just for your reference OP, I have had two Insinkerators ( low end models, nothing fancy) one for 8 years in my old house and my current for 2 years in my new house. I have never had those bladed get stuck. I would definitely consider calling them to see if you can get a replacement. I agree the allen wrench only turns the motor which is free in your case. It looks like the blade is hitting the bottom plate portion of the unit I wonder if that rivet/screw is somehow bent ?
And centered.This is advice from those that don't realize there is a reason they put the allen wrench attachment at the bottom.
Freeing Stuck Impellers
Your disposer uses two swiveling impellers to push food around inside the disposer. These impellers must turn freely for the disposer to work efficiently.
To check if the impellers move freely, look down into the disposer using a flashlight. (Before looking down the disposer, make sure the power to the disposer is turned off.) You should see two metal objects located on the "floor" of the disposer. They should be across from each other, half way between the walls of the disposer and the center of the rotating disk.
Use a spoon handle to push on each of these impellers. They should move around very easily.
If the impellers do not move easily, you should place some hard food items like bones or fruit pits into the disposer. Beef round steak bones work best, pork chop bones work pretty well too. Chicken bones don't work well at all. Three or four fruit pits or round steak bones should suffice. Because of their size and shape, pork chop bones should be used one at a time.
Place the hard material into the disposer, turn on the water, then turn on the disposer. Don't be afraid of the noise. Your disposer is a very durable appliance specifically designed to grind these types of items. The material will take a minute or two to grind. Leave the disposer and the water on until the loud grinding sounds go away.
Turn the disposer off, then look into the chamber with a flashlight.
Sometimes this procedure reveals a foreign object, like a coin or screw, stuck in the disposer. If you see something unexpected in the disposer, make sure the disposer is off and remove the object using tongs and pliers.
If the impellers are still not moving freely, you should repeat the process once or twice more.
If three attempts to free the impellers by grinding bones fails, your disposer may require service.
If the problem with your disposer is due to defects in materials or workmanship, InSinkErator will pay to have an authorized service center service the disposer in your home at no charge to you. If the impellers are stuck on a non-food, foreign object, you will be responsible for the cost of service.
Click here to determine if your disposer is covered by warranty.
Click here to locate the service center nearest you.
Just found this on their site:
They are called Impellers.
They recommend putting bones or fruit pits in there to free them up! Wow...
Good to know they will send someone out free of charge!
Just found this on their site:
They are called Impellers.
They recommend putting bones or fruit pits in there to free them up! Wow...
Good to know they will send someone out free of charge!
24 year old condo - never had one bit of trouble with disposal blades sticking.
Read this thread and a day later mine gets stuck
Edit:
so thanks to this thread...
- unstuck it using allen wrench but still didn't turn on
- checked main fuse box - ok
- then pressed resettable fuse button on bottom of disposal
now good for another 24 years hopefully
Good deal , though your motor was actually stuck or tripped, not the actual blades/impellers
Still not sure which it was - blades or motor:
- at first tried poking through the top and spinning blades
after turning switch on I could hear the motor hum but not spin
-after a few more unsuccessful tries I quit hearing the motor hum
guess this is when the breaker tripped
-wasn't till I got the allenwrench turns on the bottom
then also the breaker which fired it up.
either way this thread saved me - or else somehow caused the problem
I got a beef bone / hock from the grocery for $1.00. It was baseball size, so I wrapped it in paper towels and put it in my bench vise to break it up. It gave a nasty sound of bones and flesh crunching.
I put a match book sized shard in the disposal and it took about 1 minute to chop up. It sounded terrible, like I dropped a handful of bolts in there. After it was done, both blades spin freely now!
Good little tip for the future. (RTFM)
The motor spins fine, but these little pivoting blades are frozen stuck.
I think they are supposed to pivot and swing out and smash food against the outer ring.
Instead, food gets slung into the outer ring but doesn't get chopped very well.
This is an In-Sink-Erator Evolution ($200) high end model and is only 2 years old.
Is it common for these to freeze up like this?
I piled some Rust Out on them for a while which removed a lot of surface rust, but they are still frozen.
They appears to be stainless steel, so the rust color is likely from our well water.
Edit: Fixed with beef bone!
The motor spins fine, but these little pivoting blades are frozen stuck.
I think they are supposed to pivot and swing out and smash food against the outer ring.
Instead, food gets slung into the outer ring but doesn't get chopped very well.
This is an In-Sink-Erator Evolution ($200) high end model and is only 2 years old.
Is it common for these to freeze up like this?
I piled some Rust Out on them for a while which removed a lot of surface rust, but they are still frozen.
They appears to be stainless steel, so the rust color is likely from our well water.
Edit: Fixed with beef bone!
The motor spins fine, but these little pivoting blades are frozen stuck.
I think they are supposed to pivot and swing out and smash food against the outer ring.
Instead, food gets slung into the outer ring but doesn't get chopped very well.
This is an In-Sink-Erator Evolution ($200) high end model and is only 2 years old.
Is it common for these to freeze up like this?
I piled some Rust Out on them for a while which removed a lot of surface rust, but they are still frozen.
They appears to be stainless steel, so the rust color is likely from our well water.
Edit: Fixed with beef bone!
The motor spins fine, but these little pivoting blades are frozen stuck.
I think they are supposed to pivot and swing out and smash food against the outer ring.
Instead, food gets slung into the outer ring but doesn't get chopped very well.
This is an In-Sink-Erator Evolution ($200) high end model and is only 2 years old.
Is it common for these to freeze up like this?
I piled some Rust Out on them for a while which removed a lot of surface rust, but they are still frozen.
They appears to be stainless steel, so the rust color is likely from our well water.
Edit: Fixed with beef
When just the blades are frozen, set a slot head screw driver
Another way is to insert a slot-head screwdriver about 1/4" wide where the round bolt in the center of the blade seems closest to its oval wall. Then tap gently on the end of the screwdriver with a hammer to apply necessary downward force to loosen the round bolt and give it room to slide in its oval opening. In other words, the blade actually not only spins 360 degrees, but also moves back and forth length-wise in its bolted position. When you feel it is loose, reach down and increase its spin-and-slide movement with your hand. Scrape away with the screwdriver any rough surface around the blade which might have caused the problem. Do this until the blade moves freely. Then pour a cup of hot water into the disposal running to help clear away the gunk. Your welcome!
I’ve seen this a lot ,nice fix with the bone ! I’ll try a small block of wood? I use the disposal as a minor catch for debris instead of a screen .have a dishwasher I never use but house guest do ,doesn’t bother me at all.The motor spins fine, but these little pivoting blades are frozen stuck.
I think they are supposed to pivot and swing out and smash food against the outer ring.
Instead, food gets slung into the outer ring but doesn't get chopped very well.
This is an In-Sink-Erator Evolution ($200) high end model and is only 2 years old.
Is it common for these to freeze up like this?
I piled some Rust Out on them for a while which removed a lot of surface rust, but they are still frozen.
They appears to be stainless steel, so the rust color is likely from our well water.
Edit: Fixed with beef bone!
Is Waste King still better than InSinkErator?