a weird cylindrical object as part of the disposal. Well, it turns out it was the cap to a martini shaker and it was STUCK. I tried pliers, wrenches, etc. to no avail. I couldn’t get the hex wrench thing on the bottom of the disposal to budge and was getting ready to start taking the disposal apart when I had one last thought. A drill. So, I attached the hex attachment where a screwdriver part would go in my drill, and it popped the shaker lid out of the stuck part of the disposal. I had to use it on the most intense setting, though. I’d say use this approach with caution so that you don’t cause a bigger problem than you started with, but if a hex wrench and broom handle don’t do the trick, a drive with a hex attachment might be the ticket.
Again, the only substitution I made was to use the drill’s power instead of that of my hand.
Thanks for the helpful blog!
on 03 Aug 2009 at 8:27 am 77.Jean said …
This information was great!! We used the hex tool in the slot under the unit and it released and works fine again. No repair bill or new disposal needed at this time. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise.
on 04 Aug 2009 at 5:03 pm 78.Ray Said said …
Hey, I had the “hummmm” in the disposal… went on line and read what to do….it was tough so we did this…took an electrician pliers handel end down in the hole. Used a plummers pliers to turn the electrician pliers and gaboom..it ran and not hummed… the blades moved and the electrican and plummer went home. Sorry, my husband told me what to write, I have not a clue what he was talking about. Thanks, Rays wife.
on 06 Aug 2009 at 7:59 pm 79.Kelly said …
Thank you so much. My disposer has not been working for months now, but we have been getting by until the sink recently started getting backed up when using the dishwasher. I couldn’t stand the full sink of dirty water anymore so I looked up repair tips and found your info. Pushed the reset button and heard the humming. Used the broom handle to spin the blades then tried to turn it on, but only humming. Then tried the hex tool trick and afterwards the blades were spinning freely. No repair costs and no new disposer. Thank you so much for your help!
on 06 Aug 2009 at 10:02 pm 80.Marcus said …
After several days of just letting the problem go, and then a couple days of half hearted attempts at actually fixing the problem (based on an initial read of this blog), I finally buckled down and read the blog from top to bottom. And then went to the original source entry and read that too.
So, after trying the broom (in my case a wooden spatula handle) and the hex tool with no avail, I finally went Indiana Jones on it and explored every inch of that disposal with my hands…looking for the secret lever, switch, or pulley.
None of those things were found, but what I did find was something securely lodged (we’re talking fort knox secure) into the outer edge of the blade base, and after a good 20 minutes (not counting the 40 before that, and the days before that) of slashing at it back and forth with a screwdriver I was finally able to dislodge, what ended up being the pebble of doom, from the inner workings of the disposal. And presto, back in action!
on 14 Aug 2009 at 6:06 pm 81.DaEx said …
Hey ladies and gents!
I’ve read this thread before, and it worked like a charm when a little rock slipped from the fish bowl and the Allen wrench helped release it.
But now I come back with a new problem. There’s a poodle where the bottom of the sink is, and I’m positive that the wheels are spinning (the allen wrench moves the socket freely, and the poodle flows when the disposer is on). I even dipped my hand in that hole and manually spun the blades. Yes, I had to wash my hand before typing this. But the point is, the blades are not stuck.
Nevertheless, the water level does not move. It’s been 45 minutes. Anybody with some info on this will earn my good graces.
Please hurry. Saturday mornings are not as enjoyable with a bad smell in the kitchen.
on 17 Aug 2009 at 7:50 am 82.Jackie said …
Great info for grandmother who can do it herself with the right information. Thanks! Disposal working fine.
on 18 Aug 2009 at 12:25 pm 83.rogers said …
worked perfectly, thanks for the write up. had 4 beer caps in there and some broken glass…drain stopper goes in now when we have parties!
on 19 Aug 2009 at 1:42 pm 84.Joe said …
Tried everything – Allen wrench, wooden spoon handle, ice – but the disposal still hums defiantly. It did start once spinning the wooden spoon, but didn’t sound right. Turned it off, waited a few minutes, turned it back on. HMMMMMMM. Won’t restart without spinning the spoon handle.
I’m stumped. Can anyone suggest an answer?
on 20 Aug 2009 at 1:01 pm 85.Hallie said …
Hysterical story and VERY helpful! Your info (esp the Allen wrench size) got my Badger running again!
on 22 Aug 2009 at 10:06 am 86.Al Gu said …
Thanks Rob. My erator became dead about two months ago. First we were thinking that we didn’t need it. Then the bad odor changed my mind. I had to install a new one.
When I was checking the prices online, I saw your blog.
I tried the link you posted. Press the reset button, heard a short hum then quiet again. Rotated the blades. Reset again and it turned!
Thanks!
on 24 Aug 2009 at 6:48 am 87.Rod Said said …
great save this disposal started to stink and was just in the way under the sink. Now its back on the job.
on 26 Aug 2009 at 6:01 pm 88.Todd Godfrey said …
Success for the ignorant masses. I was a hero tonight.
on 29 Aug 2009 at 9:16 am 89.Bob P said …
I’m another satisfied customer.
I knew how how to find the reset button to turn my non-humming Badger into a humming, but non functioning Badger … but other than risking my fingers by clearing it from inside the drain … I couldn’t for the life of me find a way to get it to turn. A simple allen wrench turn later and voila.
THANKS!
on 29 Aug 2009 at 3:05 pm 90.Ben said …
THANK YOU! You have saved my marriage and the future of handymankind! OK thats a stretch but I _AM_ looking at a happy wife, an empty sink, and a closed yellow pages that had been open to P for plumber.
on 31 Aug 2009 at 8:39 pm 91.Dharmesh said …
Thank a bunch Rob, your steps were really helpful in fixing my garbage disposer problem
on 17 Sep 2009 at 11:43 pm 92.Brent said …
Thanks…worked like a charm. Now I have to figure out what is the hard stuff that is not getting ground up. I think I’ll use the wet/dry vac idea posted by another satisfied customer.
on 26 Sep 2009 at 5:27 pm 93.craig said …
thanks a lot. quick and easy fix
on 10 Oct 2009 at 1:07 pm 94.greatlion said …
help!!! i have pressed the reset button forcefully. however, it disappeared from my eyesight and sucked into the erator. oh, jesus, what should i do? who can help me
on 24 Oct 2009 at 8:26 am 95.Lin said …
I can’t believe it but I did it. Thank you for posting the simple directions.
on 25 Oct 2009 at 2:58 pm 96.Seth Russell said …
Your instructions worked like a charm. First with the reset button to get it humming, then again with the Allen Wrench to get it spinning freely. Many thanks for taking the time to post this.
on 16 Nov 2009 at 3:50 pm 97.Elizabeth said …
Your directions were a godsend. Thanks!
on 25 Nov 2009 at 3:49 pm 98.Joe said …
You saved me a lot of time. Thank you very much!
on 29 Dec 2009 at 2:00 pm 99.Big Al said …
Thanks for the walk-through Rob! Like others who have posted, I spent the better part of an hour cranking an Allen Key around and around (to the point that I thought the whole machine was going to explode) only to have it cough up a small handful of artichoke fibres. Note: garborators do not like artichoke leaves. However, while extracting the fibres I noticed that my wrist made a plunger-like seal with the rubber flaps that protect the drain, so i simply pumped up and down until I was blue in the face and presto! The water drained! Now I do not recommend people just start sticking their hands down their garborators, use a plunger if you have one, but if not, before you start wagering your digits make sure you first FLIP YOUR GARBORATOR’S BREAKER TO OFF then go to town! I Hope this helps.
on 31 Dec 2009 at 8:12 am 100.Patty59 said …
Thank You! New Year’s Eve and the disposal decided to take a break. The hex tool did the trick:)
on 31 Dec 2009 at 11:19 am 101.rob said …
Big al, you have a very good point. I’ve added a note for people to turn off their circuit breaker first!
on 02 Jan 2010 at 9:00 am 102.LaNette Diaz said …
Thanks! I was about ready to go buy a new one! It worked, go figure a small “just a pinch” measuring spoon was caught in the blades. Now it works great. Mine is also much more quite than normal, but it’s working.
on 05 Jan 2010 at 11:36 am 103.Evelyn said …
My disposal quit working yesterday after I put some eggshells down it. Now I know eggshells are was too fragile to jam the disposal. I took the rubber drain off the sink and was able to see a broken plastic measuring spoon jammed in the blades. I couldn’t get it to dislodge so I took a screwdrive and a hammer and broke it up. Wala…disposal now working like a charm. Thanks for all the tips. Probably would have been an pricy plumber’s visit!
on 06 Jan 2010 at 11:50 am 104.Teddy Novak said …
Reset works like a champ, I will never know what caused the disposal to trip. At least you saved me some monies. Thanks!
on 08 Jan 2010 at 3:08 pm 105.Larry said …
Worked perfectly! Thank you very much. As a handy guy, I knew nothing about disposals…until now. I was all set to buy a new one until I did exactly as you recommended. Thanks again!
on 09 Jan 2010 at 10:31 am 106.Jonesey said …
Wow. All hail the power of the good internet neighbor. Thanks a million, Rob. Your little guide got us up and running again in no time. The thought of reinstalling (let alone buying) a new disposal unit was making me sick, but the allen wrench did the trick.
on 09 Jan 2010 at 11:01 am 107.Scott said …
I couldn’t find my user’s manual (the disposal was installed when we bought the house). After 45 minutes of trying to find it and hitting reset multiple times, I finally google’d, found this site, when out to shed for my alan wrenches and 30 seconds later I was back in business – thanks for the tip!!!!
on 09 Jan 2010 at 3:29 pm 108.Fernando said …
Thank you so much!!! I was ready to go to home depot to buy a new one, you save me few hundred dollars !
on 19 Jan 2010 at 7:04 pm 109.Ray said …
Awesome..It worked…
on 30 Jan 2010 at 5:27 pm 110.Vinita said …
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
You saved me big trip to the store. I had everything at home but did not know it can be fixed. I thought I will have to buy a new one. I can’t thankyou enough
on 04 Feb 2010 at 5:00 pm 111.Ryan said …
Wow, great tip, thanks a million for posting this tip. I also learned how to fix my furnace and my dryer from google, gotta love it.
on 07 Feb 2010 at 8:00 pm 112.Josh said …
A couple of olive pits jammed my Badger 5 up, I thought it was dead. You saved me $100 and a whole lot of frustration. THANK YOU!
on 10 Feb 2010 at 8:43 am 113.Ron said …
thank you Rob- Allen wrench worked but needed a little more leverage,used bottom of cresent wrench hole over allen wrench freed it up and is back working.again thank you for the tips.
on 11 Feb 2010 at 4:13 pm 114.Trista said …
It worked! Thanks for saving me lots of $$$$!!
on 13 Feb 2010 at 6:02 am 115.Chris said …
Another success: reset button and wooden spoon. Thanks!
on 14 Feb 2010 at 8:10 am 116.Steve said …
Thanks for the info!
Jiggling the Allen wrench on the bottom did the trick.
on 14 Feb 2010 at 1:50 pm 117.Lisa said …
Let me add my thanks to the 100s already posted. I read several sites, but none were as clear to this female as the detailed instructions you posted! Most other sites just referenced a hex tool and I had no idea that that was simply an allen wrench, which I already had in my tool box.
Armed with this information, it took all of 5 minutes to resolve my months-old problem.
on 15 Feb 2010 at 9:28 am 118.Kyle said …
Thanks for the straightforward tips — worked like a charm!
on 03 Mar 2010 at 5:42 pm 119.Bubba said …
All I have to say is “you the man!!!!!”
on 03 Mar 2010 at 8:46 pm 120.Nate said …
Thank you!!!! worked great!
on 04 Mar 2010 at 9:21 am 121.Weixin Lu said …
Thanks a lot. Your tips worked. Saved me lots of time.
on 06 Mar 2010 at 1:00 pm 122.aychino said …
like many said already, was ready to go buy a new one, but moving the hex screw did it. It worked right away.
thanks!
on 07 Mar 2010 at 8:36 am 123.Dan said …
Rob,
1. Like so many others, I gotta thank you for posting this.
2. I’m amazed at the number of others who had the same problem! Makes me wish I was a plumber in pre-Google days!
on 09 Mar 2010 at 7:44 pm 124.jadecruz said …
I know this is an old post, but my hubby just crawled under the sink to figure out what was wrong, and I decided to hit up Google for some words of wisdom…Found this and it saved us! Thanks!!
on 10 Mar 2010 at 8:28 am 125.Ray said …
My Badger 5 is leaking water from the bottom of the unit including the power cable hole at the bottom. How do I fix this problem?
Thanks all.
Ray
on 12 Mar 2010 at 9:54 pm 126.Louis said …
The reset button did it. I wouldn’t have known to look for that button if I hadn’t read this.
on 14 Mar 2010 at 5:01 pm 127.Sue said …
Hi
thanks for the tip — I had called Mr. Swirl to come in and fix it as we use it a lot. He quoted $350 before parts and labour to fix it as he said the motor had burnt out.
I said i would think about it and call back the next day. Then I went straight to the internet, did a google search, and found this blog.
I followed the steps in the post and got it fixed in about 5 minutes as I have a nice set of tools in the garage. Most of the time was spent moving things out from under the sink.
the guy came back to the house 20 minutes later and offered to fix it for $150 – I also declined.
Thank you so much!
on 15 Mar 2010 at 3:28 pm 128.heather said …
You Rock! My husband and I almost went out and bought a new garbage disposal today, but I found you blog and the Hex Key worked!
on 26 Mar 2010 at 5:05 pm 129.Kevan said …
Thank you very much! Used the 1/4″ wrench and got my humming disposer working again.
on 28 Mar 2010 at 10:06 am 130.Beth said …
Thank you thank you! You saved my Sunday. I was thinking about throwing this thing through the window @ the home improvement store like they did in the discount tire commercial! It’s only 3 yrs old!
on 30 Mar 2010 at 1:11 pm 131.Lisa said …
The single mom in Illinois thanks you profusely. Saved me a call to the plumber. At $50 a visit, it all adds up.
on 03 Apr 2010 at 11:27 pm 132.Kenny said …
I knew about making sure the blades moved freely. I knew about the reset button. Didn’t know about the hex hole under the bottom. Cranked it around a few times, reset the the button and works like a charm now. Thanks for taking the time to post the distructions. You just saved me a hundred bucks and a Sunday afternoon.
on 05 Apr 2010 at 9:53 pm 133.Leslie said …
Thank you a million times over! We just tried this minutes ago and it worked instantly and completely. Wonderful!
on 11 Apr 2010 at 7:15 am 134.Ronnie said …
Ya this little trick fixed the problem, Thanks Rob
on 12 Apr 2010 at 7:54 pm 135.danny said …
the allen wrench works like a charm!! I wasted 30 mins
trying clean up the disposer, but its the allen wrench
to the rescue.
on 13 Apr 2010 at 11:47 am 136.Chris said …
Thank you for your blog. I went from thinking the dishwasher was broken, to it being the garbage disposal and this fixed everything. Thanks again for sharing.
on 13 Apr 2010 at 7:05 pm 137.Spiderman said …
Thank you so much for your instructions. It worked!(:
on 14 Apr 2010 at 8:49 pm 138.Dave said …
Thanks that worked perfectly. Saved me from buying a brand new one. I thought for sure mine was toast.
I also had the same line of thinking. I was hoping it would fix it self, but I got the floating bits of food tonight. That was enough for me, nasty.
on 24 Apr 2010 at 5:23 pm 139.Michael said …
It worked!!!!!
Praise the Lord!!!!!
on 29 Apr 2010 at 7:12 pm 140.kang said …
Thank you so much, worked just fine!
on 30 Apr 2010 at 6:39 pm 141.Anna Moody said …
what if when you push the reset button up it goes up inside the unit….?
on 01 May 2010 at 5:52 am 142.Don said …
Rob,
My badger 5 works but is dripping from the bottom. Any suggestions?
Don
on 05 May 2010 at 5:57 pm 143.Feedback in East Cobb said …
Yes! It didn’t work at first. Had to read some more comments. Then I went back and wiggled my hex wrench back and forth close to 10 times. Somewhere in all of that it started turning really easy. I was scared that the socket had popped out and a hole in the bottom of the unit had materialized. Nope. That was the feeling of cleared blades spinning freely. Now the unit works again! Happy Cinco de Mayo everybody – especially you Rob!!!
on 16 May 2010 at 9:17 am 144.SD said …
I figured I’d be buying a replacement disposal this week, until google showed me your hex wrench remedy. Thank you!
on 26 May 2010 at 2:23 pm 145.Sean said …
THANK YOU SOO MUCH!!!!
on 30 May 2010 at 3:58 pm 146.Dee said …
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I had found other troubleshooting on the web but you nail it step by step and save me a lot of money. The Hex tool did the trick for me. Unfortunately one of my 2 boys drop a shot glass in the disposal and it broke inside. But thanks to you and your post that is all behind us now except the punishment for not telling me the glass was in the disposal. Your fix took 2 to 3 minutes. Thanks again
on 03 Jun 2010 at 12:47 pm 147.Dan Garcia said …
You probably already know this, but it’s worth saying again. You’re pretty awesome! Thanks for the advice!
on 04 Jun 2010 at 8:02 am 148.Brandon said …
I was looking online to see how much a new one would cost when I found your post. Who knew these things had a reset button?! Thanks man, you saved me a lot of money!
on 05 Jun 2010 at 12:34 pm 149.Jim said …
You’re the best – worked like a charm.
I had tried everything but the allen wrench.
It was magic and saved a $100.
on 08 Jun 2010 at 4:40 pm 150.Ramiro said …
Thanks for the tip…worked like a charm..and runs smoothly
on 15 Jun 2010 at 10:16 am 151.Tianry said …
Thank you for saving me the cost of a new food waste disposer. Thank you again
on 15 Jun 2010 at 8:49 pm 152.JP said …
Had the exact same problem and this fixed it completely in less than 60 seconds. Thanks!
on 16 Jun 2010 at 3:32 pm 153.Michelle said …
This was the first site I came to when my husband gave up and was ready to call a plumber. It worked like a charm and we actually already had the hex wrench (it must’ve came with the disposal system) that was left here when we bought the house! I’m so excited! No more nasty fish smell!!
on 18 Jun 2010 at 8:08 am 154.Lynda said …
Thank you very much! Do you write other helpful hints? You are a lifesaver.
on 22 Jun 2010 at 4:42 pm 155.Joe (not the Plumber) said …
Worked like a charm…you just saved me at least $100 from having it replaced!! Appreciate the help!
on 22 Jun 2010 at 11:08 pm 156.Rick from olympia wa said …
Thank you, you is da man. saved my ass alot of guess work and money! Worked perfectly. Great instructions. YOU DA MAN!!!!!!!!
on 23 Jun 2010 at 3:04 pm 157.Phil said …
Thanks man!! I was able to fix it easily and get on with life. And washing dishes.
on 24 Jun 2010 at 8:46 am 158.david said …
Well I am in need of some help.
My wife jammed up the disposal last night with some salad material including chard.
The badger 5 hums and as far as I can tell the blades are moving freely but it still will not drain.
What should I do?
on 24 Jun 2010 at 9:07 am 159.david said …
Got it fixed.
It needed a good plunger.
on 27 Jun 2010 at 8:28 am 160.Rich said …
Thanks, this was really helpful!
on 28 Jun 2010 at 9:28 pm 161.Karen said …
THANK YOU!
You enabled a 62 year old woman who lives alone to accomplish this repair on her own!
on 29 Jun 2010 at 5:53 pm 162.Sissy said …
Thank you!! Saved me $$ from calling the plumber…thought for sure my Badger was dead!!
on 29 Jun 2010 at 6:30 pm 163.BW said …
I wasted my time unplugging, reseting, cleaning. I read the blog, 2 minutes later it was fixed. 1/4 inch allen wrench is my new favorite tool!
on 30 Jun 2010 at 6:31 pm 164.Cat said …
Seriously. The same thing happened to us! Procrastination and all. Today was the 3rd morning in a row that i had to scrub out the sink with a pot scrubber because it was so nasty and took like all night to drain. We found your instructions and 5 minutes later…. BOOM. DONE. YOU ROCK.
on 01 Jul 2010 at 9:18 am 165.Dionna said …
Worked!!! thanks!!!
on 05 Jul 2010 at 3:57 pm 166.Peter said …
This advice was spot on. A couple more tips.
1) once you have the 1/4 inch hex wrench, be sure to turn it clockwise for about 3 rotations and counter-clockwise for 3 rotations
2) I also think it helps if you run hot water while doing the hex wrench turns
Finally, I used the hex wrench, then let the disposal sit for about 2 hours, and tried again. The 2nd time was the charm.
on 08 Jul 2010 at 10:23 pm 167.ELias said …
I was going to call the plumber tomorrow am, and hope they could get here before I go to Santa Cruz for my swim meet, however, I used the 1/4 hex allen wrench as described in the mysterious center hole moved it back and forth as instructed and VOILA it works as well as ever, thank you thank you thank you ad nauseum!!!
on 10 Jul 2010 at 9:23 am 168.Adam said …
Thanks, you just saved me $100. Fish rocks in the insinkerator are bad.
on 15 Jul 2010 at 3:53 am 169.jimmy said …
Very helpful site i just fixed my Badger7 with these instructions thanks.
on 16 Jul 2010 at 10:47 am 170.New Homeowner said …
You are my hero! Saved me so much time and money. Now the 50 bucks will go towards a manicure. And to all the men out there who commented about their women clogging up the drain, this woman fixed the disposal which someone else (ahem!) had clogged.
on 18 Jul 2010 at 6:35 am 171.WorkingWolf said …
Thank you, Rob. Your advice fixed the humming problem. This is a you-don’t-have-to-be-a-man-to-fix-it solution.
on 23 Jul 2010 at 10:14 am 172.Pim said …
Thanks so much for this! It worked so well. A great tip!
on 24 Jul 2010 at 10:32 am 173.Darrell said …
Rob,
You seem to be a guru of Badger 5 insinkerators. Maybe you can help?
My wife said that she was running water through it, running fine, and it then sounding like it slowed up and stopped…like the power had shut off, no hum or anything. So she fipped the switch off, (it’s hardwired to a wall switch).
She reached down and the reset button had popped out, so she reset it, and then flipped the wall switch back on. She said it made a slow sounding noise, and then stopped again. She checked the reset, but it didn’t pop out again.
I checked circuit breaker, the wall switch to see if had power, and it did. Could this just be that it has…gulp…died?
Is there anything I might be missing. It spins freely, and it still drains the water okay…
Thank you
Darrell
on 25 Jul 2010 at 11:55 am 174.Eric said …
Thanks Rob, your advice worked like a charm, and saved me from crushing my garbage disposal with a sledge hammer in frustration!!!!!!!!!!!
on 26 Jul 2010 at 12:37 pm 175.Leslie said …
Directions went great!! Thanks so much for the helpful tips!
on 29 Jul 2010 at 6:15 pm 176.dad life said …
Thanks for the info! It works!
on 11 Aug 2010 at 1:35 am 177.Martin said …
The hex nut was so stuck I thought the whole unit might tear away. But, after reading a comment above about not giving up I girded myself for battle, prying hard but trying not to put pressure on the mounting. It finally worked and I too am thrilled to hear the disposal sing again. We are invincible. Thanks for this post.
on 12 Aug 2010 at 4:27 pm 178.Kirk Adler said …
Thanks!…that worked great…I thought it was broken for sure
on 13 Aug 2010 at 11:20 am 179.CeeDubbVA said …
Thanks! I had actually tried all these tricks unsuccessfully after the combined fiasco of a mussel shell and broken wine glass down the disposal, but I gave up too soon with the hex key, not even sure I had the right size. I gave it another shot with a 1/4″ hex key after reading your post, and voila! It works again.
on 22 Aug 2010 at 7:56 am 180.Dennis said …
Worked…thanks! Allen wrench knocked the reset button out, then pressed it back in and it worked.
on 22 Aug 2010 at 4:04 pm 181.Steve said …
the first time this happened i called my landlord but i wasnt home when he fixed it to see how he did it. it seized again tonight and i came online and found this webpage… thank you for this post. it took 2 seconds to fix.
on 23 Aug 2010 at 12:00 am 182.TheStatutoryApe said …
I moved into a little dump in the hood and found a few things weren’t working, the disposal being among them. Considering I spent 4 months trying to get management to take care of a termite infestation, which I wound up removing the infested wood myself, I figured that I was on my own.
So tonight I got bored and decided to take the thing apart and figure out what was wrong with it. I loosened several screws and it did not seem to want to budge or disassemble. I got online to look up a manual to learn how to take the little bugger apart and there was your blog. After making sure all of the screws were back in place I had it up and running in seconds. Something seemed to be knocking around in there but what ever it was suddenly sounded like it exploded into itty bitty pieces and I am content to not concern myself too much with that at the moment.
Much thanks for the nearly two year old advice.
on 25 Aug 2010 at 7:40 pm 183.ponchy said …
You are truly a master of both badger and SEO. Thanks.
on 26 Aug 2010 at 9:59 am 184.Darrell said …
Chalk up one more huge “Thank you, I saved significant money and time with your post!”
on 30 Aug 2010 at 7:46 am 185.Jason said …
Was just shopping for a new disposal when I came across this post. Saved me a hundred bucks! Thanks!
on 03 Sep 2010 at 3:34 pm 186.Val said …
Thank you so much! The disposal broke right before we headed out on a two week vacation (filled with rice and who knows what by my husband). We had the same symptoms as everyone else – humming but no grinding, reset button not helping etc. Heading into this long weekend, I told my husband we would have to tackle the impossible task of replacement. He headed out to take our son to football practice and I decided to do a quick search on my Blackberry. Well…then I found your site. 20 minutes later, I’m feeling the sweetness of victory and the rest is history! Now for the big question, should I pretend I didn’t fix it and allow hubby to think he’s a miracle worker tomorrow? We all have to fake it from time to time!! Let me ponder that thought over a nice glass of wine. Thanks for saving me not just hundreds of dollars but my weekend sanity!!!
on 05 Sep 2010 at 4:34 pm 187.Jay said …
It worked perfectly! Great tip. The culprit was a popsicle stick.
on 06 Sep 2010 at 7:06 pm 188.Vera Waitress said …
Wow. This Post should win a Webbie award. I did it, it worked. Well written, succinct, funny. Seriously, dude, write a book or get on a show.
BILL
on 08 Sep 2010 at 3:15 pm 189.Jose said …
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
on 10 Sep 2010 at 7:29 pm 190.SEAN said …
Dude, I thought our disposal had “given up the ghost.” I was actually at the hardware store pricing disposals, and had forgotten my wallet at home, came back and on a whim, Googled the disposal, came across your blog and figured, what the hell, I’ll give it a try. After a few good turns of the Hex-wrench with a pair of pliers, hit the reset button, and now the disposal works like a champ!! Thanks for the info bro!
on 16 Sep 2010 at 2:29 pm 191.Paul said …
That worked sweet. Thanks dude. saved me some loot!
on 18 Sep 2010 at 3:46 pm 192.Robyn said …
Thanks! Found your blog/post through a google search & following your instructions=problem solved!
on 22 Sep 2010 at 2:21 pm 193.Liz-beth said …
Thank you so much – It worked like a charm!
on 25 Sep 2010 at 10:48 am 194.Pep said …
My 1 month old disposal unit is working again!! To think I almost went and hired someone to fix the damn thing. Thanks Rob!
on 27 Sep 2010 at 2:07 pm 195.TL said …
Thank you sir, saved me a big headache and about $100
TL
Ludlow, Ma
on 01 Oct 2010 at 1:35 pm 196.Cesar said …
Thank u so much for the tips!!! it really help alot!! n yeah use the googled lol
on 02 Oct 2010 at 11:55 am 197.rolando said …
thanks a lot. it worked like magic. the hardest part was finding the hole to put the allen wrench in. it was at the bottom.
on 05 Oct 2010 at 6:32 pm 198.Eric said …
Amazing.
Worked on the first try.
I love the web.
on 13 Oct 2010 at 7:28 pm 199.P said …
Big time thank you… the hex is the king!
on 14 Oct 2010 at 6:34 am 200.kelly said …
Thanks a ton, you just saved me the cost of having the repair guy out and I get to gloat to my husband that I am the one who fixed the disposal!
on 15 Oct 2010 at 10:08 am 201.Rob said …
Thanks for the tip. Worked great and saved me from having to buy a new disposal. My issue was a bit of a broken glass that had fallen down the drain (got crunched up when we had not noticed it)and caused the issue even though the blades were movomg freely.
Thanks again!
on 17 Oct 2010 at 2:05 pm 202.Aliza said …
This is awesome! It totally worked and now we are back in action. Oh Interwebs, how I love thee.
on 25 Oct 2010 at 10:15 am 203.Diane said …
Thank you so much! Everything you mentioned worked great! It was a quarter that had gotten caught and hit the switch. I pressed the reset button and used the 1/4 inc l wrench to lossen the blades to turn again and removed the quarter. Everything works great! My husband was very impressed!
on 28 Oct 2010 at 10:14 pm 204.Sagara said …
THANKS so much!!!!! your tip with the alan wrench saved the day
on 01 Nov 2010 at 6:24 pm 205.Tommy said …
Worked like a charm, thanks for the tip.
on 11 Nov 2010 at 2:57 pm 206.Elisa said …
Thanks Rob! The wrench trick and two minutes fixed ours. We were about to run out and buy a new one.
on 14 Nov 2010 at 1:37 pm 207.alejandro said …
thanks a lot. you just made my day. now my wife thinks i’m a sexy plumber. the hex tool worked after trying everything.
on 18 Nov 2010 at 10:16 am 208.Carol said …
Thx Rob:
As a 73 yr. widow and following your instructions, I found the red reset button on my Badger 5, lying on the ground with a flashlight and pressed it. Also reset the red button on outlet and….yeah…it worked! I was about to call a plumber in desperation but now there’s no need. Your site has obviously been so helpful to many people.
on 18 Nov 2010 at 8:49 pm 209.Steve said …
Thanks! Used the allen wrench from bottom to rotate and it worked like a charm. Only spun in one direction at first, but after 360 degree turn it spun freelly both ways.
on 23 Nov 2010 at 1:47 pm 210.richard said …
hey man, i didnt expect this to work but the L wrench-twist in the bottom did the trick. cant believe how easy that was. thanks for saving me the $85 plumber visit. you rock man!
on 24 Nov 2010 at 9:15 am 211.JimmyD said …
I have one thing to add. I hope this will save someone from the mess I created… The wrench was definately hard to turn at first, but once it broke loose, it began to turn freely. The only thing I noticed is that the water in the drain did NOT, I repeat, ***DID NOT*** go down. When I flipped the switch, the disposal began to work, but the drain was completely clogged and the drain pipe came apart and food and water erupted under my sink!
So the bottom line is to make sure that water goes down once you get that sucker turning. If it doesn’t, pull that S trap off and take a look see for any clogs. Good Luck!
on 30 Nov 2010 at 4:28 pm 212.Tiffany said …
Thank you so much for posting this! I was trying to figure out how I was going to tell my husband I ruined the disposal in our brand new house. Thanks for saving my butt
on 01 Dec 2010 at 9:38 am 213.Alex said …
Just moved to our condo about a month ago and our disposal was the first thing to go. I was going to call someone but I read your post and gave it a try. And it worked perfectly! Found the culprit…a dime…which one of my little ones happen to drop that in, I will never know. Thanks a bunch for posting!!!!
on 01 Dec 2010 at 4:17 pm 214.MRC said …
Let’s not forget percussive engineering!
Smacked the housing around the motor lightly with a hammer and flipped the switch…abracadabra…working disposal!!
on 04 Dec 2010 at 8:29 am 215.Braden said …
Thank you!!! You just saved my wallet and my Saturday and my wife thinks I’m a hero.
Two things I’d add–you might need to crank this for a while–it took me about 20 or 30 minutes to get it completely free. Also, I read somewhere else that you should crank it both ways–clockwise and counterclockwise and I had to do this pretty seriously.
on 05 Dec 2010 at 8:38 am 216.Roisin said …
I shall now don the SuperMom cape and prance around the house to applause and other accolades. Huge thanks.
on 07 Dec 2010 at 2:33 pm 217.PanVet said …
Thanks for the info. Mine quit working and I was looking up a replacement when I found your information. I did as you suggested and now it is working again. Saved me $70.
on 07 Dec 2010 at 4:58 pm 218.Kelly said …
Thank you for this. I was assuming I’d have to pay someone to fix it, but thanks to the glorious world wide interwebs I found your solution and it WORKED! Great explanation, thanks for taking the trouble to post it.
on 08 Dec 2010 at 10:35 am 219.phil said …
The wrench fix worked like a cahrm – I’m up and running once more after a 3 year hiatus!
on 12 Dec 2010 at 7:41 am 220.James said …
Badger 5 Plus, Not clogged, drains well, blades move freely, gets power (hums), Hex wrench turns freely, Hard wired, reset button works. What next
on 16 Dec 2010 at 10:39 am 221.MARIO THUMUDO said …
Tried reset button, still got hum. Unit turns freely. Put hex wrench in center, same results, just a hum. Thanks for advice, maybe need new unit.
on 17 Dec 2010 at 9:08 pm 222.Chris said …
You just saved me a trip to Home Depot! I fixed it within 2 minutes of reading your post – I always wondered why that Allen wrench was dangling from the side of the disposal unit!!!
on 18 Dec 2010 at 2:52 pm 223.moin said …
Excellent post, saved me bunch money and headache…
on 19 Dec 2010 at 2:21 pm 224.John said …
Thanks. You helped me soooo much. That was exactly what the internet was invented for.
on 20 Dec 2010 at 11:08 am 225.chubbs said …
Thanks for the tip …got mine workin in minutes
on 20 Dec 2010 at 10:47 pm 226.matt said …
The steps worked like magic. First the reset button to get humming sound back;and the few turns with the allen key and noisy grinding sound was back. You saved me stress, time and $$. Thanks!
on 22 Dec 2010 at 4:34 pm 227.Bob said …
Wow! Thank you so much. Saved me a 100 bucks. Literally!!!
on 28 Dec 2010 at 8:10 am 228.Marilyn said …
Yippee!! Thanks a bunch!!
on 30 Dec 2010 at 8:49 am 229.Sakhi said …
Hi,
I have Badger 5 gargej disposal from 3 years. I noticed that close to reset button I see two screws and water is dripping out of both the screws not sure what is wrong. I called the company and they said it is out of warrnty and I should get the new one. I would really appreciate your feedback on fixing this issue. I noticed yeserday night when water was not going into the sink and I had to use the manual woood/plastic pump and the water stated running into the sink right away but becos of that now the water is coming out of the screws. I did press reset button and my disposal started working but now what should I do to stop the water leaking out of the screws please advice.
on 31 Dec 2010 at 1:59 pm 230.Maria V said …
I did the the turning thing under the badger 5 but it still dont work. The badger works fine but it wont empty the water
on 31 Dec 2010 at 5:56 pm 231.K said …
We were about to have the worst New Year’s Party of our lives… sink wouldn’t drain, dishes were dirty and piling up… we found your blog, futzed, and VIOLA! Now it will be the best New Year’s Party of our lives! Thank you so much. (For the record, we used a flathead screwdriver with some WD-40 and then pressed the restart button.)
on 05 Jan 2011 at 1:08 pm 232.Alicia said …
Thank you so much. I read some of the professional websites and figured it was a seized motor because it was humming and the flywheels were turning freely, but it still wouldn’t work. The hex wrench fixed it and now is draining normal too!!!! Thank you for saving me money and a lot of headaches on a new one.
on 07 Jan 2011 at 8:34 am 233.Ilia said …
Great blog.
Thanks for posting the solution here.
It saved me some money and a trip to the store.
on 09 Jan 2011 at 5:41 pm 234.Karen Dickinson said …
Thank you so very much. Just fixed my disposal thanks to your advice. Life is good!
on 10 Jan 2011 at 7:56 pm 235.patty said …
Thank you so much! I was able to fix it so you saved me a night of having a dirty sink AND at least $60! Wohoooooo!
on 10 Jan 2011 at 8:11 pm 236.Adrian said …
Thanks for this, my friend heard of this method but used the wrong sized wrench. Make sure it’s 1/4 in or it won’t work!
on 11 Jan 2011 at 2:54 am 237.insinkerator said …
hey….it was really amazing. Thank you so much for this information. It helped me to solve ma problem.
Great job.
on 11 Jan 2011 at 4:53 pm 238.Mark said …
This worked for the badger 9 bought in 2010 as well! The hex wrench wasnt quite 1/4 inch, but otherwise, this worked GREAT and solved my problem!
on 13 Jan 2011 at 12:51 am 239.Alan Wu said …
Thank you! It helps a lot.
on 13 Jan 2011 at 5:27 pm 240.Patil said …
Thank you… I am the HERO in home today
on 13 Jan 2011 at 9:00 pm 241.Grace said …
Thanks so much!!! It worked!
on 14 Jan 2011 at 3:14 pm 242.Chuck said …
Awesome job Rob. It was going to cost me $99 for a new unit and I was able to fix it with the turn of hex key. And the grin on my 12 year old son’s face when I did the “I’m the man” dance was priceless.
Thanks a bunch,
Chuck
on 15 Jan 2011 at 9:47 am 243.Kevin said …
Worked like a charm! It took me longer to find the allen wrench than actually fixing the disposal.
Thank you.
on 17 Jan 2011 at 2:30 pm 244.Frank said …
THANK YOU! You saved my sink.
on 17 Jan 2011 at 7:13 pm 245.Tyler said …
Thanks for the help! Girlfriend loves me I love the internet at times like this.
on 18 Jan 2011 at 1:25 am 246.christine said …
Gud post!!keep blogging…
on 18 Jan 2011 at 1:38 am 247.insinkerator said …
Heyy your instructions worked perfectly man!! Thanks a lot for the tips.I was about to call the service man for help.But before that i googled and saw your site.I just tried them without much hope but it worked successfully.Thanks for sharing.
on 18 Jan 2011 at 7:45 pm 248.Charlie said …
Thank you. Great article. Worked like a charm
on 19 Jan 2011 at 10:42 am 249.MiddleSoundMom said …
AWESOME! Thanks soooooo much! That thing has been “broken” for 2 months now after a big ass Clam Shell found it’s way in there…
Thanks again…you ROCK!
on 22 Jan 2011 at 9:19 am 250.Derek said …
My god, thank you. This fixed my problem within 2 minutes of reading your post. And my family thinks I am an awesome handyman.
on 24 Jan 2011 at 8:48 am 251.lani coronel said …
thanks so much, the hex key/tool worked! glad i was able to find one in my husband’s tool box & i just rotated it. Godbless.
on 24 Jan 2011 at 5:17 pm 252.Matt Glenn said …
Thanks, the hex key did the trick! I did an “I’m the Man” Dance, too!
on 27 Jan 2011 at 5:13 pm 253.moji said …
You rob are a life saver, i just couldn’t stand it any more, the clog, dirt and smell. I read through your DIY step and was dancing I did it in my kitchen. Thank you so much.
on 27 Jan 2011 at 9:34 pm 254.Anupam said …
Thanks a bunch,
The hex key did the trick.
Anupam
on 30 Jan 2011 at 6:51 pm 255.mike said …
thanks bro, totally save me a 100 bucks. i had a shot glass get put through the disposal and thought for sure i would have to buy a new one. But you totally walked me through it, thank buddy!
on 31 Jan 2011 at 2:24 pm 256.Jill said …
Thanks for the tip! Hubbie was angry that I broke the disposal (let some aquarium stones go down by accident while cleaning fish tank – oops!). Won’t he be surprised that I fixed it myself
on 01 Feb 2011 at 8:59 pm 257.Sukhen said …
Thank you! You save my day.
on 03 Feb 2011 at 11:14 am 258.TXAG said …
I was pricing a new unit on-line when I decided to search for possible repair options… Found this and realized I had not thought of the hex key! Worked like a champ after getting it looser. It worked best when I turned in a counter clockwise direction (when looking down into the unit).
Thanks for posting this thread!
on 05 Feb 2011 at 7:03 pm 259.Ben said …
Thanks for being #1 in the Google search results! Your great summary of the troubleshooting made my “repair” relatively quick and painless. In my case, I also had a little piece of metal jamming it up, a flashlight and some pliers fixed that, but I never would have gotten it out without turning the allen wrench!
Thanks!
on 08 Feb 2011 at 7:02 am 260.MP said …
You just saved me $130! You rock. Thanks!!!
on 13 Feb 2011 at 6:52 pm 261.Chris said …
Thank you so much!!! It worked great and saved me money and stress!!!
on 18 Feb 2011 at 9:56 am 262.Marty P said …
Great tip. My problem with my badger 5 is when turned on it sounds like there is a spoon clanking around in there. I have the disposel off and I cannot see anything stuck inside. Any suggestions before I take it apart and probably won’t be able to put it back together?
on 20 Feb 2011 at 9:28 am 263.Jordan said …
What a great blog post. Saved me tons of time and money. Thank you World-Wide-Web for doing exactly what you said you would do back in 1992 when I read about you in my high school paper.
on 22 Feb 2011 at 11:47 am 264.Rachel Raber said …
oh wow! sooo impressed… love it when i can fix things but didnt know about this time til i decided 2 google and found ur easy 2 follow instructions. didnt have an allen wrench but was desperate so i improvised with some other tools and it worked! ths!!!!
on 22 Feb 2011 at 5:21 pm 265.JD said …
Thank you so much!! Perfect tutorial. You saved me so much time and money. I was ready to take it apart!
Thanks again.
on 23 Feb 2011 at 12:31 am 266.Stafford said …
Awesome! That saved me a painfull evening of troublshooting. I’m so glad they have that feature now to free it up! Once I saw hex wrench/bottom I was on that in a minute!
on 24 Feb 2011 at 8:29 pm 267.cheryl said …
Everyone, I tried everything and still had the humming motor and no blades turning, so I did the broom trick again. Then I turned on the hot water and turned the wrench counterclockwise a bunch of times. Finally, hit the reset button and tried it again. It sputtered, then finally kicked in. Just saying to keep turning that wrench. You might have something stuck and not know it. I never saw anything in ours. Good luck all!
on 25 Feb 2011 at 6:23 pm 268.Denise said …
I have been trying to get my garbarator to work for 3 days. I have cleaned it out, fished out chicken bones, and other debris. I have danced with the broom handle, and pushed the reset button. I have also used the allen wrench. I am still just hearing the jammed humming sound. Any suggestions…..
on 26 Feb 2011 at 12:20 pm 269.Juan said …
Great troubleshooting tips! (i love your word usage)
on 28 Feb 2011 at 6:40 pm 270.John said …
Same here. Something so simple. Saved me loads of trial and error. A flashlight, allen wrench and a pair of pliers is all it took.
on 01 Mar 2011 at 10:47 am 271.Greg said …
You saved me dude! I NEVER would have known about the allen 6 size hole without you! I was going at it from the top with a stick and hammer before I found your post
LOL
on 02 Mar 2011 at 8:30 am 272.lisa said …
Thank you so much for taking the time to post . Google result worked , Thanks to your post. I had to do the allen wrench a good few try,I had no food or clog , more like some metal piece stuck..It worked !
on 02 Mar 2011 at 5:56 pm 273.jasmeet said …
thank u so very much…my in sink erator was struck from the last 4-5 days …and with your help now its working …thanks u soo much
on 03 Mar 2011 at 10:49 am 274.Buckeyegirl said …
Thank you sooo much! I am a stay at home mom with a traveling husband and I didn’t want to spend the extra money to call the appliance repair man. My disposal was humming but not working so I put the allen wrench in and it barely turned at first but then after a couple turns both ways it turned smoothly. The culprit was a popcorn kernal! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
on 08 Mar 2011 at 4:23 pm 275.satchmo said …
Thanks!
on 10 Mar 2011 at 7:50 am 276.Ty said …
What’s happening when your Insinkerator works fine, but leaks like a strainer? Do you have to buy another one or is some kind of seal broken.
on 10 Mar 2011 at 9:34 am 277.Pat from Fla. said …
Dear Rob,
Thank you for posting your blog. My husband forgot about the reset button. We pushed it and it works again. You saved us money and my husband from having to get under the sink with a bad hip. Thanks
again!! Keep up the good work.
on 20 Mar 2011 at 12:03 pm 278.patricia said …
Thanks. Worked like a charm.
on 20 Mar 2011 at 2:55 pm 279.tsk said …
Good evening,
Thank you so much for your helpful directions. I had pretty much given up after my garbage disposal was humming but not working and then finally stopped humming all together. I was trying to find a replacement unit online and I stumbled upon your easy to read/understand (i’m 6 1/2 months pregnant and getting down and dirty w the garbage disposal wasn’t high on my list for a sunday afternoon… plus I am a very non-handy individual… but I finally got him to do the taxes so I figured I’d at least try the gd). I followed your advice and it works perfectly. thank you again!
on 22 Mar 2011 at 9:05 am 280.KarenMT said …
Yeah! Thanks for this. Last time this happened we paid $65 for a guy to do the Allen wrench trick but it’s been so long I’d forgotten what he trick was. Worked!!
on 26 Mar 2011 at 8:44 am 281.Erica Evans said …
Your advice works for the most part, but after following it, we tested the disposal and it started making a loud rattling noise. We read more comments to see if this happened to anyone else and sure enough, Peter posted a comment that we followed and the disposal works perfectly now!! Here is what he posted:
This advice was spot on. A couple more tips.
1) once you have the 1/4 inch hex wrench, be sure to turn it clockwise for about 3 rotations and counter-clockwise for 3 rotations
2) I also think it helps if you run hot water while doing the hex wrench turns
Finally, I used the hex wrench, then let the disposal sit for about 2 hours, and tried again. The 2nd time was the charm.
on 28 Mar 2011 at 2:04 am 282.Joe said …
Thanks for the tips, but for me, my blades were free and the motor hummed and I spun and giggled the hex key for about 30 mins(without resistance), to no avail. Finally as a last resort, with the motor humming, I used a long wooden spoon to turn the blades counter-clockwise, and the disposal engaged and kick on (clockwise did not work). It’s probably not smart or safe, but if you are going to try it, make sure to be ready to quickly remove the wooden spoon.
on 28 Mar 2011 at 12:07 pm 283.Mike said …
Thanks!!! I would have never found that reset button!
Cheers!
on 29 Mar 2011 at 7:03 am 284.rob said …
Thank you so much! I was about to call a plumber until i red this tip. A total dollar saver!!!
on 29 Mar 2011 at 6:59 pm 285.Alexander said …
Man If I was a girl i would marry you. Your trick worked perfectly and i thank you a thousand time for that. I actually uninstalled it from the sink and did what you said and WOW, It worked. Again thanks-a-million.
Alexander the Great
on 30 Mar 2011 at 7:39 am 286.Chelle said …
Yay!!!! Thank you thank you thank you!!! I was really not feeling like hiring some bloak to come fix my disposal and I knew my husband would never get around to it—his solution would have been to just go buy another one! YOU SAVED THE DAY!! Thanks again.
on 30 Mar 2011 at 7:54 pm 287.Carrie said …
Thanks for this painless troubleshooting guide! I dropped a shot glass down the drain without noticing and later turned on the disposal…My bad.
on 30 Mar 2011 at 9:53 pm 288.Steve said …
Worked like a charm! The Allen wrench is the key! Thanks!!
on 01 Apr 2011 at 7:03 am 289.Heather said …
Wow, I think you saved me a load of money for a plumber who would have done the exact same thing..
thanks a lot…
on 03 Apr 2011 at 2:33 pm 290.Ryan said …
Thanks for the info. The Hex Key did the trick. Saved me time and money.
on 06 Apr 2011 at 7:37 am 291.john said …
OMG thank you it worked!!!
j:~)
on 07 Apr 2011 at 6:43 am 292.Little_Mother said …
Thanks for the tip! I liberated a bottle cap from the Badger!
on 12 Apr 2011 at 7:26 pm 293.JJ said …
thanks! the instruction works like magic:-) I hope this won’t be some plumbers out of street!
thanks again!
on 14 Apr 2011 at 4:56 pm 294.Peter said …
The mysterious hole on the bottom and turning it several times with a hex wrench fixed it. I turned it clockwise and counter clockwise a few full rotations.
Thanks for your post, I appreciate it.
on 17 Apr 2011 at 3:17 pm 295.carol said …
Thank you Rob – glad I found your post – it worked – allen wrench used – a little back and forth!!!!
on 20 Apr 2011 at 5:35 pm 296.Eggert said …
Great thanks!!!
Never had a garbage disposal for, did not know anything about them either.
Works perfectly now.
Thanks!!
on 22 Apr 2011 at 9:03 am 297.adiong said …
Thank you so much! You helped me save $79.00. At first it’s just a dime and the last time it just stopped then, I used your tip… the Allen wrench.:-)
on 23 Apr 2011 at 10:07 am 298.RameshN said …
I googled for badger insinkerator and I found your blog on top of my search results. I knew about the reset button but didn’t know about the Allen wrench? I was lucky enough to find the wrench that came with the disposal and I was able to fix it after turning the wrench vigorously several times to loosen the debris stuck in the disposal. Thank you very much for posting your experience, it was very helpful!
on 24 Apr 2011 at 8:44 pm 299.Rob said …
Awesome advice! Worked with some rigorous back and forth turning of a hex wrench. You saved me about $200 for a brand new garbage disposal. Thanks so much!
on 25 Apr 2011 at 2:57 pm 300.lee said …
add me to your long list of adoring fans . . .
on 27 Apr 2011 at 8:23 pm 301.Enrique S. said …
THE ALLEN WRENCH did it!!!!!!!!! You’re a saint! When that wonderful hummy noise started again after the wrench loosened the motor, I started laughing and laughing and kneeled down to thank God that I didn’t have to replace my Badger5!
After months of a deteriorating disposer, I am back in business again!
THANK YOU, ROD~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You did it again! I can go to sleep now!
on 27 Apr 2011 at 8:23 pm 302.Enrique S. said …
OOps!! I meant ROB! hehehehe
on 01 May 2011 at 1:29 pm 303.Reliable said …
Thanks for the post! I thought I had to replace my insinkerator, but was able to get it working with a hex key.
on 02 May 2011 at 3:13 pm 304.CHANDRU said …
I was almost ready to buy a new grabage disposal since the water leaked little bit at the bottom as well. But after your simple steps it works great now without spending anything. My Garbage Disposal is Whirlpool 1/3 HP.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!
on 04 May 2011 at 12:15 pm 305.Mel Penate said …
My machine does turn on and the blades seem to be moving. I used the “L” wrench to move the disposal back and forth, but it still is not functioning. The disposal runs but its not chewing up the stuff inside. Water is also not draining. suggestion?
on 06 May 2011 at 4:20 pm 306.Baileybelle said …
Hex key worked the very first time. Thanks!
on 07 May 2011 at 5:46 am 307.Thankful said …
YOUR AWESOME BROTHER!!!! I wish I would have found this site three days ago and it would have saved me the agony. PERFECT solution.
on 07 May 2011 at 12:26 pm 308.Nirav Doctor said …
This is great info. Thanks so much for sharing. The hex wrench did not work since the motor would not run at all, but I found the reset button and that worked! Saved me so much hassle and money.
on 08 May 2011 at 12:53 pm 309.J Hole said …
Thanks for info. This saved me a huge headache on a Sunday.
on 10 May 2011 at 11:32 am 310.Jason said …
Thanks a million (or at least a few hundred). Driving the motor manually did the trick.
on 13 May 2011 at 8:49 am 311.Theresa said …
Thank you so much!!! I was getting ready to call someone to fix it! It worked!!
on 15 May 2011 at 3:52 pm 312.KSPEDD said …
Rob, I also rely on magical thinking when it comes to household fixes. Alas, the little bugger never did heal itself. But thanks to your blog(from 2008!), I was able to avoid that which is dreaded by single moms across the globe — calling the landlord with a problem. What an enormous relief. Thank you! It also solved the mystery of “where did the little plastic foot from the cooling rack go?”
Cheers to you!
on 16 May 2011 at 7:15 am 313.DIY Johnny said …
Thanks for the post. I found a bit (same size as the allen wrench) that worked in my Craftsman cordless drill and turned the blades that way. Saved a lot of time as mine would barely turn with the allen wrench. Voy-la! Back in business.
on 16 May 2011 at 9:50 pm 314.usman said …
Omg thanks for pointing out the rest button. It works. You just saved a call to the landlord.
Thank you!
on 18 May 2011 at 9:59 am 315.Roger Ingalls said …
Wow, the internet is awesome (meaning of course, the people of the internet)!
Searched for the manual, nope!
Tried the broom…nope!
Hit the reset a bunch of times, nope
1/4 allen wrench…BINGO!!!
Thanks!
on 19 May 2011 at 7:46 am 316.Jack Flaherty said …
My badger doesn’t hum and the blades are moving freely. The water in the sink just doesn’t drain. Can you help me?
Sincerely,
Jack Flaherty
on 23 May 2011 at 4:58 am 317.Lois said …
Wow!!! Worked like a charm. My motor did hum, was not clogged. Used the allen wrench and it worked. Thank you so much for a great tip. Was on the way to Home Depot for a new one.
on 23 May 2011 at 6:10 am 318.Everett H said …
Is there a fix for a Badger 5 that leaks from two
port holes in the bottom of the fixture???
Was working fine and suddenly started leaking.
on 23 May 2011 at 6:29 pm 319.Lucas said …
Dude, everything was exactly as you said. Works like a charm. I now a have perfectly good working disposal and my girl thinks I can fix anything, booyah! Thanx for the help.
on 24 May 2011 at 7:21 pm 320.Yvonne said …
Thanks! The hex key worked. But I had to really push hard to make it work, once it came free it turned and then worked! Yea!
on 25 May 2011 at 12:02 pm 321.PreacherMan said …
House with 5 skiddos….I boy four girls a fish tank and a turtle tank. Can ya guess what got stuck in the disposal??……..little bity rock…yup that’s right, from the turtle tank….I really thought I was fubared. After spending an hour trying to take the thing out to take it apart I decided to google on the here new smart phone. Thank the loard I did….this tip even worked on rock if u can believe that one….yup yup good as new!!!!
on 25 May 2011 at 5:41 pm 322.Laura said …
Thank you so much! The hex key did the trick, and now my disposal works perfectly.
on 29 May 2011 at 10:27 am 323.Ravi G said …
Thanks Man! The hex wrench worked like a charm!
on 30 May 2011 at 9:28 am 324.Lori said …
I was about to spend $300 on a new garbage disposal. The allen wrench trick is amazing!!!!!
on 31 May 2011 at 4:58 pm 325.Jenny said …
Yet another satisfied reader! Thanks so much, Rob!
on 31 May 2011 at 6:27 pm 326.dj camper said …
Thank you!!! Fixed it with your help! Hum + no spin + hex = free fix!
on 01 Jun 2011 at 9:49 pm 327.Jason said …
Allen wrench worked like a charm. Thanks for the info. Ran to home depot right after reading this post…….brilliant
on 04 Jun 2011 at 5:04 pm 328.bandy said …
dude, thanks. you just saved me $75……that’s what i paid last time when the guy came and was done in 30 seconds.
appreciate your sense of humor and logical approach. you should become an engineer.
on 05 Jun 2011 at 6:40 am 329.Aaron S said …
Thanks Rob, your tips worked like a charm. Glad i was able to spot your blog.
on 05 Jun 2011 at 10:06 am 330.betsy said …
Joe,
I had the same problem as you, humming, blades moving freely, water draining properly. Thank you so much for bravely sticking a wooden thing into a moving disposal!! I too just turned the wooden stick COUNTERCLOCKWISE while the disposal was running, and it did engage!!! I am the happiest girl in the world!!!
on 05 Jun 2011 at 10:33 am 331.Vernon said …
Excellent post! Had it humming in less than five minutes. Thanks for the simple zero cost fix.
on 07 Jun 2011 at 4:43 pm 332.Shell said …
This info was great… Thanks for sharing. It’s working know. I’m grad I didn’t have to buy another.
on 08 Jun 2011 at 9:16 am 333.Angel said …
Awesome !!save my time and money
on 08 Jun 2011 at 9:37 am 334.Julie said …
Thank you! Thanks for the wet vac tip- I got the vac ready to go and looked inside with a flashlight and sure enough a plastic stick was stuck. Now it runs like brand new!
on 09 Jun 2011 at 3:03 pm 335.Dan said …
So mine ate a plastic bag, which wrapped itself around the motor and the whole thing seized. No choice but to take it apart. This is how:
1. Remove the thing from the sink. You’re going to find this easier if you support it on a car jack (even more handy for putting it back: these things are quite heavy);
2. Remove the four long screws which run from top to bottom on the device;
3. Remove the top half of the device, which is the casing. Although the device looks like a sealed unit, it isn’t — the top half is simply a casing which will slide off. To give you an idea, the two holes that each of the long screws goes through are both part of the casing, and the bottom hole is where the casing ends. However, it’s all held together with a silicone rubber gasket which makes it tough at first. Perseverance is key here… I found a little slot in the metal casing under the outlet spout into which I was able to insert a thin screwdriver and do some levering, but it’s hard to say if I just got lucky or whether this really did something…
4. The device will come apart into two halves: the top half is simply a casing and the other half is the entire machine, with the motor sticking out of the top, and the grinding plate on top of that.
5. Get the motor going: unwind whatever it happens to have stuck around it (in my case a plastic bag); you can plug the thing in to see if you’ve got it right, but the plate should be able to rotate freely with no effort at all.
6. Go to Autozone and get some black silicone rubber gasket – the type used to keep windshields in place.
7. Clean all the old rubber away from the two halves of the machine: this will reveal bare plastic on the housing and bare metal on the body. Make sure you do pretty well at this, since it’s key in making sure that water doesn’t get into the electrics once you’ve finished; I got a metal spatula and sharpened the edge using a Dremel tool — you could also use an Xacto knife or something similar to do this.
8. Coat the body side of the joint (the metal one) with the new silicone. Don’t be stingy: it’s not going to end up anywhere it shouldn’t — that part of the device is well away from any working parts. The idea is that when you slide on the casing, there will be a proper, watertight seal between the two.
9. Put the housing back in place over the top of the device: remember to align the screw holes so that you can get the four long screws back in place (this is actually a lot easier than it looks).
10. Put the four long screws back in place and tighten them. This is easiest if the device is on its side, then you can see the ends of the screws approaching the holes in the base plate. It can be tricky lining them up otherwise.
11. You’re done, but wait 24 hours for that silicone gasket to harden, otherwise you’re going to have problems. Again: DO NOT USE the thing for 24 hours…
on 10 Jun 2011 at 5:13 pm 336.HorseCamp said …
After watching the man in the house change all the plugs and wires thinking that the switch was bad or the plug was bad over a period of a couple of weeks — I found this great article while searching where I can get a new Badger 5. 10 minutes and an L wrench and it is working again. Thanks for the article
on 10 Jun 2011 at 9:31 pm 337.Mary Carroll said …
I LOVE you and your mango! I THOUGHT I had already checked the outlet reset, but I had not done it correctly. Your link to the reset button explained how to chech it and reset it. That MAY have been the problem. I went through 5-6 steps further, but you’re funny website made me feel like going through a lot of steps is OKAY and kind of fun. And we are all SO happy when the garbage disposal works again!
on 11 Jun 2011 at 5:12 am 338.Newly Divorced said …
Hallelujah! Thank you for posting this! Fresh out of a divorce, I’m having to learn how to do things on my own. And believe me, I do not have disposable cash that I can just throw at service men like it’s confetti. By the way, I LOVE the Labyrinth reference of ‘eternal bog of stench.’
on 11 Jun 2011 at 6:07 am 339.Frank said …
Broomhandle did the trick for me.Thanks!
on 11 Jun 2011 at 9:02 am 340.Lobby said …
Thanks a million. Your article made it clear and I am now sorted.
on 11 Jun 2011 at 9:15 am 341.Carlos Hernandez said …
Worked for me!!!
Thanks. You save me a trip to HD.
on 12 Jun 2011 at 6:55 pm 342.skierdonna said …
You ROCK!!! You saved me a trip to Home Depot, the cost of a new Badger and the cost of a plumber! Now … can you fix my computer?
on 12 Jun 2011 at 7:34 pm 343.Ray said …
Thanks! Almost called someone for it too
on 13 Jun 2011 at 10:59 am 344.Mike C said …
Thanks for you and the Internet–in that order!!! The hex wrench worked perfectly…………..
on 14 Jun 2011 at 7:44 am 345.Sarah said …
Thank you!! Fixed it!! Omg this was the best post EVER!!
on 14 Jun 2011 at 4:37 pm 346.New homeowner said …
The allen wrench did the trick! I would never have even noticed that little hole (mine is right in the middle – the little red reset button is more on the side of the bottom, for those who can’t find it).
Luckily, I own tons of ikea furniture so I have a bag full of allen wrenches – the biggest one I had did the trick. You should feel it actually gripping as you’re turning it…
Good luck everyone, and thank you!!
on 15 Jun 2011 at 6:37 am 347.Mike said …
Thanks for putting this together! You saved me a bunch of time. Mine had something stuck in the blades (small rock or something – kids), and moving the blades with wrench worked!
I love the internet!
on 16 Jun 2011 at 6:42 am 348.Kylana said …
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
on 16 Jun 2011 at 9:46 am 349.Tim Kelters said …
Who da man? YOU DA MAN!
I got that engine whir but no spin.
Power to the switch – how else would I get a whir?
I had that mystery funk and had to leave the stopper in the sink or the window open OR BOTH.
I tried your tool trick – it’s a manual way to spin the blades – and it freed it up just enough to spin again.
That’s when I heard the food monster crying.
Some rivet was in there so I risked my hand (but I’m okay…*CLAP CLAP*) and pulled out the offending metal nub.
Now my food monster is ready for snack time!
I avoided this problem until the smell was too much. I waited too long. Easy fix!
TRICK: Use a mirror to see under the food monster.
I used my spare bedroom mirror and was able to do this repair in less than 4 minutes!
Virtual high five!
on 16 Jun 2011 at 9:48 am 350.Tim Kelters said …
Side note: It’s a TORX “T40″ that works with the Badger 5 manual blade spinner.
I’m so proud of myself.
on 18 Jun 2011 at 1:57 pm 351.ShaunaB said …
If the hex wrench solution and reset button solution do not work, what next? The motor does not hum, water sits until I turn the blades with the hex wrench from the bottom. Then the water drains. I tried the hex wrench solution a couple months ago and it worked like a charm, but now I am at a loss. Please help!
on 19 Jun 2011 at 11:43 am 352.joe row said …
YOU ROCK….You are correct the wench solved it.
Thanks
on 19 Jun 2011 at 2:59 pm 353.Faye said …
Hi, my Insinkerator Badger 5 started humming and not working yesterday after I finished the dishes, it was still draining so I knew wasn’t anything major. Stuck my hand inside and the blades did not move, didn’t want to have my hand in there too long so I looked under the unit and pushed the reset button but nothing. Left it alone until today hoping that the garbage disposal fairy would fix it overnight, but of course that didn’t happen and then it stopped humming. Was just making my list for Home Depot when I decided to google the problem and yours was the second I looked at. Laughed my head off and went and found an old bird perch and a hex screw driver (have tons of those usually keep them after I put together whatever them came with the put together), used the bird perch to move the blades around and free them up, hit the reset button which was now popped out, turned the power button on and voila, garbage disposal is working again. Thanks much, saved me a lot of money now I will keep the bird perch and hex screw driver with my tools as the garbage disposal fixing tools. I don’t have a warranty on the unit and knowing that I now know how to get it unstuck gives me lots of peace of mind.
on 20 Jun 2011 at 8:52 pm 354.Thanks!! said …
Yeah!!! It’s alive! Thanks for the info. I almost bought a disposal.
on 21 Jun 2011 at 5:46 pm 355.Brad said …
Rob,
Thank you SO much for helping me out. I know you posted this blog like three years ago, but I followed your advice and it worked!
Thanks!!
Brad
on 23 Jun 2011 at 5:21 am 356.Tim said …
Wow! Thank you. that was so simple and saved me $100 or more and 2-3 hours of my weekend. Instead 5 minutes (mostly looking for my hex wrench set) and it works like a charm.
Our disposal started slowing down and then only hummed and the drain was also slow. I’m lucky I found your blog. I was looking for how to replace and found yours instead.
Thank you.
on 26 Jun 2011 at 7:17 pm 357.still have a hand man said …
I didn’t stick my hand down the sink. I used the handle of a big spoon and spun the blades. That worked. Thanks for the post.
on 27 Jun 2011 at 5:59 pm 358.Mary said …
Thanks so much! Had a roommate from Australia who says they don’t have disposals there, something Oprah did not mention in her broad cast from down under, so how was I to know? Thus she was running the disposal with out running any water and putting chicken bones down it. It got jammed. A few twists with that hex wrench, which mine came with, and it is just like new!
Thanks for saving us a repair call to the landlord!
on 29 Jun 2011 at 2:42 pm 359.Mike said …
Anybody come up with another answer for:
1. Badger 5 plus insinkerator….
2. Humming noise when on, reset button will protrude when circuit breaker hit, but no luck.
3. Blades in sink free, water still drains.
Allen wrench to bottom, after MUCH effort, finally unlocked and is “free” but it takes much effort to get started.
I heard a clicking in the disposal while running and feared my girlfriend might have dropped something metal in it. Running great…and then I could hear the obstruction take hold and go straight to humming.
Any other ideas? I have taken a flashlight into sink and cannot “see” anything odd in there. Where to go from here?
MJ
on 30 Jun 2011 at 7:23 am 360.It Worked! said …
Our in-sink rotator has been making humming noise for a few months and we have not have a chance to call anyone to fix it. We happen to have one day off and I decided to google the web and found your blog. We followed your instruction and IT WORKED! Thank you so much! We couldn’t believe how easy it was. Your note about showing the drain “who’s the boss” is right-on too! We were about to give up but kept trying because we knew we were the boss.
on 03 Jul 2011 at 2:36 am 361.lk said …
Mine all of a sudden started making a loud metal rattling type of sound. I can’t see anything in there but what else might it be?
on 04 Jul 2011 at 9:33 am 362.parkerk said …
thanks SO much! You just saved us a couple hundred dollars and a half day of sweating and cursing trying to install a new disposal!
on 05 Jul 2011 at 8:11 am 363.Mheath22 said …
Thanks a ton. I have always done a few things here or there to fix our disposal but your 3rd step did the trick this time. Thanks
Mike
on 06 Jul 2011 at 12:07 pm 364.kelley said …
Thank you so much!!! it worked so easily! xo!
on 06 Jul 2011 at 5:12 pm 365.Thankful said …
LIFESAVER!! Thank you so much for sharing this information. We had to really work on ours but it finally ran smooth. Thank you Thank you Thank you
on 09 Jul 2011 at 10:48 am 366.Jinx said …
Worked like a charm. Ceramic dipping dishes are really not made to be chopped up in the disposal but this tip got it running again. Thanks!!!
on 10 Jul 2011 at 5:21 pm 367.john k said …
Thanks! Worked on my Badger 9 perfectly. Saved me $100+.
on 10 Jul 2011 at 7:48 pm 368.RALPH OLSON said …
MY BADGER 5 STARTRD LEAKING AFTER I USED A PLUNGER TO UNCLOG.WATER IS LEAKING FROM INSIDE, NOT VISIBLE PLUMBING. BLEW AN O RING OR GASKET? WASSUP? OLSON
on 12 Jul 2011 at 2:26 pm 369.Mal said …
Thank you Rob for the info. It worked with hex wrench like charm. You saved time, money and agony for me and many others. You are Superman.
on 13 Jul 2011 at 10:42 am 370.Keldie said …
Thanks for keeping this on your blog Rob!
When our insinkerator only hummed, we suspected that a pop tab was the culprit (Kids…argh). We followed your instructions and some of the earlier comments on pliers and using the vacuum to dislodge everything. And PRESTO! All clear and running well again.
You just saved us a lot of money.
on 14 Jul 2011 at 2:59 pm 371.Patrick said …
Let me be commenter number 305 to say thanks for this useful advice. worked like a charm on my garbage disposal. btw, this blog entry is was the first in my Google search for “badger insinkerator troubleshoot”
on 15 Jul 2011 at 6:50 pm 372.keli said …
Thank you!!, very easy fix after reading your guide
I love the internet!! Thanks again for making this info available.
on 16 Jul 2011 at 3:30 pm 373.Vijay said …
Thank you for the tips. The 1/4 Allen wrench did the trick.
on 16 Jul 2011 at 3:48 pm 374.Sean said …
2 1/2 years since your post and your info saved me a new disposal! Thanks!
on 17 Jul 2011 at 5:35 pm 375.Grateful said …
Thanks VERY much for the tutorial. I followed it step by step and I am back in business. I was ready to head out to the store and buy a new one. Your instructions saved me!
on 17 Jul 2011 at 9:32 pm 376.Carlos Y. said …
Thanks for the info. The Allen wrench worked perfectly. Took me longer to find the Allen wrench than to fix it:)
on 19 Jul 2011 at 1:08 pm 377.bob said …
thank you
on 19 Jul 2011 at 5:36 pm 378.Minnesota Geek said …
Thank you so much for sharing this. I dug out the trusty allen wrench (from all the Ikea furniture I’ve built) and got whatever was in there broken loose!
on 20 Jul 2011 at 1:03 pm 379.Scott B. said …
Way cool…..you are the man. Worked like a charm. Saved me some money and saved my son, who put gravel in the disposal, from me!!! lol Thanks again dude.
on 20 Jul 2011 at 4:43 pm 380.Heather said …
Thx so much! I was ready to call a plumber when I decided to google my problem! Appreciate it….A LOT!!!!
on 21 Jul 2011 at 1:47 pm 381.chris said …
the on/off switch on the sink is stuck.. any advice? my cleaning lady pushed it in and now it won’t pop back up…
thanks!
on 23 Jul 2011 at 7:37 pm 382.gerald said …
out of blue. would not start. no garbage waiting to be disposed. reset did not work. easy turn of allen wrench did the trick. thanks.
on 24 Jul 2011 at 10:20 am 383.stephanie said …
thank you so much after taking this to facebook and 2 wks of this mess my husband and i figured it out with your help we were think we need to buy a whole new disposal… thank goodness for that and the clog was from fish tank rocks ( the little pink and blue ones) we have a 5 yr autistic son so who know how or when this happened…lol
on 26 Jul 2011 at 11:36 am 384.Theresa said …
Genius! It was a penny stuck under the blade so far you couldn’t see it. Works great now – thanks!
on 26 Jul 2011 at 9:30 pm 385.Marco said …
My wife was on my case all week long regarding the broken badger 5. I had to fix it or keep hearing aboout it. I googled it and got a hit on your blog. AWESOME!!! The 5 minute fix! Gracias amigo!!!
on 27 Jul 2011 at 12:19 am 386.Matt said …
Another victory. Looks like a screw fell into the disposal. The hex wrench dislodged it with the help of a little elbow grease.
on 27 Jul 2011 at 9:01 am 387.Emily Aloha said …
I can’t believe how easy this was. Who knew? Apparently, you! Thank you!!!!
on 29 Jul 2011 at 5:12 pm 388.Clay said …
Thank you, Rob!
Now why can’t you write a “how-to” manual on how to unclog the gridlock in Washington and dispose of some of those characters down the drain?
on 30 Jul 2011 at 2:09 pm 389.Juice said …
Thanks!!!
on 31 Jul 2011 at 7:53 am 390.Ken said …
Great info… Thanks for sharing… I first spent 30 minutes taking all the pipes apart under the sink and couldn’t find any clog, then thanks to your advice I used the hex wrench like you suggested and 1 minute later the problem was solved.
on 03 Aug 2011 at 10:28 am 391.Jessica said …
Thank you so much. I’ve had to do this twice (about a year ago and today)–saved my bacon both times.
I had to use the light tap of a hammer on the allen wrench because the disposal was extra stubborn and my hands are not as strong as a guys.
on 03 Aug 2011 at 10:43 am 392.DSZ said …
It works !!!!!
Thank you very much.
on 03 Aug 2011 at 11:21 am 393.Alan said …
Thanks!
Hex key freed the unit up, and with a flashlight I was able to retrieve a heart-shaped charm and chain link that my daughter somehow dropped in the sink.
I love happy endings.
-Alan
on 04 Aug 2011 at 8:33 pm 394.martski said …
Thanks! Even a few years later, this post is still clearing disposals and saving us money!
There really wasn’t much NEW that I didn’t see on other fix-it places in terms of WHAT to do (it was, of course, the turning the hex wrench back and forth a bunch….and having to push it HARD to do so!), but what you DID include was the whole bit about hearing humming, because that was the key thing I was trying to understand. Because of your DESCRIPTION OF SYMPTOMS, your post made me know what I had to do and WHY. Thanks again!!
on 06 Aug 2011 at 2:31 pm 395.Sciencegirl said …
I have the InSinkerator Badger 5 garbage disposal. It does work; however; it’s extremely loud all of a sudden. I’ve been researching this; and unfortunately; the tape is on the garbage dispoal where the wrench would be; but no wrench. Believe me; beats the heck out of me where it is; as I have never used it.
Everyone keeps talking about hitting the reset button. Where is it?? I’ve looked on the bottom and on the sides and can’t find it. I certainly can’t afford a plumber and though some free advice would be in order.
Thank you in advance.
Sciencegirl
on 07 Aug 2011 at 5:22 am 396.jason said …
Awesome….Thanks
on 07 Aug 2011 at 5:59 pm 397.MB said …
Excellent instructions, many thanks.
Found the central hole underneath easily enough and inserted the 1/4 ” allen wrench snugly. However, it was too tight to turn. Finally attached the long end of the allen wrench to an adaptor and then to my screwdriver to make the handle longer for better leverage. I was finally able to turn it.
You only need to turn it a little bit (90-180 degrees) to dislodge the stuck object, in this case a tiny spoon.
on 07 Aug 2011 at 8:10 pm 398.T. Brown said …
Another success story. The hex wrench did the trick.
As a woman, it feels good to solve the problem without bringing in a plumber. Thanks!
on 08 Aug 2011 at 4:32 am 399.Chris said …
Thanks alot for the tip. Seeing as I had no idea of what to do. The allen wrench did the trick.
Thanks again.
on 14 Aug 2011 at 9:35 am 400.Kali said …
That did the trick. Thank you!
on 14 Aug 2011 at 9:36 am 401.Carla said …
It worked!!! We were so not looking forward to trying to figure out how to fix our garbage disposal and we just read this blog and it took no more than 1 minute to fix!! THANK YOU!!!
on 14 Aug 2011 at 1:52 pm 402.Gyles said …
so i cleaned out the disposal completely did the hex key trick and it worked… until i shut it off then it goes back to humming… so the run down is, the hex key trick works but once i shut it off then turn it back on it just goes back to humming until i do the hex key thing… everytime
on 15 Aug 2011 at 10:34 am 403.Bluebird said …
Thank you, Rob!!! 1/4 Allen wrench did the trick.
on 15 Aug 2011 at 10:46 am 404.Bluebird said …
Thank you, Rob!!! Just wanted you to know that your advice is still helping folks years later. It hummed when I reset it. There was nothing lodged in the upper compartment where the blades are, so I figured it had to be in the motor, and the 1/4 Allen wrench did the trick! Yes, rigorous turning for quite a while. Don’t know if it made a difference, but whatever was jammed broke free after I poured a little olive oil down the drain.
on 15 Aug 2011 at 3:36 pm 405.Thankful said …
It worked! My husband already has an allen wrench (and everything else), he’s VERY handy. No more greasy, yucky residue in the sink from slow draining water….
on 16 Aug 2011 at 5:35 pm 406.Robert said …
Thank you for putting the information on the web. I was having the same problem. I googled on how to repair it & I came across this site. I followed the directions & now it works again. Thank you. You saved me time, money & last but not least aggrivation.
on 18 Aug 2011 at 8:54 pm 407.Tim said …
DAAANGGG ! !…the hex/allan wrench on the bottom made a cake decorating metal piece break free and resolved the same troubles that you all were describing above come clear. I am now really impressed with the way anyone can help another person with household trouble, via the internet/online! Thanks.
on 19 Aug 2011 at 6:22 pm 408.Sipapu said …
Thanks for the tips!!!it worked.
on 20 Aug 2011 at 6:01 pm 409.Raj.K said …
Thanks , thanks thanks
THIS WORKS. Awesome instructions
1) Used the reset button (If the unit is HOT – wait for some time before trying the reset and switching ON the unit
2) My Hex Key DID NOT TURN AT ALL – thought that my piece was just different. However – took faith and hammered it a bit towards one side ( the longer end) – which seemed to loosen whatever was stuck – after that – it was working again
Thanks a lot!
on 22 Aug 2011 at 9:18 am 410.Max said …
Thanks a bunch worked like a charm!
on 22 Aug 2011 at 10:03 am 411.Rhys said …
Thanks for the info on the site! Was a great help!
on 22 Aug 2011 at 10:46 am 412.Rosanders said …
Thanks! This worked perfectly & saved me $175!
on 22 Aug 2011 at 4:52 pm 413.Ipsita said …
Thanks for the tips .
It helped me .
on 22 Aug 2011 at 7:10 pm 414.Sowmya said …
Saved me a great deal of trouble. Thanks a ton!
on 23 Aug 2011 at 4:25 pm 415.zach said …
Thanks!!
If you’re having trouble with getting the wrench to turn due to glass try using a shop vac down the drain to pick up all the little pieces. If the wrench still doesn’t turn get someone else to vacuum while you jostle the wrench back and forth till it turns freely.
on 25 Aug 2011 at 5:35 am 416.Norah said …
Thanks for the helpful post!! Got it running again!!
on 27 Aug 2011 at 6:29 pm 417.Jen said …
Can’t thank you enough for the easy, clear directions! Got out my allen wrench set and got the thing spinning again in no time! I had already had no luck trying to spin the blades from above, so these steps were a lifesaver for someone unemployed who REALLY didn’t want to have to pay a plumber.
on 28 Aug 2011 at 6:56 am 418.Good Advise said …
Thanks a lot! Allen wrench did the trick!
on 29 Aug 2011 at 7:24 am 419.Jenny said …
I was dreading working on this. Your flowchart was perfect – fix took only 5 minutes (or less). Thanks for taking the time to write it down and share.
on 29 Aug 2011 at 2:52 pm 420.Mrs. Andrew said …
Your instructions are great; however, if you happen to have a Badger disposal, the hex won’t work. It is a new-fangled disposal specific key. If you are not sure, use a small mirror to see up the hole and determine if it’s a hex or something else. Thanks for the re-set button tip as well.
on 29 Aug 2011 at 3:59 pm 421.Jennifer said …
Thank you soooo much Rob!!!!!! Followed your instructions to the exact, in about 10 minutes, WORKING!!!!!! So glad feel pretty good, my husband said we should just call a plumber, I said I am going to Google it and try, yeah me
on 30 Aug 2011 at 3:20 am 422.Eva said …
Huge thanks from Prague!
Yesterday there was a power cut and then the garbage disposal refused to work, which became apparent only after the sink was full of crap I wanted to get rid of – typical. My washing machine had broken down a week before and then the garbage disposal…it was just too much! I went through a furious rant about stupid gadgets, technology etc., then had a drink and decided to try and repair it myself.
I found your story (the small bog of eternal stench is so true!) and followed the advice and it worked perfectly! I don’t know if the power cut had anything to do with it, but that’s irrelevant now.
If you even come to Prague, drinks are on me!
on 02 Sep 2011 at 7:19 am 423.Joe said …
Hi Rob. Thank you for posting this. It is well written and concise and your descriptions had me laughing out loud at times. I was able to fix my Badger 5 quickly by following your instructions.
on 02 Sep 2011 at 8:04 pm 424.Penny from TX said …
Yes, you are the man! Worked like a charm. I just moved into a new house and did not want to call my landlord the first week. Thanks man
on 03 Sep 2011 at 7:32 am 425.Sweet Jones said …
Greatest..Blog…Post….EVER!!!
Much appreciated.
on 03 Sep 2011 at 10:32 pm 426.Skip said …
Worked like a charm. I don’t know what it was that was jamming the blades but I could have saved a few bucks on Drano if I would have came to this site first. Can I get reimbursed?
on 05 Sep 2011 at 6:17 am 427.Paisley said …
Amazing instructions. Thank you soooo much!
You would think they should leave your instructions on the bottom of their device since enough people experience this and it is such an easy fix.
on 05 Sep 2011 at 6:18 am 428.Paisley said …
Amazing instructions. Thank you soooo much!
You would think they should leave your instructions on the bottom of their device since enough people experience this and it is such an easy fix.
Badger take note.
on 05 Sep 2011 at 8:42 am 429.Richard said …
Thanks for your help. It worked perfectly.
on 05 Sep 2011 at 12:05 pm 430.Wes said …
You just saved me 100$ and alot of trouble and time.
on 06 Sep 2011 at 9:42 pm 431.richard said …
I think your a great writer! It was very entertaining.. I’m going to give it a whirl tomorrow! Thanks for the tips and saving me a ton of research I’ll report back how it goes
on 09 Sep 2011 at 5:47 am 432.David said …
Thanks…This was a lifesaver…..put a wooden spoon in the damn thing and it moved…..then just turned on the machine and it worked…didn’t even need the hex wrench…Thanks so much….
on 10 Sep 2011 at 6:56 am 433.Chad DeRocher said …
Sweet, Save me lots of time and headache..not to mention cleared up a stinky kitchen..!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Man.
on 10 Sep 2011 at 6:56 am 434.Chad DeRocher said …
Sweet, Saved me lots of time and headache..not to mention cleared up a stinky kitchen..!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Man.
on 11 Sep 2011 at 8:59 am 435.Erick said …
Thanks for this article. Earned serious man points for fixing this.
on 11 Sep 2011 at 4:51 pm 436.Kevin said …
Thanks a lot. Your tips saved me a lot of time, frustration, and money. I sincerely appreciate your information!!!
on 12 Sep 2011 at 4:10 am 437.insinkerated said …
Big up Rob, thx for the helpful info!
on 15 Sep 2011 at 5:44 am 438.Joe said …
Yep, turning the shaft with an allen wrench fixed mine too!
Thanks a million
on 17 Sep 2011 at 3:51 am 439.Ben S said …
Wow, I cannot thank you enough!! My parents were out of town and I thought I had broken the insinkerator by trying to grind up pork bones. I know, stupid me, but hey we all learn from our mistakes.
Anyways after repeating the reset button and hex wrench steps a couple times, and taking out whatever bones remained in there, ol’ Badger came back to life!
on 18 Sep 2011 at 8:44 am 440.sherry said …
Thank you…that’s $79 saved…didn’t have to buy the new disposal…just used that funny little hex wrench that was under the sink!
on 18 Sep 2011 at 4:14 pm 441.Vince said …
You’re a lifesaver. Your tips worked!!! Thanks!!!!!
on 18 Sep 2011 at 5:32 pm 442.Roz said …
Hi There! What do I do now that it appears as though the reset button itself has fallen out of the bottom of the garbage disposal? Tried sticking a plastic chop stick in the hole but did not hit anything that reset the power. Garbage disposal makes no noise so it appears as though the electricity is not flowing.
Thanks!
on 22 Sep 2011 at 7:23 am 443.Aru S said …
Great!, it worked for me too, thanks for tip, saved $$$.
on 24 Sep 2011 at 7:59 am 444.PerryG said …
Don’t forget to check the circuit breaker. Apparently during all my effing around with the thing I tripped the breaker. Should had known to check that after it stopped humming.
on 26 Sep 2011 at 9:01 pm 445.justkaijack said …
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Followed your directions and I am now a superhero in my home. What a sense of accomplishment–and one less disposal going to the landfill.
on 27 Sep 2011 at 6:16 pm 446.mama said …
thanks for the help – totally fixed my problem!
on 28 Sep 2011 at 5:23 pm 447.Sri said …
Awesome! Worked like a charm…and saved me $$$$
on 28 Sep 2011 at 6:59 pm 448.Tom said …
I actually have a whirlpool disposal, but the 1/4″ hex tool still worked perfectly. It took a bit of force to loosen up, but it did the trick perfectly! I heard the water running down the pipe and flipped the switch and it was good to go.
Thanks!
on 30 Sep 2011 at 2:34 pm 449.Matt said …
I almost went out and bought and new disposal before reading this. Had some lump charcoal go down by accident and thought I killed it. Tried all of the tips mentioned above and it is working perfectly. Many thanks for this post.
on 01 Oct 2011 at 9:00 am 450.David Nowak said …
Thank you so much!!!!
My daughter cleaned her fish aquarium in the sink and spilled some of the gravel into the disposal. So, after reaching my fingers into the disposal to try to “fish” out the gravel, but still not being to get the thing to do anything but hum, I realized that this really didn’t seem like a great idea. I did a search for the “Badger” disposal and came across your posting.
So, my fingers are still intact, the daughter can safely come out of her bedroom, the fish is alive and happy in her aquarium, I got one more thing off the to-do list, and everything is right with the universe.
Thanks again for your post.
-David.
on 01 Oct 2011 at 10:00 am 451.Tom said …
Thanks for the allen wrench tip. The wife thinks I’m a plumber now
on 01 Oct 2011 at 5:31 pm 452.Jane said …
Hooray! worked like a charm!!!!!!!
on 02 Oct 2011 at 9:56 am 453.Mike said …
Thanks Rob! Easily the simplest “How-to” which saved a $60 trip from a handyman to do 2 min worth of work!
on 02 Oct 2011 at 10:03 am 454.Doug said …
Rob,
Thanks for the post. The Allen wrench worked perfectly!
on 03 Oct 2011 at 7:36 am 455.Kelly said …
It works! Cool! Thanks so much.
on 03 Oct 2011 at 9:14 am 456.Joe said …
Rob,
Awesome!!! I’ve been a do-it-yourselfer all my life. Usually, I learn the hard way. Mess something up even worse, then figure it out.
This time, I googled first and got your blog right away. My disposal sucked up a rag, and when I found out, I pulled it out, but didn’t hear the motor running. I was ready to take it apart, but followed your instructions. I didn’t know there was a reset button. pressed that and the motor hummed, but blades still jammed. Used a wooden spoon, got the blades loose, and I’m back in business!!!
Goes to show an old dog (61Yrs) can still learn a new trick!!! I love the computer!! THANKS!!
on 03 Oct 2011 at 2:29 pm 457.Jack said …
Awesome! Thanks for the tip!
on 06 Oct 2011 at 9:03 am 458.Meghan said …
Yay! It worked! Thank you
We had rocks in ours….no idea how…
on 06 Oct 2011 at 1:06 pm 459.Kristi said …
Husband was about to buy a new one. I googled you and we are back in business! Thanks for getting me points with my husband!!
on 06 Oct 2011 at 3:43 pm 460.Happy Insinkerator Owner said …
this article helped me to fix my disposal in 5 minutes. Thank you, you saved me $200 in plumber fees.
on 06 Oct 2011 at 3:49 pm 461.kal said …
YES! Three years ago you wrote this and apparently are still helping people all over the world! I installed my badger a few years ago and when it stopped working I vaguely remembered there was something else I could do to get the blades going again. I was so close to calling a plumber when I decided to give the internet a shot! Fifteen minutes later (and it took me 14 of those minutes to find the right size allen wrench in my disorganized box of tools) and HURRAY! I’m grinding again and I’ve saved myself bucks! Thanks Rob! You’re a hero! If everyone you’ve saved sent you $5 bucks you’d have quite a payment for this one article!
Thanks again.
on 07 Oct 2011 at 6:44 pm 462.Julia said …
Thanks for the info, went to the hardware store and purchased a 1/4 allen wrench for $1.25 and then fixed the disposal in two minutes. Saved me a lot of money compared to calling a plumber!
on 07 Oct 2011 at 8:11 pm 463.KK said …
Thanks so much! So nicely written. The culprit in mine was a mini binder clip
on 08 Oct 2011 at 9:39 am 464.Max said …
Awesome! Lot of plumbers not happy but I am and saved some $$ and time. Just for time sake 2 years later what an impact!
on 08 Oct 2011 at 9:55 am 465.Bruce said …
Rob – you are a magician!
Hey- run for president – if you can get thee mysterious, stinky but necessary contraptions working yo can probably fix what ails government.
I had already bought a replacement disposal – then found your blog. Eureka! Rob for president!
Thanks amigo!
on 08 Oct 2011 at 2:43 pm 466.Steffi said …
Thanks. It only took me 4 minutes to fix the disposal. So glad I found this blog.
on 09 Oct 2011 at 9:14 am 467.Nathan said …
This worked perfectly! Thanks for the 5 minute fix. Way better than an expensive plumber call.
on 09 Oct 2011 at 2:59 pm 468.Quara said …
I travel for months at a time and was not looking forward to calling a Plummer to fix my disposal on the one weekend I’m home this month. Followed your steps here, and it worked like a charm. Thank you so, so much for the clear directions, an most of all for sharing your adventures in plumbing!
on 09 Oct 2011 at 3:45 pm 469.Max said …
Dude! You are awesome. I’m gonna put mad food in my sink now.
on 09 Oct 2011 at 7:57 pm 470.exander said …
This helped a lot but didnt fix it just helped relize it was a little more then that. Ended up taking drain off of garbage disposal and found a towel jammed up inside there! Thanks for all the help
on 10 Oct 2011 at 8:22 am 471.Jennifer Porter said …
Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!! You saved us the purchase of a new unit because we were about the throw this one out the window! THANK YOU!!!!!!
on 11 Oct 2011 at 5:14 pm 472.Julia said …
Hi there
Thank you from Berkeley, California! You saved me major $$. Much respect.
on 12 Oct 2011 at 3:00 am 473.Chris Hunter said …
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I was thinking that I was going to have to call a plumber, but this helped me and saved me tens, if not, hundreds of dollars!
The key for fixing mine was using the Allen wrench on the bottom of the device! I did have to show it “who was boss” and that did the trick!
I’m going to share this info on FB and Twitter as a thank you for such a simple solution!
God bless!
Chris Hunter
on 13 Oct 2011 at 1:33 pm 474.Kamar said …
Man thanks sooooo much works great
on 13 Oct 2011 at 7:16 pm 475.Lisa V said …
Holy Cow! It’s usually the guy who fixes this stuff, and with your help, I DID IT!
How amazing. I feel so empowered!
Thank you!!!
Lisa
on 15 Oct 2011 at 4:21 pm 476.Sophie said …
worked like a charm! Thanks for saving us from one stinky disposal
on 17 Oct 2011 at 7:36 pm 477.Boogirl said …
Thanks so much for the tips. I was too ambitious when disposing of potato peels (manual says you can dispose of them just do so gradually) and disposal started pushing water back into sink and stopped draining. I used the 1/4 inch hex tool (Allen wrench) and didn’t get any results after I turned it every which way. I came across another article which said to turn it counterclockwise for one full rotation. Still nothing. I got so frustrated and angry because I thought I’d have to buy a new disposal or pay a hefty plumber fee. I then remembered an earlier commenter said he used a flat head screwdriver because he didn’t have a hex tool. Since the hex tool hadn’t worked, I reluctantly used the screwdriver but had no expectations. I was so relieved when I heard the swishing sound of water going down the drain. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. Yippppeeeee!
on 19 Oct 2011 at 12:09 pm 478.Boris said …
Thanks a lot. It works perfectly.
I had a wrench and it took more time to find it…
Saved me a lot of time and money
on 22 Oct 2011 at 10:41 am 479.Carla Field said …
AWESOME!!! Genius!! Fantastic!! A $3 Allen wrench and the problem is solved. So great not to have to call a plumber, and to be able to tell my boyfriend, “I fixed it!” Thank you!!
on 22 Oct 2011 at 4:52 pm 480.Peggy in Memphis said …
You are a lifesaver! See I am a woman. . . wife. . . mom. . GRANDMOTHER (my favorite title! – they’re so cute!)
So I just dumped 2 large pieces of cornbread down the disposal. Hit the switch – hmmmmmm. . . .well, you know the sound.
Got down and looked under the sink – so much JUNK and there was a leak all over my checkerboard Contact paper. Dark, ugly wet goop had developed. Then, did the horrible icky job of scooping out the cornbread which had now become something like leftover dressing. Yuk!!
Flipped the switch. . . hmmmmmm. . . .went on-line put in “disposal just started humming” and got you! Didn’t go out for a hex – what the heck is that, anyway! Just got a screwdriver from the kitchen junk drawer and stuck it up in there and started turning. . something turned. . . then I checked the blades with a long handle plastic spoon. Oh, yeah, I did unplug the disposal – I didn’t know they had plugs!! Anyway, I plugged it back in, started spinning the blades with that long handled spoon and VOILA!!! ABRACADABRA!!! I am so smart!!
Think I’m going to start fixing stuff for ladies without husbands. . . mine was at work. . . doesn’t know a thing. . . won’t even tell him! He’s too involved in work-issues to think about something like maintenance on a house!!! Hey, if you build it, it should stand. . . forever!!!
on 24 Oct 2011 at 7:14 pm 481.Derek said …
ok, so the insinkerator badger series has complaints galore. If I were you, I’d just upgrade to the Insinderator Evolution series and accept my losses with the Badger. It appears whatever Insinkerator messed up on with the Badger, they corrected with the Evolution series of disposers. Good luck.
on 26 Oct 2011 at 6:45 am 482.Julio said …
Rob, you’re the man! Our Badger 5 stopped working this morning, it just hums and I can feel the heat build on the case. I reset the red button to no avail. Uh-oh this is not good, I started to think about the cost of repair, labor and materials and I’m just upset.
So I took a 1/4 Allen, gave a few twist, it would move freely and then stop, move freely and stop. I found out a tiny screw found it’s way there, upon taking it out, several twists later and voila, it’s good to go! Thanks Again!
on 27 Oct 2011 at 8:06 am 483.Laurie said …
Hi Rob — thanks for the excellent descriptions and instructions! Three years later, this post is still saving us $$$ and aggravation!
on 28 Oct 2011 at 6:29 pm 484.Kevin said …
Thanks so much!!! saved me alot of time and money!!! thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU!!!
on 29 Oct 2011 at 6:54 pm 485.joe said …
the wrench trick worked. thanks thanks thanks
on 29 Oct 2011 at 6:56 pm 486.joe said …
wrench trick worked. thanks thanks thanks
on 30 Oct 2011 at 11:51 am 487.Wendy said …
From start of the problem, til finding this post and fixing with the hex wrench, it all happened in 5 min. I spent most of the 5 min thinking the hum meant it was a goner. As a single mom, I feel empowered when I can take care of these things without calling someone. Thank you!!!!
on 02 Nov 2011 at 9:40 am 488.ceasar said …
that was awesome. Thanks. saved me $$$.
on 02 Nov 2011 at 1:47 pm 489.Paul said …
You’re the man! Thanks it worked like a charm!
on 05 Nov 2011 at 9:27 am 490.Joe said …
Wow Rob! That was so easy! A reset button and an a few twists of the allen wrench! I was letting it sit for weeks because I just didn’t want to address it!
Thanks again!
on 05 Nov 2011 at 3:40 pm 491.Virendra said …
Thank you so much. I think you should represent Joe the plumber in next election… someone who has really helped so many people by his article… the number of response is testimony.
on 06 Nov 2011 at 8:57 am 492.IT Process Monkey said …
Yep – years later and you are still saving folks. In this case? A single mother of three with a full-time job. Its been 2 weeks, and I finally said, after looking at the dishwasher push-up sitting in the sink, “Ive got to google how to fix this thing..”
Found your site first off – Did exactly as you said – and thanks to the H-key (which was in my home tool kit, but I hadnt even known what to call it before) I had it up and running again even before church!
you *rock* – thanks so much!!
on 06 Nov 2011 at 10:45 am 493.Amy VC said …
WOOHOO!!!! Feeling great gratitude for you, the Internet and a former boyfriend who had the foresight to give me a complete tool box, including 1/4″ hex! Life is good. Thank you!
on 10 Nov 2011 at 7:12 am 494.MDG said …
Huge THANKS! Count me as one of the people you saved $$ and from calling the landlord! I am now rewarded with Chipotle burrito by my happy wife with you post.
on 10 Nov 2011 at 8:31 am 495.Sam said …
Thanks for the allen wrench tip. I had those already. I used a number 6 & it worked like a charm.
Sam
on 13 Nov 2011 at 2:14 am 496.Dominic said …
Incredibly simple and helpful. Spared me from calling our helpful, but expensive plumber. Also made me the hero of the household.
I had only metric hex wrenches and got one a little stuck, but wiggled it free. Even if the blade can spin by hand, the mechanisms seems it can be stuck on this model. After a twist with the wrench, it was free.
Awesome.
on 14 Nov 2011 at 12:01 pm 497.Sam said …
Thanks so much! I have almost the same exact story you helped me a ton!
on 15 Nov 2011 at 12:33 pm 498.wtfmate said …
The allen wrench trick worked! This deserves a beer!
on 15 Nov 2011 at 2:22 pm 499.G said …
Thank you so much! Why, oh why did I not do a web search and read your blog before I disconnected the disposer from the washing machine and drain hookups? Would have saved me a good half hour plus aggravation! Thanks again!
on 17 Nov 2011 at 8:13 am 500.Katheen said …
Thank you thank you it worked!
on 19 Nov 2011 at 3:26 pm 501.anonymous said …
Thank you so much for writing this blog. This fixed my disposal and was a huge relief! I was actually searching google for a replacement and found this. Five minutes later my Badger 5 was up and running again
on 20 Nov 2011 at 7:50 am 502.Joseph said …
Tried doing what you said with the Allen wrench and it worked to a charm. I had a soda tab that got caught in the blades and by moving the blades with the tool, it loosened the tab which we did not feel inside the first time we checked. Thank you very much!!
on 20 Nov 2011 at 11:58 am 503.Charles said …
Saved me big money. I was ready to purchase another.
Thanks!!!
on 20 Nov 2011 at 2:35 pm 504.courtney said …
THANK YOU!! I was SOOOO prepared to call a plumber. You helped us fix it in LESS than 2 mins. THANK YOU!!!
on 22 Nov 2011 at 12:34 am 505.vancouva said …
My reset button on the bottom of the disposal is red colored and is not round shaped button
on 23 Nov 2011 at 11:15 am 506.Harve Hnatiuk said …
Wow! That saved the day here! Thanks!!!!
on 23 Nov 2011 at 2:53 pm 507.Dennis said …
Dude! Same problem. Just tried this. It WORKED!!! Thanks man!
on 25 Nov 2011 at 5:31 pm 508.Manoj said …
Wow, you saved by $$. I have an InSinkErator. My wife broke a cup in the sink and the disposer stopped working. It humms, but not rotates. The disk rotates when touched, but not when the motor is switched on. Then I used an allen key and roatated in that “mysterious hole”.. Woohah, it started working again !!. Thanks
on 25 Nov 2011 at 8:44 pm 509.John said …
Thanks – dead on with the instruction to fix it.
on 27 Nov 2011 at 9:35 am 510.mrak said …
Hey, thanks to you and Google, I fixed my disposal.
Much appreciated!
on 28 Nov 2011 at 11:11 am 511.Lauren said …
Thanks SO much for this post. We’ve been living with an inert insinkerator for a month, dreading calling the landlord/plumber. When I found your instructions, it took me longer to find my 1/4″ hex key than it did to actually fix the disposer! It’s working great now!
on 29 Nov 2011 at 4:01 pm 512.yevgeniy z said …
thank you.was on the verge of disassembling the whole thing but used the hex-wrench and it hummed ))
on 30 Nov 2011 at 6:26 pm 513.Matt said …
Worked like a charm…thanks!
on 03 Dec 2011 at 6:45 am 514.Jason McElroy said …
Thanks, man! You rule.
Worked like a charm and saved me a few hours of aggravation.
jason
on 03 Dec 2011 at 7:04 pm 515.Tiff said …
AWESOME!!! U rock!
on 04 Dec 2011 at 4:39 pm 516.June Kato said …
Gosh, it was so simple to fix! Mine was just a simple hum of the motor that didn’t turn: so the allen wrench did the trick in a cinch! Now I wouldn’t be so bummed when this happens again!
Thanks Rob!
on 07 Dec 2011 at 5:41 pm 517.CB said …
SUCCESS! I, like you had just let it go and let it go till I walked in today and the whole house smelled like death. It works perfectly now and I didnt have to drop any money. Thanks again!
on 10 Dec 2011 at 6:09 pm 518.Chaz said …
Thanks! It worked! Saved me a bunch of time and money!
on 11 Dec 2011 at 5:08 pm 519.Heather said …
PERFECT ADVISE!!! thanks from Burnaby BC Canada…. I’m feeling like cooking but the disposal was blocked so I found you and the magic answer.. Thanks.
on 12 Dec 2011 at 6:53 pm 520.rohan said …
Thank you very much . i used broom stick to rotate moter , Its work . I have badger 5 . when i cleand my fish tank sand kept on the sink couple of small sand peble went throgh and make a hum noice .Any way great instructin .Thank you .took only 4 minutes .
on 13 Dec 2011 at 5:21 pm 521.Ryan said …
Thanks from North Carolina for this clear, step-by-step solution! Worked like a charm!
on 13 Dec 2011 at 6:38 pm 522.Christina said …
Thank you SO MUCH! I was getting irritated after a week of nasty disposal backup, but I really didn’t want to bug my landlord and have a maintenance man in my apartment while I’m at work!
Went to HD, picked up a pack of hex wrenches for less than $3, 1/4 worked perfectly the first time, blades loosened!
Been hearing a weird tinny rattle lately; the hex wrench loosened the culprit: a TIIINY piece of metal used on the ends of tubes of ground beef!
Thanks so much; I feel awesome being able to fix this myself!
on 16 Dec 2011 at 11:02 am 523.April said …
Thank you for saving the day!!!
on 16 Dec 2011 at 1:53 pm 524.Amy said …
So awesome. So easy. Thank you so much. I will remember this trick forever!
on 26 Dec 2011 at 5:55 am 525.Kelly said …
We’ve had this problem before – used these steps and it works. However today I’m a bit more concerned because when we try to rotate the allen wrench it won’t move.
We’re still working to get it moving… trying a bit more force and still searching the internet for some insight
on 27 Dec 2011 at 10:45 pm 526.MEGGS said …
So my garbage disposal has nothing lodged in it after I probed around with my hand and a spoon. I have unplugged it from the outlet and pressed the reset button and even took the plunger to it! It makes a hum noise and spins around the backed up water. What the heck is wrong with it? Am I at the point where I need to call a plumer? Please help this single young gal!
on 28 Dec 2011 at 10:29 am 527.Gman said …
You da man! Thanks-the hex was the cure.
on 29 Dec 2011 at 2:25 pm 528.k stizzo said …
Presto! Magic, it worked…….funny thing was is that the hex tool was already under the sink from a previous owner…thanks!
on 30 Dec 2011 at 6:13 am 529.Tara Stevenson said …
Thank you very much. Your technique worked. Maybe I don’t need a man after all.
on 05 Jan 2012 at 6:37 am 530.Ellis said …
THANKS!!! Excellent Post
on 12 Jan 2012 at 9:49 pm 531.js said …
The hex tool inserted in the bottom but the disposal will not budge either way…I am a pretty strong guy too!
what now?
Motor is humming btw.