How to Fix a Garbage Leak Disposal

Cleanliness is one of the greatest desires that every homeowner wants to achieve for their house. It’s where they can maintain peace in their home and a tidy appearance. Many homeowners want to keep their homes clean to avoid diseases, foul odors, and unclean trash. However, no matter how properly maintained a house is, emergencies will still happen.

Leaking Garbage Disposal is one thing that gives a headache to homeowners. It produces an unpleasant smell, flooding under the sink, and the damp and soggy cabinet under the sink. It also makes an annoying sound of dripping water under the sink when the disposal is turned on. Rotten and spoiled foods will smell badly from the cabinets under the sink.

These things happen for different reasons. It may be gross to think about, but there are procedures that homeowners can do and avoid this from happening again. Here is how to eliminate the unpleasantness from your leaning garbage disposal.

Locate the Source of the Leak

To find where the leaks are coming from, you must first declutter everything under the cabinet. Remove the plates, utensils, and other essential items in the wardrobe. This is a must, as you can also prevent the clutter from the cabinet from getting dirty. Once cleared, place a bucket under the sink to catch all the dripping water. 

When the water in the pipes has been emptied, unplug the disposal. Afterward, fill the sink basin with a small amount of water to determine where the main leakage comes from. But before filling in with water, drain everything because the leaking can be pointed anywhere.

While the sink is stopped-up, check underneath if the leakage is gone. When the leaking has stopped, remove the stopper. Then, check if there are leaks in the dishwasher hose, drain at the disposal, or even the water from the walls. Once you’ve discovered that the leaking is coming from the disposal, here are the things you need to do.

1. The Leak is coming from Top

If there’s noticeable flooding under the sink or items from the sink are getting wet, it could mean the leaking is coming from the top. If your garbage disposal leaks from the top, the water and other foreign objects will slowly flow around the area where the disposal and sink meet. 

Leaking from the top starts if the flange and seal from the kitchen sink wear down and tears due to water exposure. Also, when heavy work is under the sink, the flange and seal are accidentally damaged. 

To fix it, the first step is to 

• unplug it for safety purposes. Indeed, you wouldn’t want to get electrocuted in your home. 
• Clear out the area where the leaks are coming from to prevent them from getting soaked. 
• A pipe clamp connects the pipe in the sink and the disposal. This pipe needs to be loosened up, as well as the end of this pipe.
• After loosening the pipe clamp, gently remove this section of the pipe and unscrew everything that holds the garbage disposal and remove the flange that connects to the sink.
• Remove the sealant from the flange and sink. Then replaced it with a new belt flange.
• Apply a new sealant to the new belt flange, reinstall it, and put the screws tightly.
• Reattach all the parts you removed earlier and tightened all the screws and clamps.
• Let the water run for a few minutes to double-check if there is still some leakage. 
• Plug in the disposal again

Since the procedure requires removing a component in the plumbing system, it’s better to leave it to the plumbing professionals. They have the proper tools to fix it, and they have the experts in these kinds of things.

2. The Leak coming Below

The usual garbage disposals don’t have connected lines from the bottom. When the leaking of your garbage disposal starts from the bottom, the cause may be coming from the sealants inside. Those components are subjected to wear and tear over time. Most of the time, these seals can’t be replaced, and you may consider a new one for your home. 

With proper care and maintenance, the expected lifespan of garbage disposal is around 5 to 10 years. Regular use allows you to enjoy using your garbage disposal without any hassle. Just make sure not to put any materials that cause the garbage disposal to be damaged inside because you don’t have an option for repairing them.

3. A Leak coming at the side

For garbage disposals that leak from the side, one of the causes can be the dishwasher drain. Like any other component, they tend to wear down as time passes. When the dishwasher drain is aging, they are exposed to leakage. And the leaks will be coming from the joint where the disposal and sink meet. Over time, they tend to be broken and eroded. However, if it happens, here are the steps you can take.

• The most crucial step of all is to unplug the disposal from the socket
• Before removing anything from the removal, try tightening the clamps first to determine if there are only clamps that are loose or need to be tightened
• If the leakage doesn’t stop, clear out the area where the leaks occurred
• There’s a clamp in the dishwasher drain line that meets with the garbage disposal, and this needs to be loosened up
• Once the drain line has been disconnected, the rubber gasket inside the joint will need to be replaced with a new one
• Reconnect all the removed components from the drain line and tighten up the clamps
• Leave the water open for a few seconds to see if the leaking seems to stop
• Then, plug it back again and turn on the garbage disposal

Recommendations for Leak Maintenance

These hard-working appliances in your home also need to be taken care of. They are designed for grinding anything organic to have less waste in your home. However, not all organic material can be handled by these tiny machines. Examples of materials are

• EGGS
• BONES
• LEFTOVER VEGETABLE SKINS
• GREASE AND OIL
• FRUIT PEELS

When other rigid materials are thrown inside the machine, the cutting blades won’t be able to handle them properly. And this results in a breakdown. So to make sure that this won’t happen again, make sure to follow these few recommendations.

Consult the Plumbing Experts

Repairing and replacing a leaking garbage disposal is a tricky thing to handle. An average person without any knowledge can quickly fix it without any problems. However, if you want to ensure that your garbage disposal will be fixed properly, don’t hesitate to call professional plumbers to resolve your issues.