The garbage disposal in my kitchen sink in not working and now the sink is not draining properly. The disposal is pretty old and probably due to be replaced so my question is really…Can I replace the disposal myself or is this something that I should call a professional for? I’ve looked at the disposal units at Lowes but don’t want to buy one unless I think that I can do it myself. What do you think?
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You will never know how easy it is unless you try it. What is the worst that could happen?? You have a bit of plumbing and a little electrical work to contend with. Just a couple of things to remember before you start a project like this. First you will want to get all the material together before you start this. Next and what I feel is the most important is to set aside the time to complete the project before you start. This is not difficult to do at all. Get that disposal and read the directions on how to put it in. You will find this very rewarding after you get it in.
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You should be able to do it yourself, especially since you already have one in place, just take it out and reverse the process with the new unit, you might pick up a DIY plumbing book at lowes just for some added reference. Just take your time
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Where the garbage disposal is located is one of those lay on your back and hold the thing above you and replace. If you have some pretty good arms, or your new disposal isn’t very heavy go for it. I had to have some muscle help me, I never did any weight lifting, and it shows.
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Our garbage disposal broke a few months ago, we stopped using it. Now sink drains very slowly. Is the EXCEL model from InSinkErator the best model? I don’t mind paying for good quality, but we will be remodeling our kitchen sometime (hopefully in the next couple of years) and I don’t want to spend $320 for a disposal that we cannot reinstall when we finally do a remodel with new sink, etc.
I read somewhere it’s not good to reinstall an existing garbage disposal into a new sink during a kitchen remodel. Why would that be? Should I just buy a less expensive disposal for now and go for a good one when we are able to do a full remodel. InSinkErator Excel has gone up in price $19 since ours broke, so the cost now is $319 to buy the unit.
Appreciate any feedback as we need to make a decision to get ours replaced. If we can for sure reuse it when we remodel, I’ll go for the Excel model, otherwise, we should buy a less expensive unit. Any recommendations on which brands, best place for good price also appreciated. I suspect the Excel is price protected, so may not be able to get it less than $319.
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Because the person who wrote that works for a company that sells both sinks and garbage disposals, of course. They sell all new install hardware, including strainers and gaskets. I’d definitely put new gaskets on it, and probably a new strainer (so the new sink didn’t have an old, scratched-up strainer in the middle of it), but the unit itself will be fine.