Garbage Disposal Won't Turn On At All

A disposal with no sound at all — not even a hum — is a different problem than one that hums but won’t spin. We start with the reset button on the bottom of the unit and the breaker or GFCI outlet it’s wired to, since both are quick, no-cost checks that solve this more often than you’d expect.

If power is confirmed reaching the unit and it’s still silent, the wall switch or a wiring connection may have failed, or in less common cases the motor itself is dead. We test for power at the unit before condemning the motor, since replacing a disposal when the real issue is a $10 switch is money you don’t need to spend.