How to Reset a Garbage Disposal?

by Paul

A garbage disposal is one of those appliances that help to keep your kitchen clean and let you work more conveniently.

Like all other appliances, while using a disposal people may experience few kind of problems that can be solved easily at home. For all these problems, you may need to reset the disposal unit. But how to reset a garbage disposal?

Garbage Disposal Reset Button

reset button disposal suggest

A garbage disposal reset button is like a restart button. When you operate a disposal and put waste inside it, it starts to process all the waste.

Sometimes for a different reason, the grinding may not be as fast as it should be, although the motor is working in its full capacity. To process the waste properly the motor keeps spinning. If your disposal is overheated, then the reset button works as a protection and shuts it down.

Other than that if you put a large amount of food waste at your disposal that exceeds its capacity, the motor can also overheat while processing the waste.

It can cause shutdown at that time. So, then you need to reset garbage disposal. Besides these several reasons, a disposal can shutdown itself for being turned on for a long time.

The reset button on garbage disposal is designed in such a way that protects the motor from burning. If your disposal gets jammed or gets overheated, the garbage disposal reset button pops out.


Where to Find the Reset Button on Garbage Disposal?

The reset button on garbage disposal is generally placed underneath the disposal cylinder. For most of the disposals, you need to reach at the bottom section of a disposal unit to find the red reset button.

The Insinkerator reset button is placed under the surface of its unit. Unlike InSinkErator, Waste King garbage disposal reset button is placed on the bottom side but not underneath the surface. It is placed on the disposal’s body where you can easily find it.

See more InSinkErator garbage disposals here.

How to Reset a Garbage Disposal

Follow these easy steps if you want to reset garbage disposal.

  • Step 1
    Before going to check your garbage disposal reset button turn off the electrical connection.
  • Step 2
    Usually it is not hard to find the reset button underneath the surface of disposal cylinder. Because of the darkness under the sink, you many not properly see the reset button. Take a flashlight to find the red reset button on garbage disposal.
  • Step 3
    If you found the reset button press it to reset garbage disposal and wait to see if it pops out again. If the pressed button doesn’t stay inside, then you need to leave it there. The disposal may have issues of overheating. Wait for 10 minutes and let it rest. Once your overheated disposal motor cools down after 10 minutes, press the button again.
  • Step 3
    Now turn on your disposal’s electricity connection and turn on the water tap to flow a steam of cold water. Your disposal should work now.

These are the steps of how to reset a garbage disposal. If you need to reset the disposal much frequently, then it means your disposal needs servicing. It can occur for a clogged system, or may be the disposal is old enough to get replaced, or any other technical issues can happen.

To maintain your disposal properly, make sure the disposal does not encounter any substances that are not food items. If anything accidentally falls inside the disposal unit you should carefully pull it out with pliers. Never put your hand inside the unit. For any kind of common problems that can occur to your garbage disposal read these solutions.

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