Compactor piston stuck in down position and couldn't open!!!
First thing I did was put the unit on its side and removed the bottom to access the broken plastic gear that moves the chain that drives the compactor up and down...There I was able to manually move the chain by turning the nut with pliers and moving the piston up (painfully slow) until I could at least use the bin for trash while I waited for the replacement part to arrive. Once I had the part I loosened the four bolts that allowed the drive gear to move a little and slacken the chain - I then put in the new gear - make sure you have the proper spacing and washers - my replacement kit didn't have any washers so I resused the old washers and all seems to be working well!
My very old trash compactor's carrier bag wore out
This new one from part select I think fit better than the original so all I had to do was install the handles as the depiction on the packaging showed and install it. Less than 1 minute.
Compactor draw was not opening fully as the wheel bearings had seized
I followed the you tube video instructions provided by customer care. This involved pulling the unit free from the cabinet, removing several screws that held the housing in place, this gave access to the wheel assembly, then I removed the nuts that held the wheel assembly in place. Fitting the new wheel assemblies was easy as was replacing the housing screws. After reinserting the draw and pushing the unit back into the cabinet it worked like new
Compactor was hard to open had to press hard with foot and lift to open. got harder as it got fuller.
remove the container from base lay on floor unscrew 2 screws one on each side and remove foot pedal. I could see that the foot pedal had small bow in the pedal. You can only see this if you removed. I ordered the rollers in the front but did not install as it is not the rollers. Will keep for future if needed. Replace your foot first if hard to open.
1Turn the compactor off 2Removed the plate on the top of the compactor. Mine was held by 2 screws. Make note of where the electrical connections are located 3Remove the electrical connections on the operating plate. 4Remove 2 screws holding the plate to the compactor the unit housing the operating buttons is now free from the compactor using a small blade move around the outside of the membrane to release the existing cover Clean the lip where glue still exists peel back the plastic cover from the part and press into place Reverse steps 1,2,3 &4
Upon the receipt of my part it just had to be slipped into place. I had the part I needed within 3 days of ordering. My had ordered parts for various items in the past and we have always been very satisfied with the care and experteis of this company.
I flipped this unit over,removed 4 screws to the drive gear.I tore apart found a nut came off the screw rod.Which broke the drive gear.I looked on line found the parts select page.That showed the diagram i needed,to order parts, i needed.The wife and i tackled this task,of repairing this product.The repair was quick and easy.It took less than 30 minutes including cleanup.The wife happy,that all that matters. Jack
With nothing in the KitchenAid Instructions nor anything on the internet… I had to go it alone. Actually quite simple… I laid the unit over on its front and removed the 5 screws holding on the bottom plate. This exposed the motor and drive train which turns the two compacting screws on each side. The main drive gear was broken. Taking a wrench to the main drive… I was able to free up the jam… a piece of glass from a broken bottle.
I went to the internet and did a search on KitchenAid Trash Compactor Parts and discovered PartSelect.com… They had me enter the Model Number of my unit and a parts diagram and list came up… I found the gear I needed… ordered it and in two days it was here. Instructions came with the gear on replacement and in no time I was back in business.
I was impressed with the simplicity of KitchenAid’s Compactor, and the ease in which I was able to get my part from PartSelect.com!