Fixing a garbage disposer can be simple with some fortune or with some excellent creativeness the issue can be fixed. In most cases what happens is the disposal is humming which shows the motor is still trying to turn, but the grinding mechanism is jammed. The golden rule with any electrical device is to turn the power off. This can be done directly under the sink where the garbage disposer is plugged into an outlet. If not you will have to detach at the electric box. The next step is to look inside from the top into your disposal with a flashlight to see if any visible object that might have caused the jam.
Generally an object will end up in the disposal where they do not belong and must be eliminated. If the object is iron or steel, you can use a telescoping extraction tool that has a magnet on the tip to securely get the item. But, you may need to be resourceful if the object is not magnet worthy such as coins. That duct tape is rolled up onto the end of a pencil might assist you grab it, or even a piece of chewing gum. A different option is the old chopstick method using two butter knives can also be effective. Remember none of these improvised methods should ever be tried before checking the power is off.
Sometimes the object cannot be seen or perhaps it is jammed between the grinding mechanism and the side of the garbage disposals. In this case you will need to turn or "spin" the grinding mechanism by hand because the motor is not strong enough to do it by itself. The newer disposals almost have a hex head slot directly in the middle of the unit. By inserting the right sized Allen wrench into this hole, you can slowly turn the disposal's mechanism back and forth to free the blockage. Check again the chamber if there’s any loose material. You may have to do again this step several times to get the object loose.
If your disposal does not have the hex head slot below, you will need to try another option to free the mechanism. A piece of wood or a 1'' X 2'' board will let do the job. Just insert it from the top into the chamber and push it against the grinding arms to loosen the mechanism. Be patient and do everything you can until the mechanism spins freely. Do not even try to put a wrench on the exposed nut at the center of the chamber because it holds everything together and loosening it may cause a much larger problem than you already have.
