An indication that something is jamming your garbage disposal unit is if you turn it on and hear a humming noise. So, the problem (when you hear humming) is that something is stuck in your garbage disposal.

One of the most common calls we get here at Atlantis Plumbing in Georgia is to unclog a garbage disposal. It may be that an item like a spoon or a small toy accidentally fell down the disposal and is now clogging the blades, but most often, we find that it’s food that should not be put in the disposal to begin with.

So, before we get to how to fix that humming noise, let us give you a list of what NOT to put down your garbage disposal.

Here’s a list of the items we recommend to AVOID putting in your disposal unit.

  • Artichokes
  • Asparagus
  • Banana Peels
  • Barley
  • Beans
  • Bones
  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Coconuts
  • Coffee Grounds
  • Corn Husks
  • Couscous
  • Cucumber Peels
  • Eggshells
  • Flour of any kind
  • Grease and Fats
  • Grits
  • Lettuce
  • Meats
  • Millet
  • Oatmeal
  • Onion Skins
  • Pasta
  • Pineapple Rinds
  • Pits and Seeds
  • Popcorn (popped or unpopped)
  • Potato Peels
  • Quinoa
  • Rice
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Watermelon Rinds

Read More about what NOT to put in your garbage disposal.

Steps To Fixing That Humming Noise Coming From Your Garbage Disposal

  1. Safety first – so unplug your garbage disposal.
  2. Use a flashlight to look down your sink’s drain to see if you can find the object that is stuck in the blades of the disposal.
  3. If you can see it then try to remove it.
  4. If you are able to remove the object then plug the power back for the garbage disposal and hopefully, that item that you removed was the culprit and you will not hear that humming noise any longer.
  5. If you are unable to remove the object we recommend that you contact a professional plumber to fix the issue.

If you do not see anything in the drain then you can try the following steps:

  1. Make sure the garbage disposal is still unplugged.
  2. There should be an Allen wrench attached to the disposal – if not you will have to find one in your toolbox that fix the breaker socket on the disposal unit.
  3. The breaker socket is normally found at the bottom of the unit.
  4. With the Allen wrench, turn the socket back and forth a few times.
  5. Plug the power back for the garbage disposal and test to see if the humming noise is gone.

If either of these procedures do not work for you, then we highly recommend that you contact a professional plumber to help fix the problem.


If you have any questions about garbage disposals or are having some problems with it, call Atlantis Plumbing today at 770-505-8570. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.