How to Deal with a Garbage Disposal Leak

So you’ve discovered your garbage disposal is leaking… This is not good, you say to yourself. But before you panic, let’s go through the best way to deal with the situation. There are three places the garbage disposal can leak from and there are different ways to deal with them.

Leaking from the bottom - There are internal seals on the garbage disposal that can wear out over time, which can cause a leak. The fix is to get a new garbage disposal. They can last 5-10 years, so if it has been less time between replacing the disposal, check the warranty on the one you have installed to see if it is still valid. 

Leaking from the side - This means that the leak is coming from the drain lines. There are two connections on the side of the disposal, the bottom, bigger hose pipe is the drain out the disposal to the sewage system, and the top, smaller pipe is where the dishwasher drains into the disposal. This is an easy fix. Just tighten the connections to your disposal. The metal clamp that is on the pipes can be tightened with a screwdriver. The main drain line is connected with screws, with a rubber gasket on the inside. So you can tighten the screws, or possibly have to replace the rubber gasket.

Leaking from the top - There is a seal on the top of your disposal that connects to your sink with a plumber’s putty or a flange. This can loosen or rust over time and cause the top of your disposal to leak. To fix it, you can just re-seal the disposal by removing the old putty and replacing it with new plumber’s putty. If your unit has a flange, then you can tighten the screws. It may need to be replaced, if you can’t get it to tighten. This is a bigger job to do, if you are not familiar with garbage disposals.
 
Some of these fixes, you can handle yourself. But if you find yourself having trouble with repairing these leaks or disposal on your own, you can give us a call at Tony’s Plumbing and we can get it all fixed up and running like new again.

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