Disposal Conundrum

[LaurenHere]

Good morning!

I have a Badger 500 disposal that is really giving me a headache.

Here are the facts:

1. When I turn on the disposal it only hums.
2. I put a broom stick in the disposal but can't seem to find anything in there.
3. I'm able to manually turn both blades from the top of the sink in both directions.
4. Checked the breaker and no issues there.
5. When I turn on the faucet, water is slow to drain from the sink.
6. I made sure I have a working power source where the disposal is plugged into.
7. Reset button doesn't do anything for me as it's not pushed out to where it needs resetting.
8. When I use a 1/4" allen wrench to manually turn the disposal from the bottom, I can't get that to budge whatsoever. I'm afraid to use too much force and then make the issue even worse by breaking something. I've wiggled the allen wrench over and over and it feels like I'm not getting anywhere with that.

Any ideas on what's going on or what else I can try? It's only about 2 years old and I hardly ever use it.

 

[Reach4]

It's only about 2 years old and I hardly ever use it.

Two year warranty.
If it is 23.7 months old, hurry up. If it is 24.1 months old, upgrade to one of the Evolution disposals.

Actually, "manually turn both blades from the top of the sink in both directions" might be a little ambiguous. Are you saying that both blades/hammers swing on their own pivots but stay on their side of the unit, or are you saying you can rotate the insides so that the blade that was at 12 o'clock can rotate around to the 6 o'clock position?

I am not a pro.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Terry]

If it hums you have power to the unit.
If it's stuck and you can't rotate it with the allen wrench then it's stuck, which is why it's also humming instead of spinning.
If you can't unstick it, then it needs replacing. Sometimes something gets stick between the body of the unit and the spinning part and it jams. You can either see it and remove it, or you are past that point.

 

[LaurenHere]

Two year warranty.
If it is 23.7 months old, hurry up. If it is 24.1 months old, upgrade to one of the Evolution disposals.

Actually, "manually turn both blades from the top of the sink in both directions" might be a little ambiguous. Are you saying that both blades/hammers swing on their own pivots but stay on their side of the unit, or are you saying you can rotate the insides so that the blade that was at 12 o'clock can rotate around to the 6 o'clock position?

I am not a pro.

Correct, both blades are able to turn on their own pivots but they stay on their side of the unit. Should they be able to move around the entire area?
Sorry, I'm so bad at finding the words to better describe what I'm meaning.

 

[LaurenHere]

If it hums you have power to the unit.
If it's stuck and you can't rotate it with the allen wrench then it's stuck, which is why it's also humming instead of spinning.
If you can't unstick it, then it needs replacing. Sometimes something gets stick between the body of the unit and the spinning part and it jams. You can either see it and remove it, or you are past that point.

Thanks for the help Terry! I know I shouldn't waste my time on this but is there away to take the bottom part of the disposal off so that I can see what's jammed? I need closure and I'm dying to know!

 

[Reach4]

Should they be able to move around the entire area?

Yes. The plate the pivots mount to rotates around the center.

I once unstuck a disposal by putting a socket on an extension down the hole. Turning the socket wrench (I am not sure which way), I unstuck the disposal. Maybe try your Allen wrench again with more force. Try both ways.

 

[Terry]

I have never been able to take one apart.

 

[hj]

I have taken them apart, but you have to know why it is stuck. If the problem is a rusted grinder plate stuck to the grind ring, it would not do any good.

 

[Jadnashua]

If you're going to replace it anyways (they do wear out, and that line is not all that great in the first place but they're cheap!), push as hard as you can with the allen wrench, maybe even tap it with a hammer. The thing with a broom handle from above is that you need to wedge it against one of those hammers that swivel, and try to get that plate they are mounted on to turn. IT doesn't matter which way you go, and sometimes, the only way to free it up is to try to go backwards from 'normal' (not sure which way that is!?). If it is turned on long enough, you will (or at least should!) pop the breaker on it and have to press the reset button. The major reason why that exists is to prevent it from overheating, primarily if it is jammed and can't rotate.