Disposer replacement - choosing one, any gotchas?

Is replacing an existing kitchen disposer as easy as it looks? The current one works fine but has rusted to the point where it's leaking. I'm (perhaps foolishly) envisioning that it'll be a simple matter of shutting off power, getting a similarly sized disposer, losening some fittings, hooking up the electrical connection, and going about my day.

Do I have to worry much about selecting a disposer with the exact same fitting locations and such?

Best Regards,

-- Todd H.

Most disposers come with a new sink flange. Use it if the one on the sink isn't already compatible (it is somewhat standard) otherwise, leave the old drain in place and hookup the disposer acording to the instructions (they are sold as a DIY product). You may need a new P trap and a few pipes depending on the condition and layout under your sink. Power cord may not be included but you can swap for the old one.

Most are pretty simple. Allow about 1 to 2 hours. The last couple I've bought were Kitchen Aid and they have worked well for many years.

I drilled a small weep hole in the bottom when I installed a new one...

without a weep hole, if even a few drops leak or seep down into the motor section, it willl take days for it to dry our and will rust the inside...

I know it's not supposed to leak at all but .... Mark

I found that the most difficult part of the whole replacement was holding the disposal up to the sink while trying to properly mount it onto the locking ring attached to the sink drain. After a few tries it started to get heavier and heavier. Finally had an inspiration that I'd like to pass on to you--got a small car jack and slowly raised the disposal into place. Need to be very careful though that you don't load it too tight against the sink drain. Putting it in place and locking it in was a snap without having to contend with weight of the unit. I replaced an Insinkerator with the same model so didn't have to make any piping/electrical configuration changes. MLD

When buying a new one, take a good look at the part of the flange that shows in the bottom of the sink. There is considerable variation in how polished they look. I returned a Sears and went with a KitchenAid from Lowes for that reason. Even among the KA's there is a difference. The ones at Home Depot don't have as nice a polish, while the almost identical ones at Lowes, with a model number that appears to be unique to Lowes, have nicely polished ones.

I replaced mine a couple of years ago. I was surprised how easily the new one went in. The hardest part was wiring in the power plug, and that wasn't hard. ;-) I did measure the pipes and bought one as close as I could (it turned out to be identical). I replaced an ISE with a Sears because the same "series" Sears had the auto-reverse feature that came only with the larger ISE. The Sears is made by ISE and I didn't even have to change the sink flange. ...an hour, tops.

I replaced a Sears unit with an Insinkerator and was able to use the old mounting flange.

Another note -- avoid the cheap units. The grinder bowl is made is made with inferior metal (aluminum?) and will corrode/wear through in a relatively few years. The more costly units use stainless steel. This is one item where the guaranteed life of the unit has some meaning.

SJF

Yep. As I said, ISE makes Sears. I liked the latter's features better though.

Absolutely It's not like they're a lot of money either.

Keith, SJF, MLD, all, thanks so much for the helpful pointers! That small car jack idea sounds like a winner!

I also tapped a neighbor who's a plubmer who assured me they were quite easy. He liked the InSink Erator Atlas V, for what it's worth. I think it's an insinkerator that's in there now, but the lower line model it seems. He also said to avoid GE and some other brand--he'd had bad experiences with them.

He also had some good stories about clients who were idiots and complained, for example, that entire loaves of french bread wouldn't go down easily in their disposals. LOL..

Best Regards,

-- Todd H.