Need remedy to fix clogged garbage disposal: hardened instant

[no_hypocrisy]

mashed potatoes (now like cement), impervious to hot water and Draino.

Any ideas? Can't use salt and vinegar for fear of fumes from Draino.

Thanks for ANY help.

[Jamastiene]

1. Soak it in Dawn dishwashing detergent.

If that doesn't work, call Lowe's and ask how much a new disposal would cost. I'm not sure, but I'd go with the Dawn first, then boiling water. Boiling the water may work.

[LeftyMom]

2. How I'd handle it:

Get a long knife and poke at the potato mass to break it up some and allow the hot water and draino to disolve it, then add more hot (almost boiling) water as needed.

If it's too deep to get with a knife, a straightened out wire coat hanger makes a decent improvised pipe snake.

[everythingsxen]

3. Aye'd 'ave to agree matey

That were gonna be me own suggestion... that or dynamite.

[LeftyMom]

5. Oh, and one thing I almost forgot:

In the future, try Simple Green before Draino. Once the Draino's in there, you can't stick your hand in and that really limits your options. Straight Simple Green will break up most clogs.

[NNadir]

4. Dynamite.

C-4 would work.

Jackhammer.

Bulldozer.

Backhoe.

If all else fails, tell Dick Cheney that their is oil in your disposal.

[XemaSab]

6. First, unplug the disposal

(Lockout/Tagout).

Then, wearing PPE, reach in there and see what you can do manually.

If that's useless, disconnect the pipe and see if there are potatoes coming out both ends. If so, manually remove the potatoes from the pipe.

Reconnect the pipe and just let the hot water run for a LONG time.

If it's blocked, try yeast in a pool of warm water.

If that doesn't work, call a plumber.

[pscot]

8. Don't call a plumber

You'll pay $257.79 for twenty minutes work. The pipe that drains the disposal is probably clogged. Get a pair of pump pliers, cost you about fifteen bucks. Remove the pipe, clean it and re-install. Wrap the threads with silicon plumbers tape (cheap and effective) to seal the joints. Don't over-tighten. Good luck.

[mzteris]

7. reckon you're not the only one

http://forum.doityourself.com/showthread.php?t=141265


Also - in reading some other sites about "hardened clogs" -

saw other references to

1. "plungers" (use vaseline on lip of drain to make better seal);
2. Ice cubes;
3. taking of the pipe from underneath.


Also - is it "working at all"? I mean, does it TRY to work - or when you flip the switch does "nothing happen"? If the latter, did you hit the RESET button on the disposal unit itself?