DIY

Does anyone recognize this contraption? Most of us have one but don’t generally see it from this angle. A plumber might.

Now that I have piqued your interest, I can disclose that it is the underside of my garbage disposal. Earlier this year it wouldn’t work so I called my plumber. He went under the sink for about 5 seconds. He’d fixed it. It stopped working a couple days ago. I wasn’t in a rush to call someone to fix it because we used to survive without them. But when I got home this afternoon, the house reeked. It didn’t take me long to figure out where the smell originated.

I got out the little wrench and read the manual. I used my phone camera on the selfie side and laid it underneath so I could feel my way around. But I was twisting my neck and back so I got my little step stool to sit on (it’s about 8” high). It was the dumbest thing I have ever done.

I fiddled with the disposal then tried to get up. Nope. That wasn’t happening. Not only were my knees higher than my waist but my quads were aching from PT. I wasn’t going anywhere.

Swallowing my pride, I called 911 (emergency services). They sent a fire truck. Three very nice young men arrived and were completely understanding of my plight. Before anything else, I asked them to flip the disposal switch. Yay! I fixed it. They then helped me get to my feet. As they left, I made sure that the best part of the story to take back to the station was that I fixed my own garbage disposal.

The stink is now gone but my pride took a hit.