Garbage disposer trips breaker or reset button: Common Causes & How to Fix

Repair Instructions:

Garbage disposals are designed to handle a certain grinding capacity. Putting too much waste material into the disposer at once can overload the motor. Tough or dense foods like bones, fibrous chunks, and starchy peels require lots of grinding power. They can jam the cutting blades or impede the spinning action. The motor strains under this heavy load, drawing extra electrical current. This power spike can trip the built-in safety reset button on the disposer unit. Repeated overloads may also trip the circuit breaker that provides power to the disposer. The breaker reacts to the heavy electrical load and cuts power as a safety precaution. Clearing jams and avoiding overfilling allows the disposer motor to run freely within its intended limits. But overloading the chamber forces the motor to work too hard, risking overheating or failure.

How to Replace Garbage Disposer Overload

1. Turn off power - Locate the circuit breaker box and switch the garbage disposer circuit breaker to the ""off"" position.

2. Disconnect wires - There will likely be 2 wires connected to the overload. Take note of where each wire was connected, then disconnect them.
3. Remove mounting screws - Unscrew the mounting screws that hold the overload in place and carefully remove it.
4. Install new overload - Position the new overload in the same spot and insert and tighten the mounting screws.
5. Connect wires - Connect the wires to the same terminals on the new overload they were originally connected to. Double check connections are secure.
6. Test operation - Turn the circuit breaker back on. Try turning on the disposer to ensure the new overload is functioning properly before reassembling any components.
7. Complete installation - Once operation is confirmed, reinstall any remaining components and panels according to manufacturer instructions.

Repair Instructions:

Garbage disposers have a safety switch that trips and prevents operation when jams occur. This switch has a red reset button on the bottom or side. If the disposer won't run, press this button to reset it. If that doesn't work, the grinding plate could still be stuck. Use a disposer wrench or Allen wrench in the center bottom hole. Wiggle it back and forth to loosen the jam. If there's no bottom access hole, insert a broom handle top-down. Turn the plate manually to free it up. The reset button protects the motor from damage if waste gets stuck. But the unit won't run again until the clog is cleared. Simply resetting the button doesn't fix a stuck grinding plate. The jam must be freed up first. Wiggling the plate with a wrench or broom handle clears most jams. Freeing up internal parts allows normal disposer function after resetting the safety button.

How to Replace Garbage Disposer Safety Switch

1. Turn off power - Locate the circuit breaker box and switch the garbage disposer circuit breaker to the ""off"" position.

2. Disconnect wires - There will likely be 2-3 wires connected to the old safety switch. Take note of where each wire was connected, then disconnect them.
3. Remove mounting screws - Unscrew the mounting screws that hold the old safety switch in place and carefully remove it.
4. Install new safety switch - Position the new safety switch in the same spot and insert and tighten the mounting screws.
5. Connect wires - Connect the wires to the same terminals on the new safety switch they were originally connected to. Double check connections are secure.
6. Test operation - Turn the circuit breaker back on. Press the reset button on the new safety switch. Turn on the disposer to ensure the switch is functioning properly before reassembling any components.
7. Complete installation - Once operation is confirmed, reinstall any remaining components and panels according to manufacturer instructions.

Repair Instructions:

Garbage disposers have an overload protector that prevents damage from overstuffing the grind chamber. Putting in too much waste at once can jam the shredding disk and stall the motor. Dense or fibrous foods like bones, husks, and shells require lots of grinding power. This strains the motor and tries to draw more electrical current. The overload protector reacts to this power spike and cuts off electricity to the disposer. This either trips the reset button on the unit or the breaker feeding it. The protector acts as a sensor that detects excess motor effort. When the grinding load is too high, it shuts down power as a safety precaution. This protects the motor windings from burning out. Avoiding large batches of tough waste keeps the motor running freely within its intended limits. But overloading forces the protector to trip until the user clears the jam. This device is designed to prevent disposer damage from excessive grinding.

How to Replace Garbage Disposer Overload Protector

1. Turn off power - Locate the circuit breaker box and switch the garbage disposer circuit breaker to the ""off"" position.
2. Disconnect wires - There will likely be 2 wires connected to the overload protector. Take note of where each wire was connected, then disconnect them.
3. Remove mounting screws - Unscrew the mounting screws that hold the overload protector in place and carefully remove it.
4. Install new overload protector - Position the new overload protector in the same spot and insert and tighten the mounting screws.
5. Connect wires - Connect the wires to the same terminals on the new overload protector they were originally connected to. Double check connections are secure.
6. Reset overload - Press the reset button on the new overload protector.
7. Test operation - Turn the circuit breaker back on. Try turning on the disposer to ensure the new overload protector is functioning properly before reassembling any components.
8. Complete installation - Once operation is confirmed, reinstall any remaining components and panels according to manufacturer instructions.

Repair Instructions:

Many disposers have a bottom access hole to the grinding plate. Insert a disposer wrench or Allen wrench if the plate jams. Turn it back and forth to unstick the clog. If there's no access hole, put a broom handle in the top drain opening. Try to rotate the plate manually to free it up. If the plate turns easily but the motor still hums, the motor itself has failed. Disposer motors are sealed inside and can't be repaired. Humming with a free plate means the motor windings are burned out. Failed motors must be fully replaced. The only fix for a dead motor is a new disposer unit. Motors wear out over time from constant grinding. Loud noises or tripping reset buttons also indicate motor failure. If freeing the plate doesn't get it running smoothly, plan for a full disposer replacement to get back to quiet waste grinding.

Repair Instructions:

The garbage disposer motor cannot be repaired if it fails. The motor is sealed inside the disposer unit. This prevents fixing or replacing a worn out or broken motor. The entire disposer must be replaced if the motor quits working. Disposer motors fail from constant grinding wear over time. Warning signs include slow shredding, burning smells, loud noises, tripping reset buttons, or no start. Diagnose motor issues by spinning the bottom plate by hand. If it turns very hard or not at all, the motor is bad. Jammed plates also indicate a worn out motor. Unlike other appliances, the disposer motor is not a replaceable part. The whole disposer must be removed and a new unit installed when the motor fails. Proper disposer replacement restores fast waste grinding and quiet operation.