Risky leakage points of garbage disposal
- The outer body of the disposal is a prime leakage point that may be cracked for severe knocks or bumps.
- Damaged or dried gasket could cause your garbage disposal at risk of leakage because of its intimate role in sealing. If you haven’t used your system for long there are chances that the gasket is dried and causing trouble.
- Your garbage disposal may get leakage for worn and cracked drain lines.
- Sink flanges contribute to prevent blockage of kitchen dirt and they are at the top of the garbage disposal unit. Flanges may cause leakage trouble if bolts are loose or because of weak putty.
- Loose connections, seals, and pipes could also be the killer of your precious garbage disposal unit.
If you’re also having other issues with your garbage disposal unit, read our article on the matter.
Diagnosing potential leak points
So, from where your garbage disposal is leaking? It needs your little bit tricky attentiveness that is not a hell of difficulty. What you need to do is take any food color from your kitchen cabinet or a few drops of ink to do this task.
Discharge water after removing all the stuff from the sink cabinet, insert a stopper in the drain, and dry it properly. Make sure that the power connection is turned off to prevent any electrical shock. Mix a few drops of color or ink in a glass of water and pour it in the sink. Tap with a paper towel to locate the potential leaking point that would be either:
- At the top; joint of the sink drain
- Side of garbage disposal where the hose and drain pipe meet
- Garbage disposal leakage point from the bottom
How to fix leaking garbage disposal?
Garbage disposal leakage from the top – Solution
When you have carefully diagnosed that problem is at the top of the system then it needs tightening and resealing of the flange.
The flange is present at the top inner side of the sink drain that is sealed with putty and tightened with bolts. This makes a secure sealing and prevents water from coming out of the drain. When it weakens or bolts loosen, watertight security would be no more. To deal with it, disassemble your garbage disposal system by loosening the screws that are holding the drain pipe and hose. Also, separate the connections from the disposal. When all these securing attachments are removed, pull the unit out of the cabinet and set aside.
Take out the flange from the sink and you will see putty’s residues there. Scarp them off with a knife and remove them with a damp cloth. Roll a rope in plumber’s putty and wrap it at the top of the sink like a collar then place the flange over it. Now you have to do the same to attach and assemble the unit that you did to detach it. Secure drain pipe, dishwasher hose, and disposal unit by properly mounting all connections.
Garbage disposal leakage from the side – Solution
If your garbage disposal unit leaks from the side it means gasket and drain line connections are the root of this leakage.
Make a check on both lines, a narrow line extending from the dishwasher drain pipe to the disposal inlet, and second from the disposal connection to the fixed outlet. Tighten the clamps with a screwdriver and don’t let any screw loose for fully leakage-free garbage disposal.
If the problem is in the second line, unscrew the connections and take out the gasket. If it is damaged, replace it with a new one and reconnect the pipes.
Garbage disposal leakage from the bottom – Solution
If your system’s leakage is neither from the top nor from the side it must be from the bottom hole. There are protecting inner seals that keep garbage disposal leakage free and protect its motor from any damage.
If the system is old enough, there are chances that seals are no more functions that are causing disposal to leak.
Under this problem, you have limited fixing options. It could be severe as water and electricity might mix so you need to buy a new garbage disposal. A remodeled unit would not go long in this case.
This is how you can fix a leaky garbage disposal by identifying the leakage point first and mending to have a pleasant kitchen area. Enjoy!
Garbage disposal leaking could make your kitchen a hub of smell and flood. Damp place, foul-smelling food under the sink and continuously dripping sound of water can lead you towards hypertension. This is alarming. You need work to come out of this situation.
