Handyman How to - Install a garbage disposal

This lesson I am going to explain How to Install and remove a garbage disposal. The only reason you would need to replace a garbage disposal is if your old motor is burnt out, if you are building a house then that’s a for sure reason that you would need a garbage disposal. But if you are building a house for yourself or somebody else then you will need to know how to do this simple task if you didn’t know how to already. This is really a very simple plumbing repair and I have timed myself I can remove and install a new disposal in under 10 minutes, not to brag or anything……

When you are working with electric on a garbage disposal always be careful, when the toggle switch is off there is no electricity going through the wires from the toggle switch outlet to the disposal, so in theory you could replace a garbage disposal without securing the breaker but as a professional DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME SECURE THE BREAKER DAMMIT! If the garbage disposal is plugged into the wall just simply unplug it.

OK folks, this is seriously easy to do, don’t let all these other DIY blogs and websites mislead you, this is a very simple task if you have a little bit of Handyman commonsense.
So secure the breaker and then we can start removing the old garbage disposal. Most newly bought disposals come with installation instructions but in the case that they don’t is why I am going to keep continuing this post. There should be a plastic or metal pipe that is connected to the middle of the garbage disposal, and its easily connected it disconnected by loosening up two screws.
If you have a dishwasher then you will have to remove the dishwasher drain hose from the garbage disposal, this is easily done by removing the clamp that secures the drain line to the disposal. Its usually attached with a clamp that tightens and un-tightens with a with a flat head or hex head screwdriver. Then you just twist the garbage disposal clockwise from the mount. Once its loose then your all set, unless the electric is connected at the bottom of the garbage disposal if that’s the case then just simply disconnect the electrical. This could be covered by a easy small plate that secured by a Phillips type screw.

Unhook the mounting assembly to the disposal that it hooks or twists into. There should be three screws to loosen then a ring that holds the assembly in place, this ring can easily be removed with a flathead screwdriver pushing down on it at an angle.

Installing the New Garbage Disposal

Now it’s time to install the new mounting assembly, first thing to do is get some plumbers putty and put it at the bottom of the sink flange (the part that goes in to the top of the sink…) follow the manual instructions on how to do this, mount the ring that supports the flange, then screw in the three screws to make the connection tight. Before you twist the new garbage disposal in take consideration if you have a dishwasher that will be draining into it or not. If not then ignore the next step.
If you have a dishwasher drain line that mounts into the garbage disposal you will need a hammer and screwdriver or chisel to knock the wall out of the new garbage disposal, which should be included in the installers instructions manual. Then the first thing I would do after that is hook up the electric to the garbage disposal. Clamp the dishwasher drain onto the upper half then install the sink drain piping to the garbage disposal making sure you use the O-ring provided. That’s all there is to it very simple, run the water from the kitchen faucet to check for any possible leaks the turn the garbage disposal on whole the water is running to ensure all the piping connections that were made are connected properly and are not leaking. That’s all there is to it, enjoy your new garbage disposal !