Garbage disposal repair and replacement in Colorado Springs
A humming disposal is usually jammed, not dead. A leaking one is usually finished. We tell the two apart and replace the unit only when the housing has given out.
- Answered around the clock
- Jams cleared, units replaced
- Dishwasher drain reconnected
Updated October 2026Phones answered 24/7
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Quick answer
Garbage disposal repair in Colorado Springs often starts with a hex key: most humming disposals have a jammed flywheel that a 1/4-inch Allen wrench in the bottom socket frees in a minute. A disposal leaking from the bottom of its housing is a different story, since the internal seal has failed and the unit needs replacing.
Jammed, leaking or worn out
A disposal is a motor under a grinding chamber, with a spinning plate whose swivel lugs throw food against a fixed grind ring. Most calls are one of three things. Something hard, a fruit pit or a bottle cap, wedges the plate and the motor hums without turning. Water gets past a worn seal and drips from the bottom. Or the motor overheats and trips the red reset button underneath.
We clear jams, fix leaks at the sink flange, dishwasher inlet and discharge tube, and replace units that have failed. A disposal that runs fine but drains slowly usually has a clog in the trap or drain arm beyond it, which is kitchen drain cleaning. If the sink is being replaced too, the disposal goes in with the new sink and faucet.
Cost
Repair a disposal or replace it: what each runs
Clearing a jam or resetting a flange is a short visit. Replacement cost depends mostly on the unit you choose and whether the mount and power connection can be reused.
What moves the price
- Jam, flange leak or failed internal seal
- Motor size of the new unit
- Same-brand mount or a new sink flange
- Cord kit or hardwired connection
- Dishwasher inlet and air gap work
- First install with no outlet under the sink
Ranges are published market figures for planning, not a quote. We price your job after we see it.
Jammed or humming disposals
Switch it off first, and kill the breaker if you are unsure which switch it is. Never reach into the chamber. From underneath, a hex wrench in the center socket rocks the flywheel until it frees; from above, tongs or pliers pull out whatever jammed it. Then press the reset button and test. A unit that clicks and does nothing needs the reset, the outlet and the breaker checked. One that still hums with the plate turning freely has a failing motor or start winding, and on an older unit replacement makes more sense than motor work.
Leaking disposal housings
Where the water appears tells us what failed. A leak at the top, where the disposal meets the sink, is the sink flange: dried putty or a loose mounting ring, fixed by resetting the flange. A leak at the side is usually the dishwasher inlet clamp or the discharge tube gasket, both simple repairs. A leak from the bottom, or a rusty drip near the reset button, means the internal seal has failed and water is reaching the motor. That unit is finished and should be unplugged rather than run again.
New disposal installation
A same-brand replacement can often reuse the existing mount, which saves resetting the sink flange. A different brand usually means a new flange and fresh putty. We size by household and cooking: a 1/3 horsepower unit is light duty, 1/2 to 3/4 horsepower suits most families, and larger units grind finer and run quieter. When a dishwasher drains through the disposal, we knock out the inlet plug on the new unit, the step that gets missed and leaves a dishwasher full of water. The dishwasher drain gets a high loop or air gap.
Local conditions
Cold drains and kitchen grease in a Colorado Springs winter
In a Colorado Springs winter, a kitchen drain that runs along an outside wall or under a cold floor stays cool, and fats washed down with ground food set up faster in cold pipe. A disposal grinds; it does not dissolve. Grease, rice, pasta and potato peels still travel the drain and settle where the line flattens out. Running plenty of cold water while it grinds, and for a few seconds after, keeps that material moving past the trap.
Do it yourself?
Safe fixes you can do and what we take on
A disposal is one of the few fixtures where a homeowner can safely clear the most common problem, as long as the power is off.
| Task | Homeowner | Plumber |
|---|---|---|
| Jam | Hex key in the bottom socket, power off | Remove lodged objects and test the motor |
| Tripped motor | Press the red reset button | Diagnose repeated trips |
| Odor | Clean the splash guard, grind ice with cold water | Clear packed drain arms |
| Housing leak | Unplug it and stop using it | Replace the unit |
Warning signs
Signs your disposal needs attention
Hum with no grinding
Jammed flywheel or a failing start winding.
Silent at the switch
Tripped reset button, outlet or breaker.
Rust or drip from the bottom
Internal seal failure, time to replace.
Slow draining while it runs
Clog in the trap or drain arm past the unit.
Metal grinding noise
Something hard in the chamber or a loose part.
Lingering odor
Food packed under the splash guard or in the chamber.
How the job runs
How we handle a disposal call
Cut the power
Switch off, plus the breaker for hardwired units.
Find the fault
Hum, click, silence or drip, each points somewhere different.
Clear or reseal
Free the flywheel, pull the object or reset the flange.
Replace a leaking unit
Old unit off, mount matched or replaced, new unit hung.
Reconnect drains
Discharge tube, trap and dishwasher inlet, knockout removed.
Run and watch
A full sink through the disposal with a light on every joint.
Brands we service
We repair and install InSinkErator, Moen and Kohler disposals, matched to your sink, mount and dishwasher hookup.
- Rheem
- A. O. Smith
- Bradford White
- Navien
- Rinnai
- Noritz
- Moen
- Delta
- Kohler
- American Standard
- InSinkErator
- Uponor
- Watts
- Zurn
FAQ
What people ask about jammed and leaking disposals
The flywheel is jammed or the motor is straining to start. With the power off, free the plate with the hex key in the bottom socket, remove the object and press reset. If it still hums with the plate turning freely, the motor is failing.
Grease and oil, stringy peels like celery and corn husks, large bones, fruit pits and anything that is not food. Rice and pasta swell and pack the trap. Small amounts with plenty of cold water are what it is built for.
You can, but it adds solids to the tank, which can mean pumping more often. If your home is on septic, ask whoever services the tank before adding one, and choose a model sold for septic use.
The knockout plug in the dishwasher inlet was probably left in. It is a plastic disc inside the inlet that has to be punched out on first install. We remove it on every install with a dishwasher.
Jams and flange leaks, yes, at any age. A leaking housing or a failing motor, no. Those mean the internal parts are worn, and a new unit costs less than chasing the old one.
