I have an Insinkerator and lately I notice that while the disposer turns on and the grinder spins and it does not clog, there's always a lot of peels and other matter inside. I ran it today for a few minutes to clear it and it did not clear out.

The thing is about 7 years old. Do I need a new one?

Which model? I swapped basic model for an Evolution and it is strong and quiet. The swap took about 10 mins.

When you state the grinder spins are you referring to the individual blades or the whole thing?

Those blades can get stuck and no longer spin which reduces the effectiveness.

Take the skirt out so you can get a good look down in there. Use a flashlight. Maybe something is wrapped around something. Does it spin free with your hand? If you can't find it, probably time for a new one. We got ours from Costco and it is fine. A little noisier than I had hoped. Don't forget to take the plug out when you install the new one!

87IE said:

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When you state the grinder spins are you referring to the individual blades or the whole thing?

Those blades can get stuck and no longer spin which reduces the effectiveness.

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I meant the entire circular thing. Only when I looked closely I noticed that the individual impellers were frozen.

I removed all the matter inside the disposer by hand and found that both the impellers were rigid and not moving. I did not see anything it was wedged against so I used nose pliers to twist it free. One was easy to get moving. The other one was still stuck and did not move. I saw some stringy fibrous thing caught between the plate and the impeller which was probably why it was stuck. And maybe rust also. I tried to get it free using a screw driver but it did not work. It's 8 years old (the Serial number started with 201605) so it was worth getting a little jihadi on it so I sprayed it with WD-40 and let it rest for 10 minutes. A little wiggle and I was able to get it free to rotate.

Now I just need to test it to see if it grinds stuff that is dumped into it.

Milwaukees Best Light said:

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Take the skirt out so you can get a good look down in there. Use a flashlight. Maybe something is wrapped around something. Does it spin free with your hand? If you can't find it, probably time for a new one. We got ours from Costco and it is fine. A little noisier than I had hoped. Don't forget to take the plug out when you install the new one!

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Yep did all that and as I mention above, the impellers were stuck. Looked at a few Youtube videos. I have to test it today to see if it does the job, else I will get a new one. It's 8 years old anyway so if I give out this house for rent, I don't want it breaking down when a renter is here.

I am a Costco member, can you tell me the model you got? I like Insinkerator. Not sure if I should get a 0.75HP or 1HP for a 2500 sq ft house.

Use the Allen wrench that came with it (or your own) to turn the crank from the bottom of the motor.

Our home Insinkerator started doing similar things as you originally stated so we ordered the same model and HP off Amazon for ~$100. It was delivered the next day and it took maybe 30 minutes to install. It just twists/unscrews off after unhooking the plumbing. Just make sure as someone else stated, to pop out the dishwasher knockout plug.

Mathguy64 said:

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Use the Allen wrench that came with it (or your own) to turn the crank from the bottom of the motor.

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The Allen wrench is for situations when the entire circular plate won't turn because something was obstructing, correct? That isn't the problem with my GD. Everything seems to work well but it just was not grinding the stuff put into it very well. Some material would pass through but it seemed to always have stuff in it and it was not possible to empty it even if I ran it for a few minutes.

howdyags12! said:

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Our home Insinkerator started doing similar things as you originally stated so we ordered the same model and HP off Amazon for ~$100. It was delivered the next day and it took maybe 30 minutes to install. It just twists/unscrews off after unhooking the plumbing. Just make sure as someone else stated, to pop out the dishwasher knockout plug.

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Yep I installed the one I have myself. And removed and installed it again when it got loose last year. Let me check and see if it grinds well else I'll just buy a new one.

infinity ag said:

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Mathguy64 said:

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Use the Allen wrench that came with it (or your own) to turn the crank from the bottom of the motor.

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The Allen wrench is for situations when the entire circular plate won't turn because something was obstructing, correct? That isn't the problem with my GD. Everything seems to work well but it just was not grinding the stuff put into it very well. Some material would pass through but it seemed to always have stuff in it and it was not possible to empty it even if I ran it for a few minutes.

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It frees things that can be jammed up instead of your fingers freeing them. It can also free a frozen motor.

Mathguy64 said:

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infinity ag said:

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Mathguy64 said:

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Use the Allen wrench that came with it (or your own) to turn the crank from the bottom of the motor.

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The Allen wrench is for situations when the entire circular plate won't turn because something was obstructing, correct? That isn't the problem with my GD. Everything seems to work well but it just was not grinding the stuff put into it very well. Some material would pass through but it seemed to always have stuff in it and it was not possible to empty it even if I ran it for a few minutes.

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It frees things that can be jammed up instead of your fingers freeing them. It can also free a frozen motor.

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But is it helpful to loosen jammed impellers? I believe that is the problem in mine (pending testing).

Great work!