Garbage disposal capacitor?

Question

what are the symptoms of a bad garbage disposal capacitor? will this make the gar.dis. just "buzz" when turned on? i've followed the procedure to "unjam" a jammed disposal, but the flywheel spins freely when pushed by hand or allan wrenched.

if the capacitor is the culprit, can i swap it out or should i just buy a new disposal?

thanks in advance!!!

Answer 1

An open winding or open capacitor will cause the motor to just hum.If you can get to it they are not hard to change.Just take it to an air condition supply house(Johnson supply,Granger) and get one the same size and voltage.If you go to the trouble of taking the disposal out then (since caps. cost close to $20) it might be better to just get a new one(since if you fix it it still is an old disposal.

Answer 2

its unlikely that your disposal has a capacitor..

if its not running try the reset button on the bottom of the unit, just press it in.. if  that doesnt work then using a voltmeter check for voltage..if its getting voltage but not turning then you need to replace the disposal. if its not getting voltage then the problem is not with the disposal but with a breaker or loose wire somewhere.

Answer 3

I agree with sabesque, a relatively standard disposal doesn't use a cap.  If it spins freely with the wrench but buzzes or jams when turned on, the top bearing (bushing, really) is probably worn.

What happens here is that the motor armature (the part that spins) is magnetically attracted to the field assembly (the part that doesn't), and if they touch (because of the extra slop caused by the bad bushing), the friction will prevent it from spinning.

You may not notice any rubbing when spinning it by hand, but when the motor is on it may, thus your problem.

I'd tell you to try turning the wrench with the unit turned on to see if it binds or moves, but that's kinda dangerous if it takes off and runs while you are holding the wrench, so don't tell anyone I said that.

I've actually replaced such a bushing, got one at a local motor shop, but the motor shaft was scored and didn't take too long for the new bushing to wear out.

Hey, if you're really handy and like fixing things, under 5 bucks might get you another year's use, but otherwise I'd say it is time to go shopping.

By the way, I'd assume we are talking about a unit with quite a few years on it?  A newer one shouldn't yet wear out.