Short answer: Turn the disposal off at the switch and the breaker first. Press the reset button on the bottom, look inside with a flashlight and pull out anything that shouldn't be there with tongs, then plunge with a flat-bottomed plunger. If the sink still won't drain, clean out the P-trap, and if the trap is clear, run a drain snake into the pipe in the wall.
Most kitchen sink clogs with a disposal can be cleared without a plumber, in roughly that order. The order matters, because the early steps are the safe, quick ones.
Before you do anything, make sure the garbage disposal is off at the wall switch, then turn off its circuit breaker too. You do not want it starting while your hands or tools are anywhere near it. If you are unsure which breaker it is, turn off the main at the electrical panel.
Never put your hand inside the disposal, even with the power off.
It helps to know where the water goes. Food drops into the grinding chamber, where a spinning impeller plate throws it against a grinding ring until it's small enough to wash through. Water and ground food leave through an outlet on the side of the unit, into a drain pipe that joins the sink's P-trap, the curved pipe under the sink that holds a little water to keep sewer gas out. From the trap, the drain runs into the wall. If you have a dishwasher, its drain hose usually connects to a port on the side of the disposal, so its water takes the same route.
That layout is why most "disposal" clogs aren't in the disposal at all. They're in the trap or the first few feet of pipe after it.
Sometimes the disposal has simply tripped. Look at the bottom of the unit for a small reset button. If it has popped out, push it back in until it clicks. Check the breaker too, and if it tripped, switch it fully off and back on. Then try the disposal. If it runs and the sink drains, you're done.
A hum with no grinding means the impeller is jammed. Turn the power off again. In the center of the bottom of the unit is a small hex-shaped socket. The hex key that came with the disposal fits it, and a 1/4 inch Allen wrench fits many models. Put the key in and work it back and forth until it turns freely all the way around. Take the key out, press the reset button, restore power and try it with cold water running.
With the power off, shine a flashlight down the drain. If you see something that shouldn't be there, like silverware, a bottle cap or a big piece of food, lift it out carefully with tongs or pliers. Small hard things are what usually cause the jam in step 2.
If the disposal runs but water still stands in the sink, use a flat-bottomed cup plunger, not the flanged kind made for toilets. You want an inch or two of water over the cup. If you have a double sink, plug the other drain with its stopper or a wet rag first, or the pressure just escapes up that side. Press down to seal over the drain and plunge firmly up and down, keeping the seal, for a minute or two. Lift it off and see if the water drains. It can take a few rounds.
For a sink that drains slowly rather than not at all, pour one cup of baking soda into the drain and follow it with one cup of vinegar. Let it fizz for 30 minutes, then flush with hot tap water. It helps with light buildup. It won't move a solid clog, and we wrote up what the fizzing really does in another guide.
Put a bucket under the P-trap. Loosen the slip nuts on either side, by hand or with slip-joint pliers, and carefully take the trap off. Empty it into the bucket and clean out the sludge inside. While it's off, look up into the pipe from the disposal and into the pipe going into the wall. Put the trap back, tighten the nuts snugly without forcing them, and run water to check for leaks.
If the trap was clear, the clog is further down the pipe. With the trap off, feed a drain snake into the pipe in the wall, cranking the handle as you push. When you feel it stop, keep turning to break up the clog or hook it. Pull the snake out, put the trap back, and flush with hot water.
Less than most people think. For a slow, greasy drain, a good squirt of dish soap followed by hot tap water helps grease move along. Baking soda and vinegar, as in step 5, can help with light buildup. If the sink is full and not draining at all, pouring anything in just raises the water, and the plunger and the trap are the next steps.
Don't pour in chemical drain cleaner. It can damage the disposal, and if it doesn't clear the clog it sits in the standing water, where it can splash on you or whoever opens the trap next. Use hot tap water rather than boiling water, too, because boiling water can soften the plastic drain pipes under many sinks.
A disposal that won't run doesn't stop you from clearing the drain. The trap and the pipe in the wall are separate from it, so steps 4, 6 and 7 work the same with a dead disposal. Water still drains through the unit once the line past it is clear.
If the disposal runs fine but water rises in the other side of a double sink, or the sink backs up when the dishwasher drains, the clog is in the shared line past the point where both sides meet. That's a slightly different job, and we cover it in water coming up in the other sink.
If you have tried these steps and the sink is still clogged, it's time to call. The signs:
When other drains in the house are slow too, the problem is usually in the main line rather than the kitchen, and a sewer camera inspection shows what's down there instead of guessing. Genzel Plumbing clears kitchen drains across McKinney and Collin County; see drain cleaning. We're a family-owned, licensed plumber (Texas RMP-23766) serving the area since 2001. Call (972) 238-5585 and you will know the price before we start.
Keep grease, oil and fat out of the sink. Let it cool in a can and throw it away. Go easy on fibrous and starchy food, coffee grounds and eggshells, and scrape most food scraps into the trash rather than the disposal.
The regional Defend Your Drains campaign has a short page on what grease does once it hardens in a pipe, and around the holidays it collects used cooking oil at drop-off points across DFW.
Run cold water while the disposal runs and for about 15 seconds after you switch it off, so the ground food clears the trap. Feed scraps in a little at a time instead of overloading it. Every so often, grind a handful of ice cubes and a few lemon peels with cold water running to clean the chamber and freshen the drain.
No. It can damage the disposal's seals, and if it doesn't clear the clog, it leaves caustic water in the sink and the trap. That makes plunging or opening the trap dangerous for you or a plumber.
A jam stops the disposal from spinning, and you hear a hum with no grinding. A clog is in the pipe: the disposal runs, but the water won't go down. The hex key fixes a jam. The plunger, the trap and an auger fix a clog.
Food often sticks to the underside of the rubber splash guard and inside the chamber. Scrub the splash guard with a brush, then try ice and lemon peels or baking soda and vinegar. A smell that keeps coming back can mean buildup further down the line.
No. The dishwasher usually drains through the disposal into the same line, so its water will come up in the sink. Clear the clog first.
A steady stream of cold water the whole time it runs, and for about 15 seconds after. Too little water is one of the most common reasons ground food settles in the trap.
Yes, but seal the other drain first with its stopper or a wet rag. Otherwise the plunger just pushes water back and forth between the two bowls.
Protecting Homes. Serving Families.
Genzel Plumbing Company, 6851 Virginia Parkway, Suite 201, McKinney, TX 75071. Call (972) 238-5585. Family owned since 2001. Licensed and insured, Texas license RMP-23766. Plumbing Done Right. People First.
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