Experienced Garbage Disposal Service in Marseilles, IL
A malfunctioning garbage disposal can quickly disrupt your evening, especially in a town like ours where we rely on home-cooked meals. Whether your unit is stuck, leaking, dead on arrival, or sounds like it's grinding rocks, our crew can typically get it running again the same day.
Give us a call at 779-382-2518, and we'll assess if a repair will do or if replacement is the smarter choice. Factors like the age of the disposal and repair cost versus replacement price help guide recommendations. A 12-year-old disposal with a fried motor usually means it’s time for a new one; a jammed 3-year-old might just need a quick unblock. We’re upfront with pricing and next steps.
We also offer drain cleaning to clear clogs that sometimes form in the P-trap or pipe below the disposal. Planning a kitchen update? We provide kitchen remodeling and faucet and fixture installation to help you get everything working perfectly.
Our Garbage Disposal Services
Garbage Disposal Repairs
Common issues like a stuck grinding plate causing the motor to hum without turning (try the hex wrench on the underside first; if it won’t budge or jams keep happening, call us), tripped reset buttons, leaks around the sink flange or discharge ports, damaged splash guards, or disposals that run but don’t grind properly are all problems we fix regularly.
We carefully diagnose each problem before recommending service or replacement. Many repairs are affordable and effective. If your disposal is nearing the end of its lifespan or badly damaged, we’ll explain replacement options clearly. We’re familiar with all popular brands including InSinkErator, Waste King, GE, KitchenAid, and others.
Garbage Disposal Replacement
If your disposal is over 10 years old, leaking through the casing (not just the seals), or has a burnt-out motor, replacement is usually best. We’ll remove the old unit, inspect and repair mounting hardware as needed, and install the new disposal. Dishwasher drain hookups and electrical connections are checked and adjusted before we leave your home.
Selecting the right horsepower is key: most homes do well with 1/2 HP; if you use your disposal heavily or want fewer jams, a 3/4 HP is a good step up. Larger households or open kitchens might benefit from a quieter 1 HP model with sound insulation. We’ll guide you on this when we’re onsite.
New Garbage Disposal Installation
Adding a disposal to a sink that doesn’t have one requires extra work. We’ll modify the sink drain to fit the mounting flange, coordinate installing an electrical outlet or switch if none exists, hook up the dishwasher drain line if needed, and connect the disposal to your home’s drain line properly. We handle the plumbing and communicate clearly about any electrical work needed before we start.
Clearing Disposal-Related Drain Clogs
If your kitchen sink drains slowly or backs up when you run the disposal, often the issue is further down the drain line or in the P-trap. Grease, soap, and food debris build up over time and cause blockages. We use professional drain snakes to clear the line and check all connections including dishwasher drains. When both the disposal and drain are troublesome, we tackle both to get your kitchen flowing like it should.
Warning Signs Your Disposal Needs Attention
- Motor hums but grinding plate doesn’t turn
- Nothing happens when you turn it on
- Loud grinding, screeching, or rattling sounds
- Leakage from below the unit housing
- Drips around sink flange or discharge pipe
- Kitchen sink drains slowly or backs up
- Reset button trips repeatedly
- Persistent bad odors not fixed by cleaning
- Unit is a decade or older
Things to Avoid Putting in Your Disposal
- Grease, oils, or fats — harden and clog pipes
- Fibrous vegetables — celery strings, corn husks, onion skins, artichokes
- Large amounts of starches — pasta, rice, potato skins
- Hard objects — bones, fruit pits that can break blades
- Eggshells — the membranes can gum up the mechanism
- Coffee grounds in bulk — form pasty clogs
- Always run cold water while disposal runs and keep it running for 15 seconds afterward
Garbage Disposal Questions From Our Customers
That humming usually means the motor has power but the impeller is stuck. First, switch off the unit. Then use the Allen wrench supplied (often taped underneath) in the bottom hex hole to manually turn the grinding plate back and forth. Take care to remove whatever’s jamming it — use tongs or pliers, never your hand. If it still doesn’t work or keeps jamming, call us at 779-382-2518.
If your disposal is less than 5 to 6 years old and the problem is something like a jam, leak at a connection, or a failed switch, repairs are usually worth it. But if it’s 10 years or older, has a burnt motor, or leaks from the housing itself, replacement tends to be the better investment. We’ll give you the options and numbers so you can decide comfortably.
Expect 8 to 15 years depending on usage, maintenance, and brand quality. Units used heavily or fed fibrous and starchy scraps tend to wear out faster. Brands like InSinkErator and Waste King are popular around here and generally reliable across their models.
Yes, most standard kitchen sinks can be retrofitted with a disposal. This involves modifying the sink drain to fit the mounting ring and typically adding an electrical outlet or switch beneath the sink (an electrician usually handles that part). We handle all the plumbing and coordinate the electrical work if needed. It’s a common upgrade during kitchen remodels.