If you are like many people, you may not notice your garbage disposal has begun to leak until you are dealing with a sopping wet cabinet, an odorous puddle, or a drip-drip-drip sound coming from the unit. Unfortunately, the fix for this issue isn’t always as straightforward as you may hope it would be. A leak in your garbage disposal can occur to an array of components in your system.
While this is true, with a bit of sleuthing, you can find the leak and depending on the precise cause, you can make the repair on your own.
Finding the Leak
Before you test your garbage disposal for leaks, be sure to unplug it at the outlet and turn the power off from the breaker box. This will help prevent an electrical shock.
Once the power is off, put a watertight sink stopper in your drain and wipe all water off the unit using a clean cloth. Use a container to mix together a few drops of food coloring and water and then pour your dyed water on the stopper to help you find the leak.
Investigating the Source of the Leak
Use your flashlight to look for any escaping colored water from the unit. It is most likely to come from one of three different places:
- The top of the unit where the disposal and sink drain meet
- The side of the unit where the hose to the dishwasher or the main drainpipe connects to the disposal
- The bottom of your unit
Make sure to inspect every location while wiping the unit with a light-colored rag. You will be able to see the dyed water and where it is coming from. If there is no leak that is apparent, take the sink stopper out and pour a few more cups of the dyed water into the sink drain. After this, check for leaks once again.
If there are leaks close to the top of the unit, they will be more likely to show up when the sink is plugged, but those at the bottom will likely show up when the plug is removed.
Making the Needed Repairs
Once you have found the leak, the next step is to begin making repairs. This will depend on where the leak is and how bad it has gotten. In many cases, the repair will require you to replace a seal or hose. These are easy repairs that you should be able to easily make on your own.
However, if the problem is more server, it may require the help of the professionals. While there are some repair jobs you can try to handle, if you aren’t sure what to do or how to do it, calling for professional help will be the best course of action. This is going to help ensure the unit’s issues are fixed and that there are no other issues present with the garbage disposal. Once fixed, you can avoid the issues mentioned above.
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