• 13 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Garbage Disposal

A garbage disposal under the sink from the side, then cut through to show the grinding chamber.

Parts of a Garbage Disposal

Name Date

Tap any part to read, rename or leave it out

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Sink flange
  2. Stopper
  3. Mounting ring
  4. Dishwasher inlet
  5. Discharge tube
  6. Reset button
  7. Splash guard
  8. Grinding chamber
  9. Turntable
  10. Impellers
  11. Grind ring
  12. Discharge outlet
  13. Motor

Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: the kitchen sink above it

All 13 parts on the diagram

Show the list

Outside 6

  1. Sink flange Its rim sits in the sink. The disposal hangs from the collar underneath.
  2. Stopper It lifts out to let food waste in. It goes back in the opening afterwards.
  3. Mounting ring Part of the mounting assembly. The assembly holds the disposal to the sink flange.
  4. Dishwasher inlet The dishwasher's drain hose connects here. A knockout plug closes it until then.
  5. Discharge tube Ground waste and water leave through it. Some makers call it the discharge elbow.
  6. Reset button It resets the motor after the motor has shut itself off.

Inside 7

  1. Splash guard Keeps food waste from flying up and out of the chamber. A partial rubber closure.
  2. Grinding chamber Food waste falls through the throat into this space, onto the turntable.
  3. Turntable The waste lands on it. Repair books also call it the flywheel.
  4. Impellers They throw the food waste at the grind ring. Also called lugs.
  5. Grind ring Its sharp edges break the waste down. The waste can then pass through the openings in the ring.
  6. Discharge outlet Ground waste and water leave the unit here, into the discharge tube.
  7. Motor An electric motor; its shaft runs up to the turntable.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30, a name kept only where two independent sources use it for the part. Wikipedia, Garbage disposal unit. Two disposal makers' manuals, read as full text on archive.org: an installation, care and use manual (https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-7442637; a store-brand manual with the same wording, https://archive.org/details/Kenmore_72785_Garbage_Disposal_User_Manual, counts with it as one source) and a second maker's installation instructions and user guide (https://archive.org/details/manualsbase-id-640419). Two home repair books read as passages through archive.org's full-text search: Repairing Appliances (Time-Life Books) (https://archive.org/details/repairingapplian0000time) and a homeowner's guide to appliance repair (https://archive.org/details/homeownersguidet0000baym). No maker is named on the page. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; a schematic of no maker's disposal, nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

A garbage disposal hangs under the kitchen sink, between the drain opening and the trap. The first drawing shows it from the side. The second cuts it open to show the grinding chamber, the turntable and the motor.

Read the full guide

Outside first, then cut through

Numbers 1 to 6 are on the outside. The stopper fits the sink flange, the mounting ring holds the unit under the sink, the dishwasher inlet is on one side and the discharge tube leaves the other, and the reset button is underneath. Numbers 7 to 13 are inside. Food waste passes the splash guard and drops into the grinding chamber, onto the turntable. The motor spins the turntable, and the impellers on it fling the waste against the grind ring, which breaks it down. The ground waste washes out through the discharge outlet.

  • Names differ by maker and book: the turntable is also the flywheel, the grind ring the shredder ring, the impellers lugs.
  • There are two main types of disposal: continuous feed and batch feed.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a garbage disposal called?

Outside: the stopper, sink flange, mounting ring, dishwasher inlet, discharge tube and reset button. Inside: the splash guard, grinding chamber, turntable, impellers, grind ring, discharge outlet and motor.

What are the blades in a garbage disposal called?

The impellers, also called lugs, on the turntable. They throw the food waste at the grind ring, and the sharp edges of the ring break it down.

What is the rubber part in a garbage disposal called?

The splash guard. It is a partial rubber closure at the top that keeps food waste from flying up and out of the grinding chamber.

Where is the reset button on a garbage disposal?

On the bottom of the unit. It resets the motor after the motor has shut itself off, as it can when the disposal jams.

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