Totally agree on checking things out first. I'm pretty new to home repairs myself, but have you tried shining a flashlight down there to see if something small got stuck? I had a similar issue once—turned out a tiny piece of broken glass was wedged in the blades. Also, do you notice if it's louder when grinding certain foods or just randomly noisy all the time? Could help narrow down what's going on...
Good call on checking for small debris first—I’ve seen a lot of stuff get stuck down there. A few quick thoughts:
- If nothing obvious is jammed, it might be worth checking the mounting bolts underneath. Sometimes they loosen up and cause vibrations or weird grinding sounds.
- Another thing to consider is the age of your disposal. Older units can start making noise randomly as the bearings wear out.
- Have you noticed any leaks or moisture under the sink recently? Sometimes water seeping into the motor housing can cause odd noises and eventually bigger issues.
- Also, does it seem to bog down or struggle with certain types of scraps (like veggies or tougher stuff)? Some disposals just don’t handle fibrous foods well, even if they're technically rated for it.
Had a similar issue at my place a couple months ago—turned out to be a loose bolt causing all the racket. Tightened it up and problem solved...for now anyway.
"Have you noticed any leaks or moisture under the sink recently? Sometimes water seeping into the motor housing can cause odd noises and eventually bigger issues."
Good point about checking for leaks—seen plenty of disposals go downhill fast once moisture gets inside. Better safe than sorry... catching it early saves a lot of headaches later.
Totally agree about moisture being a sneaky culprit. Had a disposal last year making weird growling noises—turned out a tiny drip had rusted the bearings inside.
Wish I'd known sooner... would've saved me replacing the whole thing."catching it early saves a lot of headaches later."
Had a similar battle last spring with mine. Thought it was moisture too, but turned out someone (not naming names... my kid) had dropped a soda tab down there. Ever checked yours for random surprises?
