Why is my garbage disposal leaking? And how can I fix it?

Last updated on November 20th, 2023 at 12:04 pm

Garbage disposal leaking can be a serious problem for homeowners especially when the garbage disposal is not only leaking but also smells bad. If you notice some drops of water under your sink, your garbage disposal is probably leaking. This might sound like a big issue, fortunately, there is always a solution!

Let’s break down the problem together and find out what is actually causing it, but before we dive in, you have to know that there are actually 3 common places for a garbage disposal to leak, and we are going to cover each one and provide you with the right information in order to get your garbage disposal fixed. Keep reading!

Garbage disposal leaking from top

One of the common places a garbage disposal can leak from is the top, if it’s the case, then it’s most probably coming from the sink flange. What happened is that over time, the seal was corroded and lost its effect which caused the garbage disposal leaking.

The solution? Well, all you need to do is reseal the garbage disposal using the plumber’s putty. In order to do that, you will have to disassemble the garbage disposal and clean the old putty then reseal it. If you feel that this is a lot of work, then you may consider hiring a professional plumber to do the job.

Garbage disposal leaking from bottom

If you’re a 100% sure that your garbage disposal is leaking from the bottom, then it’s most probably an internal seal that corroded overtime.

The solution? There is not much to do other than buying a new garbage disposal. This is the best thing to consider since trying to fix your old one is so much work and it’s not worth it at all. Garbage disposals don’t cost much, plus you get 5 to 10 years warranty (some units even offer alifetime warranty).

Garbage disposal leaking from side

What cause garbage disposal to leak from the side are usually the two drain lines that connect to it. The smaller one is where the dishwasher drains into the garbage disposal, while the larger one connects your unit to your sewer.

Your garbage disposal is connected to the dishwasher through a metal clamp, try tightening it using a screwdriver and to secure the hosepipe and see if it actually stops the leaking.

However, if the source of the leak is not the dishwasher but the main drain line, you only need to tighten the screws; otherwise you willhave to replace the rubber gasket inside the pipe.

Further resources

Fixing your garbage disposal leak is not always fun to do especially if you’re not familiar with all these technical stuff, if you seem to be confused with the solution given above you may try watching this YouTube video below and see if it helps, otherwise you may look into hiring a professional plumber to get the job done.