Half of these calls we can talk you through on the phone, and we would rather do that than charge you for pressing a button.
Try this first
Humming but not turning means something is jammed, not that the motor has failed. Cut the power, free the flywheel with the hex key, then press the reset underneath. Silent usually means the reset alone will fix it.
Old cast iron drains complicate it
Fitting a disposal to a century-old kitchen drain sometimes exposes the real issue — a line already narrowed by scale that cannot take the extra load. If a new unit immediately causes backups, the drain is the problem, not the disposal.
Cramped downtown kitchens
Peninsula kitchens are often small with tight, adapted plumbing under the sink. Fitting a disposal frequently means reworking the drain assembly rather than a straight swap, and it is worth knowing that before the job starts.
When it is finished
Water leaking from the body rather than the connections means the housing has corroded through, and that is not repairable.