"Even small imperfections can cause big issues."
Exactly, those tiny cracks are sneaky little gremlins. I'd also suggest checking the mounting screws while you're at it—sometimes they loosen up and make the impeller wobble just enough to cause noise and poor grinding... easy fix, thankfully.
Good point about the screws, but honestly, in my experience those tiny cracks aren't always as sneaky as we think. Sometimes they're just cosmetic and don't actually affect performance much. A while back, I was convinced my disposal had a crack causing weird noises—turned out it was just some fibrous veggie fibers wrapped around the impeller blades. Cleaned it out and all was good again. Worth checking before worrying too much about minor imperfections...
Have you checked if the impeller blades spin freely by hand? Sometimes debris buildup can cause uneven grinding and weird noises. Could be worth a quick look before assuming it's something structural...
Good point about debris, but if the blades spin fine, have you checked the mounting screws underneath? Had a similar issue last year—thought it was junk stuck inside, turned out the whole unit had loosened slightly and was vibrating weirdly. Tightened it up and noise disappeared. Maybe worth a quick peek under the sink before diving deeper into repairs...
"turned out the whole unit had loosened slightly and was vibrating weirdly."
Yeah, seen this happen a bunch of times. Had a client last month convinced their disposal was toast—making a racket like it was chewing gravel. Turns out the mounting ring had loosened just enough to cause vibration and noise. Quick tighten-up underneath and it was good as new. Definitely worth checking before you go replacing parts or calling someone out.
