How to reset a garbage disposal

It is on the underside of the unit, in the center of the base plate, and it is usually red. It is a thermal overload switch: when the motor draws too much current for too long — a jam, or grinding a heavy load without enough water — the overload opens the circuit to protect the windings. Pressing it closes the circuit again.

That means the reset button is a symptom, not a cause. If it trips once after a bowl of potato peel, that is the protection working. If it trips weekly, something is wrong: either the load is too much for the unit, or the impeller plate is binding, or the motor is on its way out.

A few units, particularly older or hardwired ones, do not have an accessible reset. In that case the overload protection may be internal and self-resetting after a cooling period — wait fifteen to twenty minutes and try again. Failing that, the protection is at the breaker, so a full off-and-on at the panel is the equivalent action.

If the unit is hardwired and dead with a healthy breaker, the next check is the wiring connection inside the base plate, which is a job to do with the circuit off and a torch — and a reasonable point to stop and call an electrician if you are not confident.

Quick picks

Tap any row to jump to the full write-up. There are no scores here because we run no test lab — how picks are chosen is published in full on our methodology page.

#	Product	Best for	Our read	Price
1	InSinkErator Evolution Excel If it trips constantly	Large households, frequent jams	Jam-Sensor raises torque 500% instead of tripping	Check price on Amazon→ #ad Affiliate link · We publish no price; Amazon shows the current one
2	InSinkErator Evolution .75HP If it is time to replace it	Households of three to five	Three stages, stainless, 9-year in-home warranty	Check price on Amazon→ #ad Affiliate link · We publish no price; Amazon shows the current one

• Feed less at once, and run more cold water. Overload trips are usually load trips. Water is part of the process, not an afterthought.
• Check for something hard in the chamber. Power off at the breaker, look with a torch, and fish out anything metal or bony with pliers — never with fingers.
• Turn the impeller plate by hand with the wrench. If it feels tight or gritty rather than free, something is binding.
• Consider that the unit may be undersized. A 1/2 HP single-stage disposal in a five-person household will trip, and that is a specification problem rather than a fault — see horsepower guide.

If the reset holds, the breaker is on, the outlet has power, the impeller turns freely by hand and the unit still does nothing at all, the motor or the internal switch has failed. Disposals are not economically repairable at that point — there is no rebuildable component a household can access — so replacement is the answer.

The good news is that a like-for-like swap is often quick, particularly within the same brand where the sink flange and mounting assembly can be reused. See how to replace a garbage disposal.

Photograph shows the product category, not this specific unit. We do not republish manufacturer product photography.

1. If it trips constantly

InSinkErator Evolution Excel

InSinkErator · Best for large households, frequent jams

The full-horsepower option, and the only one here with a published jam-breaking mechanism: the Jam-Sensor circuit raises motor torque by 500% to clear a stall instead of tripping the reset. If you have a large household and a history of resetting a disposal weekly, this is what that problem costs to solve.

Published specifications

Motor

1.0 HP, single phase, 120 V, 60 Hz, 1725 rpm source

Grind stages

Three-stage MultiGrind, against one on a standard disposal source

Jam handling

Jam-Sensor circuit increases motor torque 500% to break jams source

Sound

SoundSeal, plus the Quiet Collar sound-reducing baffle source

Overall height

13" source

Weight

23.0 lb shipping weight source

Warranty

7-year parts and in-home service source

What works

• +Jam-Sensor is the one published feature that addresses the most common disposal complaint
• +The Quiet Collar baffle is included rather than sold separately, and the baffle is most of the perceived noise fix
• +1 HP with three stages handles the fibrous waste that stalls half-horsepower units
• +InSinkErator publishes a full spec sheet including amperage and RPM

What does not

• −13 inches tall and 23 lb — the largest unit here, and the most likely to foul a shallow cabinet or a P-trap
• −Seven-year warranty is shorter than the 3/4 HP Evolution's nine
• −1 HP does not make it a bone grinder; the failure point just moves

Skip it if

Skip it if your cabinet is shallow or your trap arm sits high — measure the 13-inch height before buying horsepower you cannot fit.

Check price on Amazon→

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price; Amazon shows the current one

Raw specifications: InSinkErator’s own page for the InSinkErator Evolution Excel.

Photograph shows the product category, not this specific unit. We do not republish manufacturer product photography.

2. If it is time to replace it

InSinkErator Evolution .75HP

InSinkErator · Best for households of three to five

The disposal we would fit in most houses. Three-quarters of a horsepower with three-stage grinding and stainless grind components is the point on the range where fibrous waste stops being a gamble, and SoundSeal makes it noticeably quieter than a Badger. The nine-year in-home warranty is the longest of any InSinkErator continuous-feed unit we checked.

Published specifications

Motor

3/4 HP Dura-Drive induction source

Grind stages

Three-stage MultiGrind source

Grind components

Stainless steel source

Overall height

12.25" source

Sound

SoundSeal — quieter than a standard disposal source

Septic

Safe for properly maintained septic tanks source

Warranty

9-year We Come to You limited service warranty source

What works

• +Three grind stages and stainless components — the two specs that decide whether fibrous scraps jam
• +Only three-quarters of an inch taller than a Badger 5, so it fits most cabinets that took one
• +Nine-year in-home warranty, which is a real statement about expected service life
• +EZ Connect cord and hardwire adapter in the box, so it suits either wiring situation

What does not

• −InSinkErator publishes no decibel figure, and neither do we — SoundSeal is a comparison, not a measurement
• −3/4 HP still stalls on bones and fruit pits; no domestic disposal is a bone grinder
• −Chamber capacity is not published for this model

Skip it if

Skip it if you are one or two people who scrape plates and little else — you would be paying for capability you will not use.

Check price on Amazon→

#ad Affiliate link · We publish no price; Amazon shows the current one

Raw specifications: InSinkErator’s own page for the InSinkErator Evolution .75HP.