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Dishwasher And Garbage Disposal Are Both Not Working – What To Check?

My garbage disposal and my dishwasher do not turn ON. This happened at the same exact time and all of a sudden. I went to turn the garbage disposer on with the wall switch and it does not turn ON. I also tried to run the dishwasher a little later and it will not turn on either. I have checked under the sink and they are both plugged into the electrical outlet. I do not know anything about electricity. What am I missing?

Dishwasher and Garbage Disposal NOT WORKING - What To CheckDishwasher and Garbage Disposal NOT WORKING – What To Check??

If both the garbage disposer and the dishwasher stopped working at the same time, then it is a simple electrical outlet issue. In 90% of homes or apartments the dishwasher and the garbage disposal are BOTH plugged into the same electrical outlet UNDER THE SINK. This electrical outlet located under the sink is called a GFCI outlet (ground-fault circuit interrupter). These electrical outlets have a safety circuit built into them. At times, the GFCI outlet will trip or reset and NEED TO BE RESET MANUALLY. When a GFCI outlet trips, it will not supply power. It basically turns off and does not allow any electricity to flow from it. When this happens, it needs to be reset to “turn it back on”.

Reset the GFCI Outlet if Dishwasher and Garbage Disposal not workingReset the GFCI Outlet if Dishwasher and Garbage Disposal not working

To solve the problem with both the Dishwasher and Garbage Disposal NOT Working:

  • Go under the sink and locate the electrical outlet that your dishwasher and garbage disposal are plugged into.
  • Unplug both the dishwasher and garbage disposal from the GFCI electrical outlet.
  • On the GFCI outlet, press the RED RESET BUTTON. (If the GFCI outlet has tripped, pressing the red button will reset the outlet)
  • Plug the dishwasher and the garbage disposal back into the GFCI outlet.
  • Test run the garbage disposal and test run the dishwasher.
  • If they both turn ON, your problem is fixed.
  • If after resetting the GFCI outlet the dishwasher and the garbage disposal do not turn ON, check the breaker box in your home or apartment to see if the circuit breaker for the KITCHEN OUTLETS has tripped. If so, reset it and your problem is solved.

Need help figuring out why your dishwasher and your garbage disposal have BOTH stopped working? Please leave your question below and we will be more than happy to assist.

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9 thoughts on “Dishwasher And Garbage Disposal Are Both Not Working – What To Check?”

  1. Cindy Collyer

    Both our garbage disposal and dishwasher will not turn on. I have unplugged both the disposal and the dishwasher and also checked the breakers belonging to these and have reset the reset button on the garbage disposal without getting any results. This house was completed only a month ago so it’s not due to a remodel job. I’m at a loss at what to do next.

  2. my garbage disposal wont turn on (even after unplugging it and hitting the reset button) now the sink take about 6 hours to drain. My dishwasher works but now there is water sitting at the bottom of it (wont drain) PLEASE HELP

  3. ALLEN VETTER - DIY Repair Assistant

    Karen Leslie Breschini,
    There is no GFCI outlet under your sink for both the garbage disposal and dishwasher?
    There should be especially if you had the kitchen remodeled.
    If not then most likely the main breaker for that outlet, or that area of your home has tripped.
    Check the main breaker to see if it has tripped in the kitchen area.
    If you hired a company to remodel your kitchen and the outlet has no power after checking the breaker, call them up and let them know they did not wire the outlet under your kitchen sink properly.

    You could do it yourself but make sure the breaker is off and NO power is going to that outlet.
    Take off the outlet cover with a flat screwdriver and lightly pull the outlet from the wall to check the wiring.
    If you do not feel comfortable doing this, then call the company who wired it wrong.
    Hope you get it working soon!
    -RR

  4. Karen Leslie Breschini

    My garbage disposal and dishwasher won’t turn on and when I unplugged them under the sink. They weren’t plugged into an outlet with a reset button. We had the kitchen remodeled 3 1/2 years ago and this has never happened before. Is it because they installed the wrong outlet?! Please HELP!!! Thanks in advance for any help you can give me!

  5. Wanda Cristiano

    My dishwasher started smoking & no longer works.
    Now my garbage disposal doesn’t work.
    Did the burning do something to the disposal.
    Do I need to call a plumber?
    Thank you

  6. The outlet got wet when the sunk exploded. After putting pipes back together, the garbage disposal works and the dishwasher does not. Disposal is plugged in, dishwasher is hard wired. Help

  7. Food grinder just humms and dishwasher won’t run right. Grinder still does not work with drain disconnected (not plugged). Does disposal have to operate for dishwasher to function? Dishwasher does drain through disposal.

  8. My dishwasher and disposal are plugged into an outlet under my sink but it does not have a reset button. I have pushed every reset button in my kitchen but they still do not turn on. We just switched to solar power when this problem occurred.

  9. I do not have a gifi under the sink i have one next to the switch for the garbage disposal and it is on. both the disposal and the dishwasher are plugged in to the same wall plug outlet.

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