How To Install A Garbage Disposal

How To Install A Garbage Disposal

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So, you want to change your garbage disposal? Well, you’ve come to the right place to learn a lot more about exactly how to do that. Hey maybe your situation might be a little like mine was. You be the judge, here is my story: I would like to say that about 7 years ago when we moved into our first home someone dropped a salt shaker down the disposal and turned it on. After that day, it never worked as good as it should have, and I had been wanting to change it ever since.

It Begins:
I came home from work one evening and low and behold “we” had a leak under our kitchen sink. Very funny how it is “our” leak but it is “my” problem. Hehe, but what’s a guy to do. Either you know how to fix it or you better find out quick.
In order to change your disposal, you will need; channel lock pliers, a small putty knife, and plumber’s putty. That is usually pretty much it.

First assess the leak. Open up the cabinet and empty if of everything inside. (After all if I have to fix it, she has to clean it. See these things work out better with team work.) Anyway after my wife pulled out everything I went ahead and assessed the problem. Check the fittings, examine from where the drip is falling from and try to follow the trail back up the pipes to the source. When I did this, I found a small 2mm hole in the side of my garbage disposal.
Looks like that darn planned obsolescence again, metal disposals apparently rust out long before they wear out. Here is what doesn’t work. First it won’t work if you try to ignore it, and just put a pan under it. Emptying a pan gets old really quick, and when you run your dishwasher, it will leak all the more. Duct Tape does not work either. I tried it as a temporary fix to buy some time for a couple days. It came off and leaked as soon as we ran the dishwasher, something about steaming hot water and adhesive just doesn’t mix.

Ok, you found you have a leaky disposal, step one get a replacement! Lucky for me, my Dad had a shiny new disposal sitting in his garage. He got it as a sample, being that he is an industrial hardware salesman. And lucky me again, my brother drives almost right past their home when he is going to and from work. So a few quick phone calls later I had a disposal on the way that very same night.

Removing your disposal won’t take much effort. You will need a decent size channel lock pliers, if they have curved jaws that would be even better. Just to play it safe, start by turning off the water supply valves under the sink and unplugging the electrical cord to your garbage disposal. Next use the channel lock pliers to loosen the nut on the outlet pipe that comes off the disposal. Unless you paid a fortune, or your home is exceptionally old, expect everything to be made of ABS Plastic. So don’t squeeze anything too tight or you will be replacing more than just a disposal. Once you have loosened the nut, you simply need to loosen the flange at the top of the disposal, some of them will allow you to take the disposal out just by twisting it.

Either way, once you have actually removed the garbage disposal and set it aside, you will need to remove the chrome ring that is at the bottom of the sink. So, using your really big pliers again, loosen the 3 or 4 inch nut that is holding the chrome ring to the sink. This being done, you may have to tap on it to get it to pop loose, but once it does simply lift it out and begin scraping the opening where it was seated to clear away old plumber’s putty residue.

Alright, now that you have removed the old fixture, scraped, and cleaned the drain area. It is time to install the new unit. Your new disposal should come with a complete set of instructions. Let me forewarn you that you need to use plumbers putty not silicone or any other sealer when you install the new chrome ring. The putty has been the same stuff over the past 20 years and it really works. Everything else is likely to leak. So either buy some putty or expect to have to fix it again later.

Closely following the directions you are going to install the ring and mounting flange to the sink first.
Next install the new drain elbow and seal onto the disposal. Make sure to remove any plastic “knock out” from the disposal. Slide the old nut and the clear/white plastic ring (flange side out, flat side towards the nut) onto the new drain elbow and next mount the disposal onto the flange on the sink and slide the drain elbow into the drain pipe. Once you have secured the disposal to the flange and tightened the plastic nut and seal on the drain pipe.

Turn on the water supply valves. Plug in the disposal unit and run some water into it and see if any seeps from the sink or the drain connections. If you don’t see any leaks, test the disposal by turning it on and then again look underneath for leakage. If you see no leaks, you are done, and it is time for “hunny” to put the contents back under the sink and clean up the general working mess. At least that is how it works in my house.

If you are a chick reading this “how to” I am sorry that you are stuck changing your own disposal, but at least you get to demean your not so handy man by having him do the clean up work. And if that isn’t the case either, well, I am just sorry.

I hope you found this “how to” to be very useful.
Happy Plumbing!

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