Rocky Mount disposals usually fail in one of four ways: a jam, a tripped motor, a leaking seal or a unit that's simply worn out. In the city's many older homes, the kitchen drain behind the disposal is often part of the problem. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Rocky Mount.
Rocky Mount kitchens and the city sewer
Inside city limits, kitchen drains feed the City of Rocky Mount Water Resources system and its Biological Nutrient Removal treatment plant east of town on Highway 97. The city rates that plant at 21 million gallons a day, with average flows of about 10 to 11 million, and it also takes wastewater from resale customers in Nash and Edgecombe counties and four surrounding towns. A disposal adds ground food to that load; grease and starchy scraps are the part that causes trouble in pipes before they ever reach the plant.
The housing here is older than in the Triangle suburbs. The median Rocky Mount home was built in 1979, and about 52% went up before 1980, per Census survey data. Neighborhoods like the Rocky Mount Mills Village Historic District and Villa Place / West Haven have kitchens that have been updated many times over drain lines that may be original. When a disposal is replaced but the sink still backs up, the problem is often in that older pipe.
Repair or replace?
| What you're seeing | Usually repairable | Usually time to replace |
|---|---|---|
| Hums but won't spin | Freeing a jam with the hex wrench | Jams that return right away, or a seized motor |
| Won't turn on | Reset button, switch or breaker | Motor dead after reset and power check |
| Leaking | Sink flange, drain elbow or dishwasher hose | Water from the body of the unit |
| Noisy | A loose object in the chamber | Worn bearings or grinding parts |
Signs it's time to call
- The reset button pops again soon after you press it
- Water seeps out whenever the unit runs
- Both sink bowls fill when the dishwasher drains
- Grinding takes much longer than it used to
- An odor that cleaning doesn't fix
When problems tend to show up
Disposal trouble clusters around big cooking days. Holiday meals send more peels, skins and grease toward the sink than usual, and an older drain that's been coping all year can finally close up. Summer produce, like corn husks and melon rinds, is another common jam. Scraping heavy waste into the trash before rinsing helps. Within city limits, plumbing permits come from the city's Development Services Inspection Services Division, and the plumber can say whether your job needs one.
Garbage Disposals questions in Rocky Mount
Is a disposal hard on the drain pipes in an older house?
How can I tell whether a kitchen backup is the disposal or the main sewer line?
When does it make more sense to replace a disposal than repair it?
Which foods should stay out of the disposal?
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