Garbage disposal is one of the greatest inventions ever made to help our kitchen stay clean and easy to manage. It also helps us while washing the dishes, making us not scrap those food remnants.
Once got into the machine, the food is shredded without any hassle – making the plumbing system not bothered by accommodating smaller chunks flushed away by the running water.
However, what if the system is clogged? Let’s say the sink only drains when the disposal is on – what to do now?
Fixing the Disposal: Sink Only Drains When the Disposal is On
Like the sink only drains when the disposal is on, you can do these tips to fix it. In the first step, you will check whether the garbage disposal is faulty or not. For the second tip, we’ll use the classic plunger method.
1. Making sure the disposal isn’t the problem
In case your kitchen sink only drains when the garbage disposal is on, then the first trick you need to do is make sure that the garbage disposal isn’t the main problem causing the clog. To do this, you can turn it off and on several times to check the work when it’s on.
If it doesn’t seem to be the problem, you should get into more hands-on. Get an Allen wrench. Then, try to turn the shaft of your disposal’s grinding mechanism one-way circle to ensure that nothing blocks its movement. If the wrench can turn easily, then your disposal isn’t the problem.
2. Plunger Method
Suppose your garbage disposal not draining even though you found no bits wrong in the disposal unit. It is time to get more practical by plunging your sink. Take a plunger you mainly use in the toilet and try to plunge the sink for a minute.
Make sure you unplug the garbage disposal machine beforehand completely. Also, ensure that the sink has enough water to ease the plunger lip to work properly. However, if these tricks don’t work, it is best to call a professional to handle the job.
Well, many culprits cause your sink to be clogged. Smaller things like coffee grounds, potato and banana peels, or eggshells may cause your sink to be clogged. Even with enough flowing water to flush them away, sludge can be created.
This sludge may pile up bit by bit and lower the chance of getting flushed easily. Hence, you may not anticipate it at a certain time – it creates havoc, leading you to sneak onto the pipes.
Although you can do it if your sink only drains when the disposal is on, it’s best to steer clear from the job without professional plumber knowledge.
To prevent your drain system from clogging, you may try these:
- Make sure to use a garbage disposal with enough flushing water. It is not advised to throw the garbage first and then flush it after a while.
- Use a small ice cube or a lemon peel. Although a bit ‘quirky’ if related to this, these things can help maintain the disposal and avert logjam.
To wrap up, if you find that the sink only drains when the disposal is on, try to find out whether it is due to the disposal’s damage. Plunging it with a toilet plunger should also help to tackle this problem.
But after all, it is best to leave the job to the professional if you are unsure what to do.
