Garbage Disposals

[D45]

I am redoing my kitchen sink setup next month, and want to start planning

I am getting a new sink, new faucet, reverse osmosis faucet, and am thinking about a new garbage disposal also

The current one is old, huge, and LOUD...........3/4 HP

Do I need a 3/4 HP? I definitely want something that will last and something that is quality

I was amazed how quiet some of the new units are, from the displays

I see there are 1/3 HP, 1/2 HP, 5/8 HP, 3/4 HP, and 1.0 HP units

Continuous feed?

Batch feed?

Brands?

 

[gungatim]

I think the HP requirements depend on what you are going to put down it. Disposing of bones/carcasses much? my mom put whole chicken skeletons down ours as a kid. we were on city sewer. since I have a septic system, I have a 1/3 hp unit as we put very little down the sink. less that 1/3hp is hard to grind ice, which we do regularly to cycle out the freezers ice maker and it cleans the garbage disposal.

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,.... Donno what sorta sewer system yer on, but,....

I'm on a septic system, 'n Nothin', but Nothin' goes down the drain that ain't passed through a human body 1st,....

 

[gungatim]

one more thing to add: if you put a high HP, heavy unit on a think SS sink, you can get a lot of flexing when feeding the thing. don't scrimp on the sink, get the heaviest SS you can afford with the coating as well to absorb sound on the underside...

 

[D45]

It probably will not be a stainless sink.........but not 100% positive

Yes, I have seen some VERY thin SS sinks out there, that flex and dent easy

We have a SS sink in there now, and while it is strong and cleans up easy, it is very old and looks horrible

I think I might drop down to a 5/8 HP, to save on size and noise

We do not run it all the time

We do not have septic, just treated well water

 

[csp]

More horsepower doesn't equal more noise. The really quiet ones have a larger body and built in insulation. They're also about 2x the price. I just installed a Badger 900 (~$130) for a customer and it wasn't loud at all. The Badger 500 will work perfectly for 95% of any residential use.

 

[mike in tucson]

We have 4 disposals that are all 1 hp. I was hoping for one that
would accept a femur but did settle for arm bone capability. Thick
sink metal is mandatory for any disposal for quietness.

 

[bwringer]

My overall philosophy is in two parts:

1) Whether you're on city or septic, if you need a lot of power to grind up something, then you really shouldn't be putting it down the disposal in the first place unless you enjoy helping your plumber make boat payments. Scrape yer dang plates into the garbage first.

2) Expensive high-power disposals don't last any longer than the cheapies. Sad, but true.

Put your money into a nice sink. Any more than $50 for a disposal is a waste.

 

[kevinwilly]

I installed a Waste King L-8000 series about 3 years ago. It's a 1hp unit, because I wanted something that would be able to chew up anything I decided to put down it (not that I really use it for much other than veggies or egg shells).

Was really reasonably priced and came highly recommended from someone my wife knew. It's REALLY quiet when running. It's on our stainless undermount sink, which is either 14ga or 16ga, I forget which. It's a pretty high end sink, but not crazy.

I'd recommend this unit to anyone. I think it took me about 1.5 hours to install it and it's been working fine ever since. The existing one that I replaced was wired in directly, so I had to install an outlet under there in case I needed to unplug it and fish something out (which I've had to do once about 3 weeks after installing it because a nail got knocked in there. The nail got chewed up pretty good. I was impressed).

 

[thymer]

Think three-phase.

Really, you need to be able to at least grind up ball bearings, whole carcasses, etc. A good test is to take a regular baseball bat and drive that ******* down the sink-hole. If the disposal can't take it you need a bigger one.

 

[Shea]

I'm a big fan of the 5/8 HP InSinkErator. I've installed two of these now. One in my house and the other at the Inlaw's. They are real quiet and easy to install. Combined with our Silgranit granite composite sink, it makes for a very quiet sink combo all around.

 

[kbs2244]

I second the concern about noise is related to the mass of the sink.
SS sheet metal would be the worst.
Cast iron the best.
One of the plastics in the middle.
I have seen plumbers use self stick lead ribbons to dampen the vibrations of plastic pipe and sinks.

 

[I Love Grits]

We have this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Waste-King-L-8000-1-0-Horsepower-Continuous-Feed/dp/B000DZGN7Q/ref=zg_bs_3226848011_1/190-3488829-7733057

Quiet & powerful. Cheaper than Insinkerator too. I'd recommend it.

http://www.amazon.com/Kraus-KHF200-30-Farmhouse-Stainless-Kitchen/dp/B0032BYM2G/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1450733149&sr=1-1&keywords=kraus+farmhouse+sink

We have it underneath this 16 ga SS sink. No vibrations or any concerns from that standpoint.

 

[Milton Shaw]

One warning nobody has mentioned is-- if the dishwasher is hooked to the disposal make sure you remove the plug inside the disposal that seals that hole. You would be shocked at the number of dishwasher not working calls I ran within a week of disposal replacement for that reason. The heaver the sink is the quieter they are. Also not unusual if for them to smell due to low flow faucets not having enough water flow to wash the disposal out when you use it for garbage. You need to catch some water in sink and let a couple of gallons of water out when you grind garbage. The batch feed you cover the opening and run disposal versus running water and putting garbage down continuous.

 

[matt_i]

Trying to fit & then glue all of that PVC + other stuff inside a cabinet with an exorbitant amount of pressure on one shoulder in the darkness can make for a long day and a couple of trips to the box store to boot. I'd free up a weekend if you have a lot of stuff to install.

Even a seemingly simple disposal replacement can take quite awhile once all of the reroutings are worked out.

 

[Jinks]

During a remodel we put in a modern themed kitchen that included a black sink. Not sure how a black sink would look, I opted for one of the inexpensive plastic versions. It turned out to look great, but the disposal had a pretty hefty growl. Fast forward to the wear showing on the plastic sink & we decided a black enamel coated cast iron sink was the way to go.

As soon as the sink & original disposal was installed I ran some water & flipped the switch to check the disposal. Damn! What did I do wrong?! Nothing there.....Oh, wait! It's running, just so quiet we didn't hear it over the water! Same disposal, just didn't have that double bucket sounding board of a plastic sink! Don't worry about the disposal, just install a good solid sink.

 

[Falcon67]

We use a 3/4 HP Kenmore disposal in a large single bowl stainless sink. Works very well, doesn't make very much noise. It's a very quality unit, this is it's 2nd house.

This is the sink we put in when we installed the granite tops - kicks ***. We will NEVER EVER again have a double bowl kitchen sink.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_463780-54495-QK019_1z0u6mbZ1z13zuf__?productId=50277223&pl=1

 

[RickP]

If your disposal is going in an island sink, I'd definitely recommend the push button switched receptacle -- I think it's made by in-sinkerator. It's not cheap ($50 or so) but it sure beats opening the cabinet door under the sink every time you want to run the disposal.

 

[owenst7]

Ayuh,.... Donno what sorta sewer system yer on, but,....

I'm on a septic system, 'n Nothin', but Nothin' goes down the drain that ain't passed through a human body 1st,....

You eat toilet paper and laundry detergent?

 

[I Love Grits]

If your disposal is going in an island sink, I'd definitely recommend the push button switched receptacle -- I think it's made by in-sinkerator. It's not cheap ($50 or so) but it sure beats opening the cabinet door under the sink every time you want to run the disposal.

Second this. Very nice to have it next to the faucet. Amazon has some off brands that are 30% cheaper or so than the Insinkerator name.

 

[nadogail]

I install 3/4 horse disposals in my rentals, I try to standardize on Insinkerators. the other brands have proven acceptable but I try to keep with Insinkerator.

With 7 kitchens, I change a disposer almost every three or four years.

 

[Aerogt01]

My overall philosophy is in two parts:

1) Whether you're on city or septic, if you need a lot of power to grind up something, then you really shouldn't be putting it down the disposal in the first place unless you enjoy helping your plumber make boat payments. Scrape yer dang plates into the garbage first.

2) Expensive high-power disposals don't last any longer than the cheapies. Sad, but true.

Put your money into a nice sink. Any more than $50 for a disposal is a waste.

I actually have a lot of personal experience that disagrees with the above. Not trying to start an argument, just adding to the conversation.

 

[csp]

So how about adding what that experience says?

 

[Aerogt01]

More $$ disposals -
Went from a Badger to an Insinkerator. Badger lasted a year. Insinkerator was drastically abused for 5 years. Never a clogged pipe. I even put whole uncooked potatoes down it just to see if it could do it.

The only thing that clogged the pipe once was grease. I was young and naive.

 

[Jerriffic]

Continuous feed requires a wall switch to run, batch feed doesn't.

J.B.

 

[Jerriffic]

I install 3/4 horse disposals in my rentals, I try to standardize on Insinkerators. the other brands have proven acceptable but I try to keep with Insinkerator.

With 7 kitchens, I change a disposer almost every three or four years.

Average life of a disposer around here is 5 years.

 

[D45]

I have an dual outlet under the kitchen sink for the disposal, which is activated by a switch near the sink

Yes, I also have a dishwasher

I think I will stick to a 3/4 HP unit

 

[csp]

Went from a Badger to an Insinkerator. Badger lasted a year. Insinkerator was drastically abused for 5 years.

Umm, Badger is Insinkerator.

 

[G McKay]

I wouldn't have one. No food goes into my drains if at all possible. All food gets thrown out into the yard. (My garbage guy does not want food in the recycle bin.) Or you can use it for compost. Plus, disposals are nothing but trouble.

 

[D45]

Nothing but trouble?

This is my third house with a disposal, and never had any plumbing issues

 

[SMKS]

The Waste King models like the one linked above are all made in China.

All the Emerson models are made in the USA. The Emerson brands include all the Insinkerator models and many more sold under other brands like Kenmore.

I have one of the cheap Badger models. I don't like putting much down the sink for a variety of reasons, so it works fine for us.

 

[roguegts]

Have the red 3/4 hp insinkerator evolution select plus. Tons of power, almost silent and vibration free. Worth every penny.

 

[nes999]

I have never used a garage disposal, but I also completely scrape off my plates also.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

 

[tab2]

I have a 1/2 HP Bager. It is the right size for us, two adults and a dog in 900 square feet. It was here before us and we've been using since we moved in 3 years ago. I would guess it's about 5-6 old and shows no signs of slowing down.

It has only not worked once, after a tile project.... I dropped it, cleaned it out and it was as good as new in 20 minutes and it was the first one I ever messed with. If it died and I couldn't fix it I would go buy another one right away.

Those button switches by Insinkerator are awesome, but we have a wall switch. I would never get a batch feed though.

 

[RegeSullivan]

As far as size, for me it's go big or go home with a disposer. We live in a community where all trash is kept inside until trash day. So if would rot, leak or stink in the trash I put it in the disposer. I have never had a problem with the plumbing since we built the place in 2006 and I think nothing of putting in carcasses from the two or three 20 turkeys we do every Thanksgiving. On one occasion I put 25 lbs of contaminated potatoes down with no problem. The only thing I can think of that gives me a little trouble is pineapple tops, they are very fibrous.

If you only use it "light duty" like most, a 3/4 hp should do nicely. My preference is the 1 hp Insinkerator with triple grind and the removable baffle. I think it's call it anti microbial, which means you can remove it and clean it in the dishwasher.

If you look at all the brands closely you will find many are re-badges of maybe two manufactures. The quietest ones have a pretty big housing on them but as someone above mentioned above, a cast iron sink will do more to quiet a disposer than any amount of insulated housing.

 

[theoldwizard1]

It probably will not be a stainless sink.........but not 100% positive

Yes, I have seen some VERY thin SS sinks out there, that flex and dent easy

I HATE SS sinks. Get a Kohler cast iron sink. Indestructible. Many different styles. I got an "overmount" white one for about $125 ! If you are doing an overmount, attach the faucet and disposal mount ring first, lay your bead of caulk/sealant and carefully set the sink in the hole. You might need some help from underneath. Those cast iron sinks weight a ton !

When setting the sink, less moving around is better. The best tool to "finish" the caulk to the counter is a wet finger tip.

Once it is in place DO NOT TOUCH IT for at least 12 hours !



P.S. 1/2 hp disposal is plenty.

 

[byoungblood]

Badger disposals are cheap, but overpriced, POSs. They skimp on using stainless on the grinder assembly, so of course, the thing rusts out. The one I replaced was about 9 years old, but from the first day we've lived in this house the grinder was just one big ball of rust and it would just take forever to grind up some stuff. It finally started leaking water out the bottom of the unit (fairly common mode of death for these, reading reviews it seems I was fortunate to have that one last as long as it did) which prompted its replacement.

I put in a Waste King L-2600 (1/2 hp) about 3 weeks ago, and it has stainless and glass filled nylon internals, so corrosion should never be an issue. It is quieter than the old Badger ever was, though it has a higher pitched noise to it because it runs at a higher speed. But so far, it has managed to handle everything that we've put through it.

 

[Aerogt01]

Umm, Badger is Insinkerator.

They are made by the same company, that's about it. I would never buy a Badger again if I could afford better. I would buy another Insinkerator in a heartbeat.

 

[PhantomEB]

I so need to install one at my place. Gotta stick my head under there and see where I can get power from....

 

[theoldwizard1]

All the Emerson models are made in the USA. The Emerson brands include all the Insinkerator models and many more sold under other brands like Kenmore.

Roger that (at least in the past) ! Kenmore used to cost less.