TL;DR: Garbage disposal jammed, leaking, or humming? Franklin repairs and replaces residential garbage disposals across NWA. For a straight replacement, our office can quote you over the phone for free — no visit needed. Diagnostic and repair work is a $29 service call with an all-in price before any repair begins.
Common garbage disposal problems we fix
Almost every disposal complaint we see in NWA homes is one of these four:
Humming but not turning. Classic jam — something’s wedged between the impellers and the grind ring. Power off, then a quarter-inch Allen wrench in the bottom hex slot will free it up most of the time. If the motor is humming repeatedly, kill the power before it overheats.
No power at all. Either the unit’s reset button popped (small red button on the bottom — press it), the breaker tripped, or the switch went bad. Less commonly, the motor itself is shot.
Leaking. Where it leaks tells you what’s wrong. Top leak (around the sink flange) means the plumber’s putty or mounting gasket failed and we re-seat the unit. Side leak usually means the dishwasher hose or drain pipe gasket. Bottom leak means the disposal housing itself cracked — that one’s a replacement, not a repair.
Grinding or rattling noise. Foreign object in the chamber — a bottle cap, a piece of silverware, a kid’s toy. Power off, then fish it out with tongs (never your hand).
When to repair vs replace
Quick rule of thumb: under five years old, almost always worth repairing. Five to eight years, depends on the issue — a jam or a top leak is fine to fix; a bad motor or housing crack means it’s replacement time. Eight to ten years and beyond, we usually recommend replacement — the bearings are tired, the next failure is around the corner, and a new entry-level disposal isn’t much more than a serious repair on an old one.
What size disposal do you need?
Garbage disposals are sized by motor horsepower — usually somewhere between 1/3 HP and 1 HP. Bigger isn’t always better. Here’s a quick guide:
1/3 HP — not recommended. These are the cheapest units on the shelf and what most builders install. They jam easily, struggle with anything beyond soft food, and tend to fail within a few years.
1/2 HP — good for light households. Fine for one or two people who cook occasionally and run mostly soft food (vegetable scraps, leftovers). Limited grinding chamber, so harder items can jam it.
3/4 HP — the sweet spot for most NWA homes. Handles a family’s normal daily waste, occasional bones or fruit pits, and runs quieter than the smaller units. This is what we recommend for most kitchens.
1 HP — for heavy use. Worth it if you cook a lot, host frequently, run a lot of fibrous waste (corn husks, celery, potato peels), or want the quietest possible operation. Larger grinding chamber, longer warranty, premium price.
If you’re on septic, look for a unit specifically rated for septic use — it injects enzymes during the grind cycle to help break waste down before it reaches the tank. We can spec a septic-safe unit at any horsepower tier.
Either way, your Franklin tech will look at your sink, your usage, and what you have today, then recommend the right size. We bring options to the house and you pick.