Fixing a Broken Badger 5 Plus Insinkerator Garbage Disposal

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Badger 5 plus garbage disposal broken help

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.

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:

  1. When you flip the switch, does it hum?
    1. If it doesn’t hum:
      1. Check is it plugged in?
      2. If it is plugged in, feel around on the bottom of the disposal for the reset button.  More info on that button here.
      3. Hit the button and test it again.  Humming now?
    2. If it hums:
      1. Are the blades moving freely?
        1. If not, use a broom handle or a long wooden spoon to try and spin the blades.
        2. 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!)
      2. If they are spinning freely when you touch them, but they won’t engage when you turn the disposal on::
        1. 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.
        2. 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.
        3. Remove the hex wrench and 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.

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!

If you’re interested in music, technology you can follow me on Twitter @jetsetter. If you are interested in more privacy on the internet, check out my company, Gliph.

 

822 thoughts on “Fixing a Broken Badger 5 Plus Insinkerator Garbage Disposal”

  1. 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!!!

  2. 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

  4. 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.

  5. 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….

  6. 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.

  7. 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.

  9. 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!

  15. 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.

  17. 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.

  19. 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.

  20. 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.

  21. 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

  22. 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! :-)

  23. 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.

  24. 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

  26. 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?

  27. 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.

  28. 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.

  31. 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 ;)

  32. 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….

  33. Sweet, Save me lots of time and headache..not to mention cleared up a stinky kitchen..!!!!!!!!!!!
    Thanks Man.

  34. Sweet, Saved me lots of time and headache..not to mention cleared up a stinky kitchen..!!!!!!!!!!!
    Thanks Man.

  36. Thanks a lot. Your tips saved me a lot of time, frustration, and money. I sincerely appreciate your information!!!

  39. 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. :D 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!

  40. 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!

  42. 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!

  44. 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.

  45. 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.

  48. 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!

  49. 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.

  50. 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.

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