A garbage disposal, which was once considered a luxury that only a small number of people had in their kitchens, has now become quite commonplace. Since garbage disposals, like any other home appliance, only have a finite life, an owner of a garbage disposal will have to contemplate garbage disposal replacement methods at some point. The two most obvious methods are to either hire a professional plumber to go out and purchase a new garbage disposal unit for you and then install it, or for you personally to purchase the new unit and then install it yourself.
Hiring a Plumber to Replace Your Garbage Disposal
Of the two major options, hiring a professional plumber to come in and remove your old garbage disposal and install a new one is certainly the simpler and more convenient choice. Of course it will cost significantly more than performing the work yourself, but you are getting a hassle free process where a professional comes in for what likely will be well under an hour or two and at the end of it you have a perfectly functioning brand-new garbage disposal.
In order to hire a plumber effectively, and to make sure you are getting a fair price and a professional you feel comfortable with you should either hire someone you know personally or have had recommended to you, or if you don’t know anyone who fits this description, you should certainly get a few (usually 2-4 will be sufficient) free estimates from plumbers in your area. To make sure you get an apples-to-apples comparison, make certain that the estimate is for the entire job including the purchase of a new unit, the removal of the old unit, installation and testing of the new garbage disposal.
Roughly speaking you can expect the cost of the entire job to be about $250-300 depending on the brand of the garbage disposal and the per hour labor charge of the plumbing company you hired. Generally a new garbage disposal will cost you about $100, so figure on the cost to install being around $150-200, which is what you’d expect to save if you performed the work yourself.
Performing a Garbage Disposal Replacement Yourself
For those who are particularly handy, or maybe just adventurous by nature, installing your own replacement garbage disposal can save you a few hundred dollars over hiring a plumber. It’s really a relatively straightforward project, but keep in mind that you will be working upside down in the dark, enclosed space beneath your sink. If that doesn’t sound like something you can deal with, then don’t even contemplate embarking on this process. In all, it should take you about 2-3 hours to complete this project, and if you don’t run into any trouble, it can be done in much less time than that.
The first thing you need to do is note the exact power (measured in horsepower) of your existing garbage disposal. You’ll also want to jot down the brand and model number if you can find it on the current unit. With this information you can research a new model on the internet or at your local home superstore. In most cases these units are standardized, so you shouldn’t have much trouble finding a new one that fits your sink.
Tips on How to Install Your New Garbage Disposal
When starting this process, make sure you clean out everything from under the sink, put down some old towels or rags to catch any loose water and make sure you unplug not only the garbage disposal, but anything else you might find plugged in under the sink. You don’t want any electrical accidents, and it’s better to be safe than sorry.
You will need to first loosen the drainage tube and the drainpipes, and then you ultimately disconnect the disposal from the sink by unscrewing the mounting rings. Be careful because it is very heavy and can drop suddenly when loosened.
Be sure to remember how the disposal looked installed originally, because this is exactly what you’ll try to replicate when installing the new unit. The instructions included with the disposal will be helpful and there are multiple videos online and on YouTube that detail precisely how to install the garbage disposal.
For most people seeing the process is much easier than reading about it, and we would suggest looking at one of these videos before starting your project. This will help you feel comfortable enough to choose this option which will help you save a few hundred dollars.
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