Yes, they are legal in residential units. The city banned them for decades and lifted that ban in 1997, so any apartment or house may have one installed. The catch is that many prewar co-ops and condos still prohibit them in their own house rules because of older drain lines, so check with your building management before a new installation. Commercial kitchens are a separate matter and are still not permitted to use them.

No, it usually is not. That hum means the motor has power but the flywheel is jammed against something, and the internal breaker will cut out to protect it. Do not keep flipping the switch, since that is what actually burns out a working motor. Clearing the jam and resetting the unit is a routine visit for us.

It is on the underside of the unit, a small red or black button in the center of the base. Switch the disposal off first, press the button until it clicks and stays in, then try the unit again. If it trips straight back out, something is jammed inside or the motor is failing and it needs a technician.

Yes, we can. Our technicians carry replacement units in common sizes, so a disposal that is beyond repair is swapped out during the same appointment. That includes the sink flange, the discharge connection, and the dishwasher inlet, all reconnected and tested before we leave.

It depends on where the problem sits, and that is exactly what the diagnosis answers. The disposal itself and everything connected to it is appliance work, and we handle it. If the blockage turns out to be deep in your building's waste line rather than in the unit, we will tell you that clearly instead of charging you to find out twice.

It comes back because the dishwasher drains through the disposal, so a blockage in the unit or in the shared line has nowhere else to go. On new installations the cause is often a knockout plug that was never removed inside the disposal inlet. We clear the connection and test both appliances together.