Most homes in the City of Maricopa were built in the 2000s, so many disposals here are original units at the age where seals and motors give out. Jams and hard-water scale cause the rest. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Maricopa.
Maricopa incorporated in 2003 and filled in quickly with subdivisions. The median home was built around 2007, and roughly 63 percent of homes went up between 2000 and 2009. Most water comes from groundwater wells run by Global Water's Santa Cruz Water Company, with hardness averaging about 215 ppm. Wastewater goes to Global Water's Palo Verde Utilities, which also supplies recycled water in the city.
What to do now
- Turn the disposal off at the wall switch, then unplug it or flip its breaker.
- Check the chamber with a flashlight and remove hard items with pliers or tongs.
- Press the reset button on the bottom of the housing.
- If it was humming, turn the hex socket underneath until the plates spin freely.
- Restore power and test with cold water running. Stop if it hums or trips again.
- If you see water, put a container under the drip and do not run the dishwasher.
Symptoms and causes
| You notice | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Motor hums, nothing moves | Jammed turntable from a hard object or packed peels |
| Dead silence | Reset tripped, outlet or breaker off, switch failed |
| Drip at the sink ring | Mounting ring loose or flange seal hardened by scale |
| Drip at the hose | Dishwasher or drain elbow clamp has loosened |
| Drip from underneath | Inner seal gone; new unit usually needed |
| Slow sink with a working unit | Trap or branch line partly blocked |
Cost factors
- Repair visit compared with a full unit replacement
- The horsepower and quality of the replacement
- Replacing a scale-crusted trap, tailpiece or slip nuts
- Hardwired versus plug-in power
- Any permit through the City of Maricopa Development Services, which administers the plumbing code here
For a backup that starts on the public sewer side, contact Global Water at (866) 940-1102. If only the kitchen sink is affected, the problem is on your side, usually in the unit, the trap or the short branch line behind the wall.
With so many Maricopa homes built in the same decade, a lot of original disposals are reaching the same age at once. If yours is the original and has started to leak or trip, a replacement is usually a better use of money than a repair. Ask the plumber about the dishwasher hose and air gap while the unit is out, since those are easy to fix during the same visit.
Garbage Disposals questions in Maricopa
Is an older disposal worth repairing, or should I replace it?
Who handles a backup coming from the public sewer?
Does hard water affect a garbage disposal?
Is it safe to reach into the disposal to clear a jam?
More plumbing services in Maricopa
Garbage Disposals nearby
Helpful guides
Sources
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