How does a garbage disposal work? Installing a Garbage Disposal:

A garbage disposal is attached to the bottom of your sink and is there to crush food and other waste into tiny pieces with a stainless steel blade. Stainless steel blades keep rust away compared to other models that don't have them which causes problems or rusting of the blades. Size of the motor is something to consider as well. Brands like Kitchen Aid come with a 1 HP motor which chops up food so that the drain won't get clogged. Most garbage disposals are about $150 or so at Home Depot or Lowes and are fairly easy to install yourself (takes about 2 hours). Actually I replaced my garbage disposal so I'm not sure how it would be if you just put one in fresh. In any event, I can't imagine it's much harder as long as you have some basic tools (plumbers putty, Philips head screw driver, flat head screw driver, etc). Make sure that the dimensions of the garbage disposal you select will fit in the area under your sink (ours is a modern house and it barely fit). Below we discuss the simple procedure for the installation of a garbage disposal.

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The most popular type of garbage disposal is the In-Sink-Erator and that is what we put in. You will need an electric outlet under the sink to plug the garbage disposal in to. You will then need to attach the disposal to the bottom of the sink opening using the "upper mounting assembly" piece. Then put the hoses from the dishwasher (if you have one) to the garbage disposal. Certainly we have glossed over the details, but the instructions with our disposal were really good. If you are not a DIY type of person, then perhaps having an electrician (for the outlet plug) and a plumber handle the project is the best bet. Our friends had the same model installed by a plumber and it cost about $120. Lowes has an excellent online tutorial on "how to install a garbage disposal HERE. Expect to spend at least an hour, have some towels ready in case water spills, and hope that your underside to your kitchen sink is somewhat standard so that you can have an easy install process. Amazon carries all the leading brands of garbage disposals and their prices are very competitive with all the major department stores. You can see the best selling garbage disposals on their website.

Reviews of the Best Garbage Disposal - Insinkerator - Waste King - Whirlaway - Sinkmaster:

Depending on who you talk to, the best garbage disposal on the market is up for grabs. Plumbingsupply.com believes that Waste King disposers are the superior brand. They are called the Waste King Gourmet garbage disposals (used to be called the BoneCrushers from Sinkmaster). Plumbingsupply.com says "Their superior quality, easy maintenance and readily available repair parts make them your best choice". The Waste King Gourmet - 1 HP Model SS8000 sells for $168 and comes with a corrosion proof drain housing and grinding chamber, stainless steel grinding components, heavy cast stainless steel, anti-jam impellers, high speed motor, and a power cord. Other top models include the WASTE KING GOURMET - 1/2 HP Model SS3100 ($97.79), WASTE KING GOURMET - 3/4 HP Model SS5000TC ($189), and the WASTE KING GOURMET - 1 HP Model SS8000TC ($239). As we mentioned earlier, the Insinkerator brand is quite popular and performs very well (from my experience) with powerful motors and great warranties. The best selling models are the Insinkerator - 1.0 horsepower Model 777ss ($319), Insinkerator - 3/4 horsepower Model 555ss ($275), Insinkerator - 3/4 horsepower Model 444 ($195), Insinkerator - 1/2 horsepower Model Badger 5 ($119), and the Insinkerator - 3/4 horsepower Model Badger 5 XP ($179). If you have a septic system, then we suggest the Insinkerator - 3/4 horsepower Model Septic ($249). For smaller 1/3 horsepower motors on garbage disposals, the Whirlaway name comes to mind. Although less powerful, they can still do a great job. The best models are the Whirlaway 191 1/3 HP ($39) and Whirlaway 291 1/2 HP ($49). View the most popular Waste King garbage disposals on Amazon.

Garbage Disposal Repair - Fix Garbage Disposal:

In order to determine how bad the repair job might be, you need to do some common sense troubleshooting with your garbage disposal. First, if it does not even turn on and there is no "humming" sound, then you have an electrical problem. You may need to hit the Reset button (red) at the bottom of the disposal or check your circuit breaker to make sure the electrical parts are working ok. If after a thorough electrical inspection and replacement of the switch it still does not turn on or make a noise, then you need to replace the whole unit. Another common issue is a stuck flywheel and the disposal makes a humming noise. Use the offset wrench that came with your disposal and insert it into the flywheel turning hole and turn it clockwise. This should help to unstick the flywheel or impeller. Test the system again with small bursts of water while turning the disposer on. If you have a leaking garbage disposal (that's what I had), then see where the water is coming from (sink flange, dishwasher connection, discharge drainpipe) and tighten bolts, replace loose pipes or fittings. I had just a major link breakage that the whole unit needed to be replaced. For slow draining or blockage problems don't use chemical drain cleaners (they damage disposals), remove the major components and check for clogs. If nothing is spotted, then continue the process with a sink auger down the major pipes that lead from the disposal to see if you can unclog the obstruction. When all else fails, call a plumber. For garbage disposal parts, check out Expertappliance.com/disposal.html, they have a great line of disposals and parts with an 800 # for easy ordering when in doubt. To help keep your disposal clean, never put things like potato skins, artichoke leaves, or celery stocks in the garbage disposal since those are very hard to grind up and tend to jam and clog the disposal.

Top Garbage Disposal Brands - Kenmore - Badger - Kitchen Aid - Sears:

There are many major brand names selling garbage disposals these days and we found them all online at Ajmadison.com. You can buy a KitchenAid KBDS250X 1 HP Batch-feed Garbage disposal for $289, a GE GFC1020F 1 horsepower continuous feed disposer for $199, a Maytag DFC7500AAX 1 HP continuous feed for $279, Whirlpool Gold GC2000PE 1/2 HP $99, Franke WD1001 continuous feed waste disposer for $349. Sears is an excellent home appliance store to start your shopping at with a wide selection of GE, Kenmore, and Whirlpool garbage disposals.

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