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At the bottom of the disposal, you will find a small hexagonal hole. You can access the hole with a small hex wrench. Using the wrench, you can open the garbage disposal cabinet and remove the stuck fork out from it.
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What Happens When You Put a Fork in a Garbage Disposal?
You will have to deal with the noise by running the garbage disposal if it has a fork inside. The fork will break down when the blade gets bent in the garbage disposal.
Overload switches on motors will shut down the machine if it jams. Resetting the switch is possible once you have removed the fork. No permanent damage will happen to the machine.
How to Remove Stuck Fork Out of Garbage Disposal?
To begin with, make sure the garbage disposal switch is off before trying to fix it. In addition to unplugging your disposal, make sure it is not plugged into an outlet under your sink.
It is also a good approach to drain standing water from your sink. When you remove loose debris from the disposal, you can use tongs to reach down into it.
As soon as you remove the items from the garbage disposal, the water will drain and make it easier to empty. Examine the garbage disposal under the cabinet.
The center of the disposal bottom will have a small hexagonal hole. The hole is small enough that a hex wrench will fit. If the disposal has never jammed, one may have been taped on the bottom.
There is a chance you might find that wrench under the sink if you didn’t install the garbage disposal, or it could be that thing you’ve been wondering about getting rid of in the junk drawer. If you can’t find such a wrench, a hex key can be found in any toolbox or purchased at a hardware store.
With the wrench in hand, you can get started and follow the given steps.
- The disposal switch must be in off mode and disposal unplugged.
- In the center hole, insert the hex wrench. You can turn the wrench into a full revolution by working it back and forth. Whatever was stuck should have been dislodged by doing this.
- Removing debris from the disposal is easy if you remove the wrench after turning it into one full revolution.
- Now, you will have to reset the garbage disposal. For this, you will require pressing the red button present underneath the garbage disposal.
- Please turn on the water, turn on the disposal, and plug it back in. As long as the disposal works properly, you’re good to go. Reverse the wrench thoroughly each time the jam continues to occur, carefully removing debris from the way.
- You could need a plumber if your disposal has jammed up after three rounds of running through the steps. You could do this if you are especially handy, but most people aren’t.
Can A Stucked Fork Damage Garbage Disposal?
In this case, the machine will not experience any permanent damage, but the fork will bend and get nicked up. The motor is protected by an overcurrent circuit breaker on the bottom of the machine in case it jams.
Things You Should Not Put in Garbage Disposal
Homeowners worldwide have greatly benefited from modern garbage disposal systems. The system provides a speedy and hygienic way to dispose of food waste, resulting in lighter trash bags and fewer overflowing landfills.
Waste disposals are heavy-duty workhorses, able to churn away year after year with their simplicity and sturdy construction.
Some objects can even choke this venerable appliance. If you want to keep your sink drains clear, and your garbage disposal running smoothly, be sure not to put the following things in it.
Paint
DIYers tend to commit this mistake more than anyone else. Do not pour liquids straight down the drain, such as paint.
If it sticks to the disposal or pipe, it can begin to rust and become intractable clogs as it hardens. Likewise, as long as the paint is heavily diluted, it won’t pose a problem.
It is important to properly clean brushes and rollers with an appropriate container and dispose of bulk paint appropriately.
Coffee Grounds
Do not dispose of coffee grounds in the garbage disposal. Some people use coffee grounds to remove odor from the garbage disposal, but it’s a short-term solution that can cause more significant obstacles down the drain.
You should know what used coffee grounds look like when they’ve been extracted from a filter. They’ve been reduced to a dense, pasty mass, and you certainly don’t want that to go down your drain.
Pasta
Whenever you soak pasta, it expands when it becomes wet. It’s easy to see why you don’t want to dump the pasta in the disposal to soak in water and expand. You can clean a few scraps from a plate, just as you would for most of the other items on this list.
However, please do not dispose of an entire casserole through the disposal, and after you run the pasta through it, run cold water through the mainline for 30 seconds so that it goes down the garbage disposal.
The alternative will result in clogs, which is evident from this firsthand account.
Bones
Food waste can be ground up and disposed of with ease using garbage disposals. Although they can grind, they aren’t angled grinders, so they aren’t designed for items with a lot of hardness, such as bones.
If you drop a fishbone or chicken wing down the disposal, don’t worry. It can grind up small bones and is not a problem for garbage disposals. You might end up in trouble if you try to grind up large bones.
Onion Skins
Onion waste can be diced, chopped, or broken up to fit in most disposals. An onion’s problem lies in the membrane directly beneath its dry outermost layer. It is common practice to get rid of that thin, wet layer before chopping onions.
Despite its thinness, it passes through the disposal and ends up wedged in the drain, where it acts as a cargo net, grabbing items as they fall and keeping them from falling.
It is only necessary to throw away the thinnest outer layer or cut it up if you plan to dispose of it. Inexpensive plumber visits or hours of tedious work can be made unnecessary with a few seconds of work.
Egg Shells
Most people question whether they should put eggshells in the garbage disposal or not. Well, you should not do that. You might have heard that tossing eggshells into garbage disposal is a good idea.
By sharpening the blades mounted on the wall, the shells somehow help cut waste. Have you ever seen someone sharpening their knife blade or other tool using a carton of eggs?
It’s hard to say where this theory originated, but let’s keep in mind that it is hard to prove. The shells of eggs alone aren’t damaging to garbage disposal blades, but they do cause some damage to the disposal itself.
Consider carefully inspecting the shell of the egg you crack. The shell has a thin membrane around the inside that can crack or separate and become lodged in the drain or around the impeller.
Conclusion
If you have accidentally put the fork in the garbage disposal, you might begin to notice a lot of noise. It can even jam the disposal machine. However, it will not cause much damage to the machine, but you should avoid it.
You can follow the given method to get rid of the fork from the garbage disposal. This method will help you remove the fork from garbage disposal without causing any damage.