As you figure out how to fix a clogged garbage disposal, it might be helpful to know a little more about how it works. Installed underneath your sink, garbage disposal takes in solid food waste. You might think that the disposal chops up the food, but that’s not the case.

Two impellers on a spinning ring throw food against a stationary grinding ring inside the disposal. The impellers are sometimes called blades, though they are not sharp. The grinding ring breaks the food into tiny pieces, making it nearly liquid. 

Running water washes the ground food out of the disposal. Only run cold water into your disposal. If fats and oils are stuck in the garbage disposal, hot water can break them down and create clogs. 

The drainpipe can get backed up when you don’t use enough water while the disposal is running. Dropping something into your garbage disposal by accident can also clog it. Putting food into the disposal too quickly can block it, too. 

When your disposal isn’t working correctly, you should try to fix it right away. If you run the motor without unclogging a garbage disposal, you can burn it out. 

How do you unclog a garbage disposal? Follow these steps:

• Turn off the power to the jammed disposer and unplug it. 
• Use a flat plunger to clear any standing water in the sink. Made to work best on flat surfaces, a flat plunger creates a better seal in a kitchen sink than the flange plungers typically used to unclog toilets.
• You can also scoop the water out of the sink and into a bucket.
• Once the power is off, look inside the opening with a flashlight to see what is jamming it. 
• Remove the waste using small tongs or needle-nose pliers. 
• Restore the power. 
• Run water in the sink. 
• Try to rerun the disposer. 

Tip: If it’s a particularly difficult clog while the power is still off, insert a broom handle into the drain opening and try to free the impellers.