Clogged kitchen sink/disposal

Last night I peeled and trimmed a bunch of carrots, so there were carrot shavings and chunks in the sink. Usually my garbage disposal eats right on through that kind of food so I turn it on, turn the water on, and shove it all down.

The disposal starts doing its thing but gradually slows down and I realize the water is not draining, and it starts to back up. I turn off the disposal. When I turn it back on, I can hear the hum of the motor, but the blades are not spinning. Still no water drainage.

I have had the experience of the blades being jammed and needing to manually free them with a hex wrench under the disposal unit, but this is not that. The blades move freely, both with a hex wrench and when I stick my hand down there and spin them. I can't feel anything clogging jamming anything with my hand.

One interesting detail is that if I turn the disposal on, and I hear the hum but there is no blade movement, I can get it doing by putting a wooden spoon handle down there and manually spinning the blades. If I do it fast enough, it's like the blades pick up and and start spinning on their own.

Overnight the water did not drain. I'm at a bit of a loss on what to try next. Even if the disposal broken the water draining must mean there is a clog somewhere, right? Should I try something like Liquid Plumber?

Any ideas on what's happened to my disposal? Or suggestions for next steps? Thanks!

Do not put chemicals in, they won't help and may ruin the unit. You need to get the carrots out of the diposer and manually clean the drain with a snake.

I think your disposal failed, and it needs to be replaced.

Most disposers are only good for eight years of use.

You will need to uppack the carrots. My sisters did that on Thankgiving one time. It took a snake to clear it the next day. Even with a good disposer, you need plenty of water to wash it down.

Thanks for the responses so far! I was able to unclog it with a plunger and run a lot of water through. The disposal unit is still acting the same though: motor hums, but I can get the blades going manually. So I guess I will have to replace it. It is almost 7 years old. Here is a picture of under my sink:

http://imgur.com/a/FKYyb

I would like to not have to cut/move any pipes. Are the positions of the openings fairly standard across different disposal units? If I got a brand other than Insinkerator Badger could I expect it to fit? Could I even expect a different Badger model (like the higher horsepower model)?

Thanks again!

http://www.insinkerator.com/en-us/Household-Products/Garbage-Disposers/Badger/Pages/Badger5.aspx says

If you prefer a higher level of grind performance, and significantly quieter operation, check out the Evolution™ Series Disposers.

Click to expand...

I think they are saying that yours is a more entry-level grade, but I don't know how that would relate to reliability.

The Evolution Essential and yours seem to both be 12-5/8 inch overall. I have no experience with either.