KU1550VP1 Roper Trash Compactor - Instructions

I pulled the trash compactor out from under the counter.

I took out the four screws that kept the top cover in place to expose the ram.

The gear shafts were turning but the ram would not lower, at first I though the ram drive bolts were stripped and it wouldn't engage the shaft. Then I realized there was a mechanical directional\limit switch at the top that controlled the power and direction the gear shafts were turning, this switch was broken.

Just had to take off the front plate that was held on by a number of screws and replace the switch that was held on by two more screws. It had five wires attached to it, the new switch was clearly labeled as to which color wire went where.

This product comes in a bottle with a brush like Liquid Paper. It goes on incredibly easy. A second coat might be needed. I wanted to prevent rust from setting in so I covered the scratches and dings. The paint is a little brighter since my washer is 10 years old but it still looks great.

Pulled the Compactor from underneath cabinet, unplugged power. Removed the top plate off compactor to expose the crush piston. Removed the front control panel by removing two phillips screws, wiring and directional (limit) switch is now exposed. Removed the two screws securing switch, removed wiring one wire at a time and replaced on new switch in same position. Replaced switch in same manner as removed, and followed reverse of above to re-assemble. Plugged back in and tested, problem resolved works like new. Only took possibly 30" to repair and saved an expensive service call.

Original key part number was 776586 as found underneath the the rim of the broken key. It's known as a compactor key, or a key-knob, but in layman's terms, I would call it the "off-on-start" knob. The replacement part number was 386676, and fits perfectly.
The original key had become old and brittle, and eventually just broke apart. This was a 30+ year old Whirlpool Trash Compactor key. I just picked out the bits of the old broken key with needle-nose pliers and then easily inserted the new key into the opening.
Note, this literally works just like a key you would insert into any lock. It doesn't require pushing to "snap" into place, but once inserted and turned to the "ON" position, locks into place. No forcing is required at all.
The new key looks exactly like the original and is working very smoothly.

Trash compactor started making "bumping" sounds when the RAM went through a cycle and tried to come back up. Finally, one day heard a "pop" went the RAM traveled to the bottom. The gear broke in half. Purchased the gear parts "KIT" online and repair took 15 minutes. Easy to do. Unfortunately, this was not only problem. The "cause" of the gear breaking was the Momentary Start/Stop Switch was bad. It's failure led to the main switch not working. The unit could not tell when the RAM had reached the top of it's cycle. The other problem was that I didn't put trash in the compactor. Suggest HIGHLY to never operate the unit's RAM mechanism without the compactor being at least 1/2 full per the instruction manual. Running it empty can cause a major problem, such as the gear breaking/stripping.

Pulled compactor out on a piece of cardboard. Used socket set to take top off and evaluate the problem. Power nut was not holding on one side. We ordered two power nuts. Decided to repair only the unlevel side. Fast and easy and cheaper than a new compactor. Whirlpool compactor is 28 years old and working like a charm. Thanks for the diagram and accessibility to parts.

Remove two screws from panel above trash bin. Remove panel and remove wires from rotary switch. Remove lock ring from switch. Install in reverse order.

Moved the compactor out from under cabinet, laid it on it's side, removed bottom casing (two nuts front, three back), remove compression pin from small drive gear shart, replace new small drive gear and install compression pin, loosen motor mounts to allow large gear replacement, remove circlip holding large drive gear to shaft, remove and repace damaged gear, set gear clearance and tighten motor mounts, grease gears, replace bottom casing. .

I slid the compactor out of the cabinet space it sits in and unplugged it. I removed the two screws that hold the control plate on and it then lifts up and off to reveal the screws that hold the top down. Then I removed the two screws that hold the top of the unit on and removed the top. I then put the switch plate back on and plugged the unit back in and ran it so I could see it operate from above. It went all the way down compacting the drawer but kept running and did not reverse and come back up. I figured it was the directional switch and ordered that. The plastic power nuts that the unit rides up and down on looked worn so for $10 each I ordered a pair of them also. The parts arrived in 3 days. I decided to install the power nuts first. When I removed the metal casing that holds them I saw that wings on the plastic power nuts that hold them in place in the metal casing were all broken off. I installed the new power nuts then plugged it back in and ran it. It cycled perfectly. luckily I had not opened the directional switch and I was able to return it to Partselect for a refund. In total I had to remove and reinstall 4 very short screws and 4 small bolts. While I had it out and apart I also cleaned out quite a bit of old trash that had escaped to unseen parts of the compactor. It is 26 years old and working fine. I don't think they make them like they used to. Thank You Partselect for a great experience

Replaced the gear and unit worked execpt the plunger hit the side of the garbage container. This appears the be the reason the gear broke in the first place. Defective assembly from the factory.

To correct I had to remove the newly installed gear system remove inside cardboard side cover, Remove the screws that hold the bearing for the lift screw so I could remove the chain. After removing the chain I could adjust the plunger to be level and not hit the side of the garbage container on its way down.

Took the under housing off to see the drive gear. It had broken in half. (Exactly like one of the suggestions said). Replaced the drive gear and re-assembled. It worked great!

Thanks.

I removed the compactor from under the cabinet and unpluged it from the power supply. The ram was in the down position and wedged to one side . The lower side was the broken power nut side. I first removed the good side nut retainer cover and turned it down to a level position before removing the defective power nut cover. Then I went on Google search, got lucky and found PS Parts select's web site. I was Greeted by a very pleasant and knowledgeable clerk named Lacey. I described the part I needed, and gave her the model, serial numbers. She found the part , told me the price, I ordered 2 new ones and they arrived at my home in 3 days as she said they would. Exact Fit. Screwed them on the two power rods, put the covers back on and re-installed under my cabinet, and SHIZZAM !! Back in business.

Pulled out old screws. Replaced with new screws.
Very easy.
Cannot thank you enough. Sears said the parts were not made anymore. We were upset as rest of compactor was fine,but we had a torn guard and a cracked handle. Price of a new compactor was a fortune. But thanks to you. LEss than $50 good as new.
Someone needs to tell sears they are really missing out. You had a shelf we needed about 4 months ago and it was exactly what we needed,so we knew if anyone could help us it would be you. You were right on.
Thank you so much

Everything worked perfectly---thanks to the suggestion of your call center agent. She suggested that since the replacement door handles were no longer available, I should consider repainting them--it worked like a charm. Please tell her she was a life saver. We rent that house in Fl and my returning tenants had complained about the discoloring refer handles. Thank you

First i removed 2 screws that holds it to the cabinet,pulled the unit out removed the cover off the bottom of the unit,then i notice the gears were damaged,but was not supprised,because the machine gets over worked.Then i removed one clip,removed one gear,the other gear had a pin,tapped the pin out with a punch ,pulled that gear off.then replaced both gears .Got it back together and it now works like new.i am very pleased with your service,you responded right away and let me know the order had filled.i ordered it on sunday night and i recieved it on tuesday morning .i will surly use your service in the future you guys are great. thanks alot