Garbage disposals
Garbage Disposal Repair and Installation in Bothell, WA
Jammed units, humming without turning, leaks from the sink flange or the drain elbow, and replacements across 98011, 98012 and 98021.
If your disposal hums but does not turn, it is jammed rather than dead. Switch it off, use the hex wrench in the bottom socket to free the plate, then press the red reset button underneath. That fixes most of them and costs nothing. Consumers Checkbook found Puget Sound quotes on an identical InSinkErator installation ranging from 300 to 875 dollars, so get more than one number before you replace a unit.
Try this first, it is free
Four steps that fix most Bothell disposals without a plumber
- Turn it off at the wall switch, then unplug it or kill the breaker. Never put a hand or a tool into a disposal that still has power. This is the step people skip and it is the one that matters.
- Find the hex socket in the centre underneath the unit. Most disposals ship with a small L shaped hex wrench, frequently taped to the side or clipped underneath. A standard quarter inch Allen key fits most of them.
- Work the wrench back and forth until the plate turns freely. You are breaking whatever has wedged between the impeller and the grind ring. It usually takes a few seconds and you will feel it release.
- Press the red reset button underneath the unit, then restore power and try it. The thermal overload trips to protect the motor, and it will not run until you reset it.
Never put your hand into the chamber, even with the power off. Use tongs or pliers to retrieve anything you can see. The blunt impellers do not cut, but the shredder ring edges do.
Diagnosis
What your disposal is doing, and what it means
| Symptom | Usual cause | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| Hums but does not turn | Jam between impeller and grind ring | Hex wrench and reset. Free, four minutes. |
| Completely silent | Tripped reset, dead outlet, failed switch, or failed motor | Reset button first, then the electrical chain, then replacement. |
| Runs but water backs up | Not the disposal at all. Blockage downstream in the branch line. | Drain cleaning, usually grease. |
| Leaking from the top, at the sink | Failed sink flange seal or plumber putty | Reseat the flange. Not a new unit. |
| Leaking from the side | Dishwasher inlet hose connection or drain elbow gasket | Gasket or clamp. Cheap. |
| Leaking from the bottom | Internal seal has gone and the housing is compromised | This one genuinely is a replacement. |
| Grinds loudly, metal on metal | Foreign object, frequently a teaspoon or a bottle cap | Power off, retrieve with tongs, inspect the ring. |
| Persistent smell | Biofilm in the chamber and splash guard | Ice and citrus peel, and scrub the underside of the splash guard, which is where it actually lives. |
What it costs
Garbage disposal prices in Bothell
This is one of the jobs Consumers Checkbook price shopped undercover across the Puget Sound region. They called local plumbers for a quote on installing the same InSinkErator Pro 750, and quotes came back from 300 dollars to 875 dollars. Identical unit, identical job, nearly three times the price.
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Disposal installationCheckbook found 300 to 875 on an identical unit | 350 to 700 dollars |
| Jam clearing and resetTry the free steps above first | Usually inside a service call |
| Flange reseal or drain elbow gasket | Usually inside a service call |
| Typical plumbing service callAngi Seattle average 522 dollars | 284 to 760 dollars |
| Diagnostic visitCredited in full to any repair you approve | 75 to 200 dollars |
The real Bothell problem
Your disposal is not the reason your kitchen drain keeps clogging
Nine times out of ten, a kitchen drain that keeps blocking is a grease problem in the branch line, not a disposal problem. The disposal grinds solids and sends them down a pipe that is already coated.
The City of Bothell runs a fats, oils and grease program precisely because grease is a chronic problem in the local sewer system. Here is what actually happens: hot water and detergent carry liquid grease maybe thirty feet down the line, where it cools, congeals and sticks to the pipe wall. Over months the effective diameter shrinks. Then one Thanksgiving it closes completely.
What actually keeps a Bothell kitchen line clear
- Pour cooled grease into a container and bin it. Never down the drain, and never chased with hot water, which just relocates the problem.
- Run cold water, not hot, while the disposal is running. Cold keeps fats solid so they get ground and carried out rather than melting onto the pipe wall.
- Run water for fifteen to twenty seconds after it stops grinding. Most people switch off immediately and leave the debris sitting in the trap.
- Keep fibrous waste out. Celery, artichoke, corn husks and onion skins wrap around the impeller rather than grinding.
- Keep starch out. Pasta, rice and potato peel swell and form a paste that is genuinely worse than grease.
- Coffee grounds and eggshells do not sharpen anything. That is a myth. Disposals have blunt impellers, not blades, and grounds accumulate into sludge.
- Skip chemical drain cleaner. It rarely clears a real blockage, it damages the older cast iron drain lines standard in Bothell 1950s to 1970s housing, and it makes the pipe hazardous for whoever opens it next.
Choosing and installing
What matters when you replace a disposal in Bothell
- Horsepower against your household. One third horsepower is genuinely marginal. Half horsepower suits most Bothell households. Three quarters and up matters if you cook heavily or have a large family, and it jams noticeably less.
- Continuous feed or batch feed. Continuous is standard and cheaper. Batch feed only runs with the stopper in place, which is a real safety advantage in a house with young children.
- Noise. Insulated models are dramatically quieter, and in the open plan kitchens common in newer Canyon Park and downtown Bothell builds, that is not a trivial feature.
- Dishwasher inlet. If your dishwasher drains through the disposal, the knockout plug must be removed before installation. Forgetting this is the single most common DIY disposal error, and it presents as a dishwasher that will not drain.
- Mounting compatibility. Most units use a similar three bolt mount, but not all. Matching the existing mount saves considerable time.
- Electrical. Hardwired or cord and plug, and a dedicated switch. If you are converting from one to the other, that is electrical work, not plumbing work.
Straight answers
Garbage disposal questions from Bothell homeowners
My garbage disposal hums but does not turn. What do I do?
It is jammed rather than dead. Switch it off and cut the power, then use the hex wrench in the socket underneath to work the plate back and forth until it turns freely. Press the red reset button underneath, restore power and try again. That fixes the large majority of them and costs nothing.
How much does garbage disposal installation cost in Bothell?
Typically 350 to 700 dollars. Consumers Checkbook price shopped the Puget Sound market undercover on an identical InSinkErator Pro 750 and got quotes ranging from 300 to 875 dollars for the same job, which is why getting more than one number matters on a job this size.
Why does my kitchen sink still back up after the disposal is fixed?
Because the disposal was probably never the problem. A kitchen line that keeps blocking is usually grease coating the branch line. The City of Bothell runs a fats, oils and grease program because it is a chronic local issue. Cabling punches a channel through grease and leaves the rest, so it re-clogs. Hydro jetting scours the pipe wall properly.
Should I run hot or cold water with a garbage disposal?
Cold. Cold water keeps fats and grease solid so they get ground up and carried out of the line. Hot water melts them, and they then cool and congeal on the pipe wall further downstream, which is exactly how a slow kitchen drain develops over months.
Do coffee grounds and eggshells sharpen the blades?
No, that is a myth, and disposals do not have blades. They use blunt impellers that throw waste against a stationary shredder ring. Coffee grounds accumulate into a sludge that contributes to clogs, and eggshell membranes wrap around the impeller.
My disposal is leaking. Does that mean a new one?
Only if it is leaking from the bottom, which means the internal seal has failed and water is inside the motor housing. A leak from the top is the sink flange seal, and a leak from the side is the dishwasher inlet or the drain elbow gasket. Both of those are cheap repairs, not replacements.
Do I need a permit to replace a garbage disposal in Bothell?
Not for a like for like swap. Bothell Municipal Code 20.02.095 exempts the reinstallation or replacement of prefabricated fixtures where no valve or pipe replacement or rearrangement is required. Adding one where there was not one, or rearranging the drain, does need a permit. Unincorporated Snohomish County reads it more strictly.
Why will my dishwasher not drain after a new disposal was fitted?
Almost certainly because the knockout plug in the disposal dishwasher inlet was not removed during installation. It ships sealed, and it has to be knocked out before the dishwasher hose is connected. It is the single most common installation error and it is quick to correct.
Related
Other things we fix in Bothell
Drain Cleaning & Clogged Drains
Cleared through a cleanout, then cameraed so you see the line is actually clear.
Toilet Repair & Installation
Running toilets, weak flush, wax ring failures and replacements, with the water waste math.
Leak Detection & Pipe Repair
Pinhole leaks, crawlspace leaks, and the free meter test you can run yourself first.
24 Hour Emergency Plumber
Burst pipes, sewer backups and no-water calls, answered around the clock across 98011, 98012 and 98021.
Sewer Repair & Side Sewer Replacement
Camera first, permit pulled, and the footage handed to you before anyone quotes a replacement.
Water Pressure, PRV & Expansion Tanks
The Alderwood pressure reduction project, and why your relief valve drips.
Service area
- 98011
- 98012
- 98021
- Kenmore
- Woodinville
- Mill Creek
- Brier
- Lynnwood
- Bothell East
- Bothell West
Disposal jammed, humming or leaking?
Same day disposal repair and replacement across Bothell, Kenmore, Woodinville, Mill Creek, Brier and Lynnwood.