First: work out what is happening
A disposer that stops working is usually in one of three situations, and telling them apart tells you straight away what to do.
The motor hums but does not turn: something is blocking the grinding plate. A fruit stone, a bone that is too big, more often something that is not food, such as a teaspoon, a cap or a ring. This is a real jam, and you can usually clear it yourself.
Nothing happens at all: the motor protection has tripped, switching the motor off because it overheated or was overloaded, or there is no power. This too can almost always be sorted out yourself.
The disposer runs, but the water drains slowly: the problem is not the disposer but the drain or the trap after it. You do not need the wrench for this: you need a plumber.
Safety comes first
Before doing anything, switch the disposer off and cut the power: unplug it, or switch off the switch or controlled socket that feeds it. Then turn off the water.
Never put your hands into the disposer chamber, not even with the disposer switched off. Use long tongs to retrieve objects.
Freeing the plate with the wrench
In the centre of the underside of the disposer there is a hexagonal hole that takes the jam-release wrench. The wrench is always included in the box.
Insert the wrench into the hole and work it back and forth, firmly but without forcing it, until you can turn it through one full revolution: that means the plate is free. Then remove the wrench.
A tip: keep the wrench in a small bag taped inside the sink cabinet. When you need it, you will know where it is.
Removing the object
Use a torch to look into the chamber from above and retrieve whatever caused the jam with long tongs or kitchen tongs. Never with your fingers.
The reset
After a jam or a long overload the motor protects itself by switching off. Wait 3 to 5 minutes for it to cool down.
On models with a reset button, such as the 460 SR, lightly press the red button on the underside of the disposer.
On models with automatic reset, most of the EC and SR range, the motor becomes available again on its own once it has cooled down.
Not sure which type you have? Check the model label under the sink and the manual in the box.
Switching back on the right way
Turn on the cold water first, then switch the disposer on. If it runs normally, the problem is solved.
If it does not restart
Check the consumer unit: the breaker for the kitchen circuit may have tripped. Reset it once.
If the breaker or the residual current device trips again, do not keep trying: switch everything off and call for service. A device that trips repeatedly points to an electrical fault that needs checking.
Continuous metallic noise, water under the sink, a burning smell: switch off, cut the power and call for service.
Do not take the disposer apart to repair it yourself: apart from the risk, removing it yourself voids the manufacturer's warranty.
How to avoid further jams
Always cold water: before, during and for a few seconds after. A little at a time, with mixed loads: soft scraps together with firmer ones.
Food scraps only: on the «What can go in your disposer?» page you will find 85 foods, with the answer for your model.
When you are not using it, leave the stopper in the sink opening: it stops cutlery and small objects falling in.
The manual in the box
This guide applies to InSinkErator disposers in general. The type of reset and the details of each model can vary: always refer to the manual in the box of your disposer. If you have lost it, write to us with your model and we will tell you how to get a copy.
Service
InSinkErator service in Italy is handled by RiEko: requests are opened through the form on their website, linked from our Service and warranty page. In Milan and its province, home visits are carried out by us on RiEko's behalf.