The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Do it Yourself Discussion! => Topic started by: purplish on March 20, 2015, 07:30:34 AM
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I called a professional and was quoted $350 to install it, plus me buying the disposal. Pretty expensive! I'm wondering if this is something I can do myself? Mind you I know nothing about installing things. While there is no pre-existing disposal here, there is a light switch that is connected to an outlet under the sink (and it works), so I know it can take one. What do you guys think, can I do this?? Also, what type of disposal do I need? I see they have different ranges of power.
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It's pretty easy. You'll probably have to rework the drain lines.
Anything I ever do with plumbing requires at least n+2 trips to Lowes/Home Depot/Hardware store. (If you expect n trips, it will be n+2). There is always some fitting you're missing or you purchased incorrectly or some rotten bit of old plumbing you break.
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It shouldn't be too hard to DIY. Just make sure you give yourself a comfortable space and lighting to work with (if it means laying towels under, etc). Also make sure to have a bucket/good size pan around to catch the water. Oh and this may be common-sense but don't plug anything in until *after* you've installed everything :)
As far as the kind of disposal needed, probably 3/4hp is plenty as long as you're not cooking for huge parties all the time lol.
Oh and after removing all existing drains, make sure to clean up really well. You should probably clean the sink area *before* you begin and have cleaning supplies ready to go after removing the drains.
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I've never installed a disposal, but I have removed one (I don't like them, and compost my food scraps instead). It was pretty easy, although the fact that it was hard-wired was a little intimidating at the time. I actually disconnected it from the plumbing but left it sitting in the cabinet for a while until I was ready learn about electrical work.
Since you've got an outlet under the sink already and thus don't have to deal with electrical, I don't think it'll be much of a problem at all. I agree that it will take N+2 trips to the hardware store, though!
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I recently replaced my disposal. I used the Badger 200. its a pretty basic unit that does fine. You can get ones that are more powerful and quieter, but for 2-3x the price. The install is pretty easy for the mounting the disposal to the sink. It comes with a collar that fits to the sink and then the disposal attaches to it. The more difficult part was connecting the plumbing. I ended up just replacing the whole setup under the sink. Home depot sells a pretty universal kit for that for around $15.
Total time to install was probably around 1-2 hours not counting the driving time to go back to home depot for the parts I forgot... It should be well within the range of doable for even beginning DIYers.
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I've been thinking about this since our disposal died. Part of me assumes that it essentially all 'screws' together. But I've never done any plumbing, much less under a sink in a confined place! When we did a kitchen remodel, we got a new sink, but kept the old disposal. I don't know if they had to reconfigure any of the pipes under the sink to align the new drains.
Doable for someone that has done zero plumbing projects.... I guess worse case you call for help.
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It is fairly straightforward to install.
You will need:
1. A right-angle pipe connector of the appropriate diameter for the disposal outlet and existing pipe. One end should have a gasket that will screw onto the disposal, the other end is plain pipe. Make sure both ends fit!
2. A pipe-cutting wire saw to cut existing pipe to accommodate the new configuration.
3. Pipe primer & glue (ask someone in store for appropriate type)
4. Straight pipe connector (after you cut out a section of pipe, will need this to bridge the remaining ends)
5. Teflon sealing tape (the disposal outlet will screw into the pipe, use this tape on the threads to ensure a good seal if there is no washer in the connector gasket).
Depending on how the pipe enters from the wall to the sink, you may have to cut out a portion of the horizontal part coming out of the wall (prior to the U-trap) to accommodate the right-angle connector and garbage disposal's width, then bridge to two cut ends with the straight connector. Make just one cut first so you can adjust the vertical portion, proceed with the steps below, then make the second cut when ready to permanently seal things together.
Mount the top of the disposal into the bottom of the sink using the sealing material and brackets provided with the disposal. Rotate the dispenser so that the outlet is ideally at a right angle to the drain pipe heading into the wall. This will make it easier to access than if it is in-line (reaching behind the disposal). You will see while fitting pipes below that you may have to rotate the disposal to get the best fit for the outlet to the drain pipe.
Cut the vertical pipe that led from the sink drain to the appropriate height to accommodate the right-angle connector to the disposal outlet. It's best to under-estimate the amount you need to remove, fit things together (without the pipe cleaner & sealant, of course!), and cut a little more to achieve proper fit. There will be some amount of lee-way, but you want to maximize the amount of overlap between the right-angle connector and the pipe. Remember you will need to attach the horizontal part downstream of the U-trap back to the wall. If the vertical portion is too short or long, and the cut horizontal ends are out of alignment in the vertical plane, the pipe will have to bend and this stresses existing pipe joints within the wall.
Now, this is key: dry-fit the vertical pipe to the disposal outlet with the right-angle connector. You may notice that the horizontal pipe ends that you previously cut are out of alignment in the horizontal plane. You will need to rotate the disposal and the right-angle connector until they are back in alignment.
Once you have a good vertical fit and the horizontal ends are re-aligned in both vertical and horizontal planes, figure out how far back to make the second cut in the horizontal pipe coming from the wall. Remember you will bridge with a straight connector, so account for its internal length also.
Dry-fit everything together. If there is no tension from pipes bending, it will seal well. Proceed from disposal downstream to horizontal pipe while sealing. The purple stuff is caustic, apply it liberally to the ends that will be joined, then let it dry. The sealant is sticky. Apply a thin coat to both ends, fit them together, and twist slightly to spread the coat evenly within the pipe. Use gloves for this part as both chemicals can burn your skin! You should do one joint at a time instead of spreading it on all the joints and rushing to fit everything together.
Feel free to PM me if you have questions!
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Keep your food waste out of the water supply and compost instead.
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Keep your food waste out of the water supply and compost instead.
Even composting: it's nice to have to handle the "gringles". Mine goes to septic, so I am sparing on what goes down the sink, but it's still nice to finely grind the little that actually makes it into the plumbing.
But your general point is correct: waste plumbing just isn't well designed to carry vegetable sludge. It's going to clog up somewhere, some day.
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Garbage disposal installation was one of my earlier projects. And everything the earlier posters said will happen, did.
I don't think anyone mentioned dishwashers and disposals. If you have a dishwasher and are connecting the drain to the disposal there should be a plug you have to remove -- it'll be in the directions.
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Easy peasy!
Have fun.
Don't turn it on until your hands are clear and if it leaks, just turn off the sink.
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I bought one from Home Depot that cost a bit more than the base model since it had sound insulation. Much nicer than what we had before.
If your dishwasher feeds into it, you might have to knock out a plug.
Someone in Home Depot helped me pick out all the plastic plumbing parts and cement.
Also, if you don't want to do it yourself, maybe Home Depot can have someone install it cheaper than your calling a plumber.
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You may also need to pick up an air gap.