Garbage Disposal Leaks

[Dipesh Mehta]

I have a whirlpool garbage disposal which we found out yesterday leaks after finding a puddle of water on the floor. I checked all connections and found that the water leaks from the bottom of the disposal unit (through the motor housing). I read on Bob Vila’s web site that this type of leak can be fixed by replacing flywheel seal. On another DIY website, they said that if you have this type of leak, the unit has to be replaced.

So here are my questions:

1. Does this unit have to be replaced or can it be repaired?
2. If it can be repaired how do I get under the flywheel to access the seal – is it simply a matter of removing the motor housing from the waste chamber connected to the sink?
3. So far my queries at plumbing and hardware stores hasn’t led to finding a replacement part. So could this seal be a simple rubber seal of a particular size and dimension that is used for other plumbing devices and so I just need to find a similar part?

I would really appreciate a quick response since this is putting a hold on our ability to run the dishwasher (which is hooked up to the unit) and to use the 2nd sink basin. Thanks in advance for any input on this.

BusyDad.

[Retired plbg1Participant]

http://www.partselect.com/Whirlpool-Garbage+Disposer-Parts.htm

Go to this web site and they will give you all the help you need to repair it. It is probably this as cheap to buy new one at $ 50.00

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Art retired plbg

[BusyDadParticipant]

Just a followup to the problem I described above. I found a repair shop that was willing to take a look at my leaking garbage disposal unit at no charge to see what the problem is (At first they suggested it might be a leak at the drain pipe going from the unit to the main drain line).

When I took it to the shop, the repair man checked for a few common problems associated with this type of leak, mainly that the blade plate had either popped off the rest of the unit or that this plate had a hole in it. After checking the plate by tapping on it to see if it moved up and down (it didn’t) and then looking inside the chamber for a hole in this plate, he decided to open it up. After opening it up, he found a small hole (smaller than a penny) on the underside of the drain canal found under the blade plate. After finding this hole, he said the unit was finished and would have to be replaced – to prove the point, he tapped on this drain canal with the back of a screwdriver and enlarged the hole to the size of a small tomato! Needless to say, we’re relieved we caught the leak before the hole got THAT big.

I just wanted to do a follow-up post so that if anyone else encounters a similiar problem, they will have some idea of what it could be. (By the way, to find this hole in the drain canal, he just removed the screws holding the outer casing to the grinding chamber and was able to see the drain canal under the grinding chamber – very easy for anyone with a screwdriver to do themselves).

Hope this helps anyone else who might encounter this problem.

BusyDad

P.S. – We installed a new unit and the machine works quieter than the original – progress!

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