Last week my garbage disposal gave out after 11-plus years. Several times over the years it has jammed and would not start. When that happened, I took the wrenchette tool that came with the disposal, plugged it into the hole at the bottom, and rotated it until the jam was cleared. This time there was no jam, just bad bearings that made it hard enough to rotate that the motor would not start.
The replacement took just under 45 minutes, less time than it will take to write this article. Read on to assess whether you should attempt this repair yourself. We talked about this in the shop and decided if you have moderate repair skills, say a five on a scale of one to 10, you should have no problem replacing your garbage disposal. You will have to disconnect a plastic drain pipe coming out of the side of the disposal and reconnect it to the new one. You will have to disconnect three wires connecting the electricity to the disposal. Be sure to trip the circuit breaker before attempting this.
To make this job as simple as possible, replace the old disposal with the same brand and model, and check the website to be sure they have the same drain and electrical connections. My old disposal was an In SinkErator brand, half horsepower, Badger 5 model. I was able to determine that the Badger 5 has been replaced by a Badger 500 model. It has the exact same drain and electrical connections. In SinkErator also makes a three-fourths horsepower model. If you experience more than two or three jams per year, you may want to step up the horsepower. The mounting and connections are the same for the half and three-fourths horsepower models.
Start by unpacking the disposal and reading the instructions. Before starting the removal of the old disposal, trip the circuit breaker for the disposal. Remove the drain tube from the side of the disposal going into the sink drain. It is easier to disconnect the electrical wires after removing the disposal from the sink and laying it on its side. To disconnect the disposal from the sink, place the wrenchette into the right side on the mounting lug and pull on it to unscrew the disposal from the sink mounting bracket. There is a drawing of this in the instructions.
The new disposal comes with a new sink flange and mounting ring; however, if the old one is identical, as mine was, and in good shape, do not bother to replace it. Disconnect the two power wires by unscrewing the wire nuts. Disconnect the ground wire (green) by loosening the retaining screw. Loosen the BX cable strain relief and remove the wires.
The new disposal does not come with a strain relief, but you can reuse the old one. Put this connector on the new disposal. Insert the BX cable into the new disposal and connect the three wires. Tighten the strain relief. Now lift the disposal into place on the mounting bracket and rotate it until all three mounting tabs lock over the ridges on the slide-up ramps. Next, reconnect the drain tube to the side of the disposal and into the sink drain. Turn the breaker back on and run the water and the dispenser and look under the sink to make sure there are no leaks.
If you would like to see a video on replacing a garbage disposal, there are over 50 on YouTube. Below are the URLs for videos from three retail outlets. These will show you exactly what is involved in replacing a garbage disposal.
Home Depot: www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6PZVEz_o-g
Lowes: www.youtube.com/user/Lowes?v=DPaMgqnLW1M
Ace Hardware: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRfA-7Z-a8s
If you have suggestions for future tips or have questions about maintenance around your home, submit them to ask.the.woodchucks@gmail.com
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