Replacing garbage disposal?

1990txgirl

1990txgirl

250+ Posts
Our disposal is busted--trying to grind up a shot glass will kill the motor, I guess.
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We already tried resetting it, hoping that would do the trick--no luck. When we turn it on, there's just a faint whirring noise.

Has anyone here ever repaired or replaced one of these on their own? Is it fairly simple? Or should we call a plumber? Thanks!
 
It is not real hard if the new one is made to fit the same size hole in the sink and has the same type wiring and has the same size plastic pipes going to it; and has readable instructions in something vaguely related to English; and you do not have toolophobia.
Are you sure there is not some glass stuck in the old one still?
Most have a hex wrench opening to insert and crank the disposal to dislodge stuck hard items. Or is glass stuck in the rotation blades-try a flashlight.
 
Yeah, work at it to be sure it's not just still jammed. DON"T stick your hand down it though, at best, you could cut your hand on some glass in a not very sterile place....

But, if it is broken, they are NOT hard to replace, just pay attention when you take the old one out and you should be okay. I replaced the one in my house a couple of years ago without knowing anything about how it was done. They pretty much just snap into place, and the wiring is easy - usually just two or three screws (make sure you turrn off the power before messing with it....).

Get the highest combination of HP and stainless steel gauge you can afford. The more HP, the more forgiving when you try to grind up something you shouldn't - like a shot glass for instance...
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Heavier gauge steel lasts longer, and, yes there are non-stainless ones out there, avoid 'em, they rust (rust = LEAKS) pretty quick. For WAYYY less than what I would have paid a plumber to do it, I went from a 1/2 HP to 1 HP unit. Took me about 30 minutes.

And the instructions were clear and easy to read.
 
Agree with all of the above. I know it will hurt a little but pay-up for the better models. If you buy the cheaper contractor models you might have to replace every other year of so. Manufacturers will have recommendations on their web-sites about the size you need considering how much you cook and what size family you have.
 
Hey, thanks a lot y'all! Guess we'll give it a shot... we had convinced ourselves that it was going to be a real pain in the *** to do, but I suspect we're just being lazy...
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Stick the handle of a hammer into the teeth and try to use leverage to unjam the existing disposal. Work it. After all, if it IS broken you cannot hurt it more, and there is a good chance it is merely jammed up with a piece of debris. I've twice been on the verge of buying a new one, but going morman on the existing one has freed it for more service.
 
Ours broke at about 2pm one day a year ago. My wife called me, I told her to go buy one and I would try and put it in that evening, this was at about 3pm. She had it installed before I got home at 5. So I'm thinkin you can do it!
 
Yep, this is easy stuff. Agrred that a 1 HP model, stainless is the way to go. I got one from Home Depot for about $100-$110 a couple of years ago. Very easy to install.
 
i JUST had this problem. btw, a good way to know if it is truly broken is if it is leaking. if there's a leak, it's generally not fixable (learned this from a plumber). anyway, got a new one, was too chicken to install it myself and am in the process of moving and doing all sorts of other home projects, so not too much time. home depot is having a special -installation for like $49. not too bad, considering a plumber charges $80 to $90 for the install (i checked around). they came next day. works like a charm now!
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I would bet dimes to dollars the unit is just jammed. resetting won't do a thing if the mechanism is still jammed with glass. Take a hammer handle or broom handle and try to loosen the mechanism to see if you can get it to turn.

I might also reach into the hole before this with tongs to see if there are any large chunnks of shot glass left and try to retrieve them. If there are put some tape on the ends of the tongs for a better grip.

Since it is "buzzing" my guess is that the mechanism is just jammed... go grap a broom handle before writing a check!

NOTE: don't "hammer" into the disposal simply try to rotate the blades. Get a flashlight and look down in there for the excess glass. You may have to use the broomstick a couple of times to clear all the debris.

good luck!
 
Do what accuratehorn said about the hex (Allen) wrench thing. I might add to turn the wrench in reverse of motor direction.
 
Replacing my garbage disposal is the only thing I've successfully fixed on my own in my life. You can do it...
 
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