Switch off the wall switch and, for safety, unplug the unit or turn off the circuit breaker at your electrical panel. Allow it to Cool:

To fix an InSinkErator garbage disposal that is running hot or has overheated, you must located on the bottom of the unit . When a garbage disposal gets hot, its built-in thermal overload protector automatically trips to cut power to the motor and prevent a fire hazard.

Remember the golden rule for all future use:

If the disposal spins freely by hand but overheats after just a few seconds of running empty, the internal motor bearings or electrical windings are failing. In this scenario, the unit must be replaced. To help pinpoint why your unit is acting up, let me know:

Underneath the disposal, centered on the bottom, is a . This is for the manual crank.

If the unit overheated, this button will be protruding outward by about a quarter of an inch.

How to Fix an InSinkErator Garbage Disposal That is Running Hot

If you press the reset button, turn on the disposer, and hear nothing but a , the problem is a mechanical jam. The humming tells you the motor is receiving power, but something is physically blocking the grinding plate (impeller) from spinning. Running a jammed disposer for more than a few seconds can cause it to overheat again, so turn it off at the wall switch immediately.