Garbage disposal switch advice

'Twere it I that had my hand in the GD, it would be with my knee against the door behind which was the switch.

In my kitchen, the switch is by itself behind the dish rack. It was placed there purposely to be slightly inconvenient so as to avoid it ever being used "by accident".

Buy a batch feed model with the switch built into the top.

The point of a batch feed is to simplify wiring and to avoid things that should not go into the disposal from getting washed in while running. Like a stray metal bottle cap.

I've had batch feed in two houses over 45 years. Never had the problem of keeping the sink clean.

I second this suggestion, I installed the new disposal using this and it works like a charm

Trust me, I know what you are talking about. When the first GD was installed in my house, the galvanized drain pipe was exactly, as you described - a twisting 1/2? channel through a mess of grease and other debris. Mine is about 8' long before it enters the main vertical stack. It was replaced with PVC and I've never had a clog ever since.

I never said there was problem keeping the sink clean, but I'll wager it's more work with a batch feed than with a switch. If nothing else, the mere act of picking up, inserting the cover, removing it and putting it back is more work than flipping a switch on and off. The way we use our disposal, which may be turned on more than once during a kitchen cleaning, a batch feed would be rather inconvenient.

However, I will disagree that the "point" of the batch feed style is prevent things from going down the drain. While it certainly serves that purpose, _all_ GD's have baffles of some type to prevent things from going down the drain. Of course, some are designed better than others.

The baffle for my old Kenmore was "permanently" installed between the sink and the drain collar. When it wore out and got soft, it required dropping the disposal, dismantling the collar, etc. For that reason, it stayed in place a bit longer than it should have. On the other hand, the one for my InSinkErator just sits inside the drain making R&R a simple operation. In the 5+ years that the InSinkErator has been installed, I have not had a single instance of something falling into the GD. The overlapping design of the rubber flaps prevents items from falling into the GD, yet allows water and small food pieces to flow right in.

Golly Cindy, how often do either of these happen?

Yes indeed.

My switch is in the same place. I have to lean pretty far to reach it. Would be inconvenient even if the dishrack were not there. My house was built by a builder. I should check if all the other houses are the same.

IIRC, the blueprints are vague about where the electric stuff goes but maybe electricians already know to mount the switch where it's hard to reach????

As would I.

We don't have a dish rack, but ours is up on the wall, too.

Frankly, if anything goes into the garbage disposal and needs to be retrieved, I use a pair of needle-nosed pliers that I keep in the kitchen.

Cindy Hamilton

If the switch is "within sight", why would you need a locking disconnect. My fist would not be in the disposal if I saw someone reaching for the switch, it would be in their face.

I looked at the pdf file. the brochure. What does the dispenser dispense.

With all the discussion of putting the switch at a safe distance, the brochure shows this switch only a foot from the mouth of the disposal .

I I was putting one in and could accomodate it, that's what I would use.

I think safety is the main issue, especially if you have kids.

When I run my GD, it's not only for the debris that's

I agree, which is why I wouldn't want a batch model either.

The question is one of electrical safety, not someone with an irrational desire to cram their hand into a spinning disposal. The pneumatic switch setup provides 100% electrical isolation and flexibility in positioning and those are its primary purposes. AFAIK there are places where this or a similar arrangement are mandatory in the electrical code although I've never lived in one of them.

Running a new 20 amp circuit from down below (basement)is no problem. Pl acing a switch is a problem. Her back splash is ceramic tile and I would ha te to cut into it. Also would be difficult to run a wire from under-sink t o the back splash. Are there any remote/automated switch possibilities tha t are applicable to this situation?

Yup. I've seen a lot of installations with a single recep under the sink a nd a cord and plug for the disposer as well. Makes a lot of sense; if you do anything to the disposer involving disassembly or sticking your hand in it, open the cabinet and yank the plug first.

nate

Running a new 20 amp circuit from down below (basement)is no problem. Pl acing a switch is a problem. Her back splash is ceramic tile and I would ha te to cut into it. Also would be difficult to run a wire from under-sink t o the back splash. Are there any remote/automated switch possibilities tha t are applicable to this situation?

Another fine example of how assute Micky Mouse is.

Running a new 20 amp circuit from down below (basement)is no problem. Pla cing a switch is a problem. Her back splash is ceramic tile and I would hat e to cut into it. Also would be difficult to run a wire from under-sink to the back splash. Are there any remote/automated switch possibilities that are applicable to this situation?

I see a link to a sink top switch for a garbage disposal. What are you looking at?

If I were putting in a new disposal, that' where I'd put the switch, at one of the extra holes at the sink. I don't have kids, I'm not dumb enough to put my hand in the disposal while activating it. IDK, anyone who is. I like the convenience of not having to reach over with wet hands to a conventional switch. OMG, we're all gonna die from the wet hands! If a switch at the sink is such a safety issue, perhaps you can give us some cites to the codes that say how far a disposal switch has to be and how this is a code violation. Good grief!

Maybe for you that is the question, but it was not the question most people in this thread discussed.

Nor was that the topic, but there are almost always more than two choices.

The topic discussed here was accidentally turning on the disposal when one's hand was in it. Nothing to do with irrationallity.

Read the posts again if you don't believe me.

Nothing in your post changes what I said.

. Running a new 20 amp circuit from down below (basement)is no problem. P lacing a switch is a problem. Her back splash is ceramic tile and I would h ate to cut into it. Also would be difficult to run a wire from under-sink to the back splash. Are there any remote/automated switch possibilities th at are applicable to this situation?

appreciated.

The OP posed the question:

"Are there any remote/automated switch possibilities that are applicable to this situation?"

I answered it by referring them to the pneumatic type of switch. So did other posters. That you're lost in the wilderness isn't our problem.

Actually the topic was:

""Are there any remote/automated switch possibilities that are applicable t o this situation?"

Read the question asked again.

What you said was:

"With all the discussion of putting the switch at a safe distance, the brochure shows this switch only a foot from the mouth of the disposal. "

Maybe that's because Insinkerator wasn't part of the discussion here. That switch is sold by Insinkerator, who I would think knows about disposal safety. Other manufacturers also offer them. It apparently meets NEC and any plumbing codes typically found in the USA, unless you have cites that show otherwise. It fits what the OP asked for, if he has or can make a suitable mounting hole. I'd prefer it on my sink if I didn't already have a wall mounted switch because it's more convenient and you don't have to reach for a switch with wet hands. How about the safety aspect of *that*? Yeah, you could stick your hand into the disposal and push the button to turn it on at the same time, if you're dumb enough to do so. There are plenty of installations with wall switches where you could do the same thing. If you're that concerned about that possibility, then you can buy a batch type that addresses that exact issue, but from the question posed, that wasn't the issue.

And wasn't it you who just bitched at me in another thread because I didn't just stick to the exact question posed?

Hi,

On 24 Feb 2015, Tony Hwang wrote in alt.home.repair:

I seem to recall being told that, in some places at least, building safety code required that the disposal switch be far enough away that you couldn't turn it on while your hand was in the sink. I don't know if it's true or not, but it makes good sense to me.