Garbage Disposal Not Working After Power Outage – Reasons and Solutions

Power outage situations are not easy to deal with, for it may stop kitchen appliances from working. One such incident happened my way, when my InSinkErator Badger 5 garbage disposal did not budge after a long day power outage. Without panicking, I inspected whether it was clogged, and the result obtained nill. I directly asked the technician and received some advice. If you want to know the solutions to Garbage Disposal Not Working After Power Outage, read the article to the end. 

Garbage disposal not working no power comes with many reasons to find out. The primary ones are the tripped circuit breaker, faulty wiring, switch, pop-out reset button, or the failed motor. The reality is that you can cure the appliance by doing the opposite of the reasons, such as resetting the breaker and a reset button and replacing the wiring. But if the motor failure happens, you have no option other than to replace the disposal unit. 

The article sheds light on the reasons that cause the disposal to stop working after a power outage. In addition, there are a few solutions to make the appliance work like before along with a helpful tip, in case if it remains unresponsive. 

Garbage Disposal Not Working After Power Outage – Reasons

Walking past the non-working disposal after a power outage is not a solution you implement. Instead, you must put effort into finding the reasons that make it that way to reach the solutions accordingly. 

Tripped Circuit Breaker

You must know the role of the circuit breaker in the working of the garbage disposal. Don’t you? A circuit breaker is a kind of protector and maintains the flow of electric current flowing through the disposal’s wiring. In case of a power outage or power surge, it often gets tripped to save the disposer by shutting it off.

Overheated Motor

Another reason why your garbage disposal does not work after a power outage is an overheated motor. You might have been using the disposal unit for grinding before the incident happened. In that case, the reset button that every garbage disposal contains pops out and cuts the power supply to prevent damage in response to the motor’s rising temperature.

Blocked or Jammed Disposal

You only conclude that the garbage disposal does not work, but it might be due to something getting stuck inside the chamber or wrapping the impeller. Since garbage disposal stops midway during a power outage, it may cause debris or food particles to be left unground causing interruption in proper functioning. 

Faulty Wiring or Connections

Although many kitchen appliances including garbage disposal survive power outages or fluctuations, the only serious damage happens to the wirings. They become faulty, blow out, and whatnot. Plus, electrical connections going from the main outlet to the garbage disposal encounter malfunctioning. 

Failed Motor

You revive the electrical connections with replaced wirings and check the condition of the reset button and circuit breaker, if garbage disposal still does not show any progress, the last thing you can expect is a motor failure. 

How to Fix Garbage Disposal No Power?

Garbage disposal not working directly after a power outage means that no power going to garbage disposal. So, you must check on all the electrical components that contribute to supplying energy. In case, they become malfunction, take action to replace or fix them. 

Reset Circuit Breaker

The first one is the rehabilitation of the circuit breaker. For this, you must check the Circuit Breaker position on your electrical panel. If it indicates toward the off-side, you must flip to the on-side. Even though you face frequent tripping, contact an expert and ask for professional attention. 

Press Reset Button

You say that the garbage disposal’s motor overheats which stops it from working normally. What you must do is allow the motor to cool down for about 15-20 minutes and press the reset button. Mine garbage disposal has a reset button below the body beside the wiring plate, you must locate it to get accurate results. 

Additionally, make sure that your garbage disposal is turned off. Run the water down the drains and press the Garbage Disposal Reset Button. Turn on the garbage disposal by flipping the switch and see whether it turns out the way you want. 

Pro Tip: in case of no reset button, you must insert an Allen wrench in the hole below the body and try rotating the motor manually to release the jam. 

Clear Jams

The step comes when you need proper guidelines to clear jams, it lets your garbage disposal work normally. 

Replace Wirings/Make Connections Intact

If suspicious that garbage disposal wiring or electrical issues cause the problem, it’s essential to take precautions. Call a qualified professional and hand over your garbage disposal to fix it. The possible solution must be replacing the wiring or damaged connections. 

Replace the Unit

If any of the abovementioned techniques does not make your appliance begin working, the last option you have is to replace the garbage disposal.  

Over To You 

Power outage undoubtedly makes your garbage disposal does not live anymore. From faulty wiring to a failed motor, the indications of replacing the entire unit become a reality. In this article, I have mentioned the potential causes and relatable solutions of why garbage disposal not working. Doing so, you do not frustrate combining the exact problem-solution pair. Also, you find convenience in managing the troubleshooting and restoring the functionality of the disposal unit in your kitchen.