InSinkErator Disposer Housing Cracked

I'd never run into this failure before, have any of you?

SWMBO reported finding water on the floor of the cabinet under the kitchen sink at 10:30 PM one evening last week.

Taking a look see with a flashlight and mirror I spotted a vertical crack in the backside of the black PVC upper housing of the garbage disposer, running from near the top down to where it mated with the motor housing.

Water was seeping through that crack anytime a liberal amount of H2O was poured down the drain.

I dried the housing off and covered the crack with silicone caulk so we could still use the sink (without running the disposal) for a day or so until I could pick up a replacement disposal.

The cracked disposal was a bottom of the line InSinkErator and my notes on the saved instruction sheet and receipt told me I'd installed it seven years ago. Not too bad a run for a $59.95 unit.

So, I bought another low end InSinkErator (A "Badger 1") which appeared identical to the failed one in all respects save one, The price had increased to $79.95 at the same big box store I'd bought the old one at.

Swapping it in was a snap job and If I get seven years out of this one too I'll be happy that I'm still on the right side of the grass and able to change it out again.

Momentary angnst when I flipped the disposal's wall switch on and nothing happened. That's when I realalized a first hand exposure to a ground fault breaker tripping because I'd shorted the neutral to ground while wiring the Romex power feed into the new disposal and didn't think about the instant hot water dispenser which was intermittently drawing power from the same circuit the disposal was on.

Has anyone else encountered a cracked PVC housing on one of those cheapie disposals? I have no direct knowledge of anyone putting something like a rock into it and running the disposal for a while so the rock kept whacking the housing, but you never know.

Jeff

Reply to
jeff_wisnia
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I should learn by now that things usually don't work on the first try for a reason like that. I have learned that a bit and sometimes don't have the sinking feeling I used to.

I have nothing but cheapie disposals, but OTOH, if it has a badger inside, how cheap could it be. They are really good at shredding things.

Was the crack at the weld? IIRC, the case is a piece of sheet metal wrapped into a circule and welded.

Mine have failed when the bearings or something rusted and it wouldn't rotate..

Reply to
mm

I've had one Badger model leak. Water was leaking from around the reset button at the bottom of the unit. Don't recall the housing being cracked, though. I surmised a seal around/at the motor shaft gave way that caused the leak.

Other than that one instance, no other problems using them in 15 years at several homes.

Reply to
Oren

"jeff_wisnia" wrote

ANY hard object, or even an small piece can blow out a hole or make a crack in the outer housing, no matter how much you watch what you put in there. I've replaced two with dime sized holes blown in them, and never did see the offending particle.

Steve

Reply to
Steve B

No, as I said in my OP, the housing which cracked was PVC (black plastic), and I probably could have tried to "weld" the crack with a soldering iron and a scrap piece of PVC, but I doubt if the repair would have held up for very long.

Jeff

Reply to
jeff_wisnia

mmm, You mean that El Cheapo model was made with PVC body? Hard to believe even if it was low end model. We always had ISE units, Average life was

15 years. I replaced them when wife complained the grinder blades are not sharp. I just put one, model 555 in April and this is mucho quieter. It was an exact direct replacement of what I had and ISE tech support is second to none. Real warm body answering within a minute with experience and knowledge, no kidding.

jeff_wisnia wrote:

Reply to
Tony Hwang

I remember from my yoot, maybe around 1950, going to a home show with my folks and watching a salesman demo a garbage disposer on a display table.

There was no water used, but the sales guy kept dropping glass marbles into the running disposer and a few seconds later powdered glass came out of the discharge tube.

Undoubtedly it was NOT a machine with a PVC upper housing back then.

Jeff

Reply to
jeff_wisnia

Ah...did you say "yoot"? What's a yoot? ;-)

Reply to
DerbyDad03

The only leak I've ever had from a GD was from a cheapo Kenmore when the bottom of the metal housing rusted out.

Replaced it with an InSinkErator Evolution Compact and couldn't be happier. Bought one for my mom when her old Kenmore started leaking.

Very powerful and very quiet. So quiet that I installed a lighted switch for my parents so they wouldn't forget to turn it off.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

See:

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One of the characters ibn that movie consistantly mispronounced "youth" as "yoot".

Jeff

Reply to
jeff_wisnia

-snip-

And if I remember correctly the judge said "Did you say 'Yoot'? What's a yoot."

That's about all I remember from the movie.

Jim

Reply to
Jim Elbrecht

Why do you think I used the quote I used?

To be more accurate, it was "yoots" (plural) since Joe Pesci was defending "Oh, excuse me, your honor, two *youths*" at the time.

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It's not something I'm overly proud of, but I could probably quote 75% of that movie.

I've lost track of how many times my wife and 2 daughters have watched it, but it's well over 50 times...and every time they watch it, I gain a little more 'knowledge" about it.

Vinny: How many fingers am I holding up?" (He holds up 2 fingers)

Judge: Let the record show that the counselor is holding up two fingers.

Vinny: Your Honor, please, huh?

Judge: Oh. Sorry.

Vinny: Now, Mrs. Reilly - and only Mrs. Reilly - how many fingers am I holding up now?

(He holds up two fingers)

Mrs. Reilly: Four.

Vinny: What do you think now, dear?

Mrs. Reilly: I'm thinking of getting thicker glasses.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

...

Vinny:"What's this over here?"

Cook:"You never heard of grits?"

Vinny: "Sure, sure I heard of grits, I just actually never seen a grit before."

Reply to
Oren

In my yoot, occasionally my Dad would put a small beer bottle down it. He said it cleaned off the blades. It always went down. He then put a whole lemon in there, and it took longer to eat the lemon.

Steve

Heart surgery pending? Read up and prepare. Learn how to care for a friend.

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Reply to
Steve B

Why do you think I used the quote I used?

To be more accurate, it was "yoots" (plural) since Joe Pesci was defending "Oh, excuse me, your honor, two *youths*" at the time.

formatting link
It's not something I'm overly proud of, but I could probably quote 75% of that movie.

I've lost track of how many times my wife and 2 daughters have watched it, but it's well over 50 times...and every time they watch it, I gain a little more 'knowledge" about it.

Vinny: How many fingers am I holding up?" (He holds up 2 fingers)

Judge: Let the record show that the counselor is holding up two fingers.

Vinny: Your Honor, please, huh?

Judge: Oh. Sorry.

Vinny: Now, Mrs. Reilly - and only Mrs. Reilly - how many fingers am I holding up now?

(He holds up two fingers)

Mrs. Reilly: Four.

Vinny: What do you think now, dear?

Mrs. Reilly: I'm thinking of getting thicker glasses.

reply:

My Cousin Vinny and Groundhog Day never seem to get old to me. Forrest Gump, Good Will Hunting, Scrooged, I could go on for about ten movies that fit your description. Blazing Saddles, he he he. Couldn't be made with today's PC crap. Glad they got it in the can when they could. History of the World, "I LOVE double time HARCH!" "It's good to be king."

LOL

Steve

Reply to
Steve B

"Steve B" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news.infowest.com:

I hope my youngin remember that dad loaded up the disposal with ice cubes to clean it.

If not, will remember that I had a fish tank. When they expired or it was inevitable, they went in the "Pet Cemetery". I recall a couple of large fish gave me trouble. The disposal won in the end.

Reply to
Red Green

Otter: But you can't hold a whole fraternity responsible for the behavior of a few, sick twisted individuals. For if you do, then shouldn't we blame the whole fraternity system? And if the whole fraternity system is guilty, then isn't this an indictment of our educational institutions in general? I put it to you, Greg - isn't this an indictment of our entire American society? Well, you can do whatever you want to us, but we're not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth the United States of America. Gentlemen! [Leads the Deltas out of the hearing, all humming the Star-Spangled Banner]

Reply to
DerbyDad03

Sounds like a J.B.Weld moment.

Reply to
Michael B

Yes, just found the exact same thing with an Insinkerator Badger 5 (1/2 HP) which I think came with this house built 7 years ago, so it's had a good r un of its own--like you there is a vertical crack in the PVC housing betwee n the unit and sink. I'm drying it all out right now because the first thi ng that came to mind is what the last guy below said "Sounds like a JB Weld moment". If that doesn't hold long, it does look like it costs about $79.

95 for a new one.
Reply to
spencerlarsennum1fan

I can't see the original post that you are responding to, but I have a suggestion...

Instead of the Badger line from InSinkErator take a look at the Evolution line. The Evolution series includes much more sound insulation is considerably quieter than the Badger line. Sure, they may cost more, but I think it's worth it.

My Evolution GD is so quiet that sometimes I forget it's on until I turn the water off. When I installed one for my elderly parents, I included a switch with a light so they can visually tell if the unit is on or not.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

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