Wall Switch for Garbage Disposal Not Working – How to Fix it?

I was all set to dish out the food scrapes when noticed that the garbage disposal did not respond. After confirming whether it is plugged into the switch, I pressed the reset button, but it was of no use. However, I called the technician to know that it was the wall switch that became the root of the problem. If you want to know why the wall switch for garbage disposal not working, read to the end. 

The wall switch for the disposal may stop working for many reasons. The primary ones you can understand are tripped circuit breakers, faulty power cords, or malfunctioning wall switches. Plus, if the reset button is not in a stay-in position, it won’t turn on even after flipping the switch on. 

Prioritize the working of the garbage disposal working efficiently by getting help from this guide. You can be able to investigate the garbage disposal wall switch issues along with the methods to solve them. 

Garbage Disposal Switch Not Working | Reasons

Garbage disposal saves time in managing dishes and kitchen refuse. The routine chore becomes all-day tension when it stops working all of a sudden. If you experience this, the guide is for you to know the causes hidden behind the curtain. 

Tripped Circuit Breaker

No matter whether you installed your brand-new garbage disposal on a dedicated circuit or shared one. A circuit breaker is essential in maintaining the correct voltages required for its running and preventing the device from feeding extra energy. 

At any point you notice the disposer stops working, look nowhere other than the circuit breaker, for it may be blown out or tripped due to overloading or some clogging. 

Wall Switch for Garbage Disposal Not Working. Tripped Circuit Breaker

Faulty Power Cable

Configure what causes your garbage disposal at rest including the part of the power cable. You can test the power cable condition using the voltage tester to know whether it delivers power to the appliance from the outlet. Otherwise, blame the machine’s burnt motor for the problem.

Garbage Disposal Faulty Power Cable

Faulty Outlet/Socket

You may step forward to find all the possibilities of why the garbage disposal wall switch not working. One such is the power outlet delivers power supply to the cable and then to the garbage disposal. 

So, unplug the power cable and bring a multimeter to test if it conducts electricity. Reading on the multimeter helps you decide what to replace, such as a power cable or a socket. 

Faulty Outlet/Socket of garbage disposal

Broken Wall Switch

Garbage disposal installation also includes a wall switch to check. You must look for the loose connections between the wire and the outlet due to higher vibrations and make it intact. If you see no progress, test the wall switch using a multimeter. 

You can ask help from an electrician to do this for you to confirm what needs to be replaced. Power in the wall switch means the outlet is not working. But if you notice no power, do not waste time replacing the switch. 

Broken Wall Switch of garbage disposal

Pop-up Reset Button

The last thing you must not avoid is the garbage disposal reset button below the disposal body. It is designed to keep your machine away from misfortunes like overheating, burning, or breaking down. So when you find the button in a protruding position, the machine does not turn on. 

Pop-up Garbage Disposal Reset Button

How to Fix Garbage Disposal Switch?

The disposal wall switch is like the first step of the ladder for its working. You must put effort into understanding its problems and look for the ultimate solution. I often tried these tricks to restore my disposal unit. 

Turn on Power Supply

If you are on the hunt to fix your garbage disposal with an authentic solution, I advise you to turn on the power supply. By doing so, you can check the working capacities of the cables, outlets, and wall switch and proceed with their replacement. At the same time, be careful while dealing with electricity boards. 

Note: if you have a garbage disposal air switch installation, still you need to check the working power outlet. 

Look for Garbage Disposal Problems

Sometimes the faults reside in the machine itself and not in the installation. You must look for the situations when garbage disposal denies turning on or spinning. There are chances that uninvited clogs and blockages restrict working. 

How to fix garbage disposal jammed? Use pliers to remove stuck particles after turning off the disposal unit. If see no improvement, insert an Allen wrench and remove what is stuck inside the chamber or flywheel. 

Wall Switch for Garbage Disposal Not Working, Allen Wrench

Reset the Disposal Unit

As you confirm that all the parts work fine, the next step is to press the red reset button. Ensure that it is not pop out by eliminating the jamming problems. You may also look for the reset button or entire unit replacement in case the garbage disposal not working. 

Wall Switch for Garbage Disposal Not Working, Reset the Disposal Unit

What size switch for garbage disposal?

An ideal-size garbage disposal needs 20 amperes switch to work adequately. But the deciding factor will be the horsepower. The more horsepower, the machine needs more amps and vice versa for food grinding. 

Can you install a garbage disposal without a switch?

Most continuous garbage disposal needs a switch for installation. Whereas the batch feed only works when you insert the food particles and turn the included stopper and lacks a switch. 

Summing Up

You have noticed that many factors contribute to garbage disposal working. At any time, you find a problem regarding disposal not working or turning on, start looking at the installation faults. 

In this article, I have mentioned the highlighting causes with their solutions to get out of the troubling situation. Additionally, you can ask for the help of assistance regarding the parts replacement. 

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