We recommend:

• A pipe wrench (if you have metal pipes)
• A regular wrench (sized appropriately for your pipes)
• Screwdrivers (both Phillips and Flathead)
• An empty bucket

First, you're going to need to disconnect the electricity to the disposal. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking it's safe if it's turned off, but this is incredibly dangerous. Locate the appropriate circuit and flip the switch to turn off the power to this fixture. If you cannot find that, you can always trip the main breaker to be safe, but you'll need to have a battery operated light.

Now, you'll need to clean out the area under your sink to make sure you have plenty of room to work. After this is done, start loosening the drain pipe. If it's a metal pipe, you may need to crank on it a bit to get it loose, especially if it is corroded. If it is a PVC pipe, you should be able to loosen it by hand. If not gently use a wrench to loosen it. Please make sure that you do not warp the PVC pipe. If you do, you will not be able to reconnect it. Grab that empty bucket to catch any water that may be left in the p-trap. That's the U shaped pipe if you're not familiar with it.

It's now time to remove the old disposal. There are several different kinds and each one may require a different technique. We'll provide general instructions, but if you happen to have your old manual around, it's a good idea to consult it before going further. There should be three loops of metal located at the top of the old disposal. Take your flathead screwdriver and place it through the first loop. Turn it slowly in a counterclockwise direction.

IMPORTANT: disposals can be very heavy and it only takes about a three quarter turn to loosen it. Be cautious and slowly loosen that loop so that the unit does not suddenly drop on top of you.

Now, remove the old strainer that is located between where the unit used to be and the sink. There should be a "snap rink" on that strainer. You can use your flathead screwdriver once again to pry that off. Now, you should be able to remove any gaskets or secondary strainers. Remember, if it won't come free easily, it's most likely corroded. Wiggle it back and forth to free it. You may need to use WD40 if this doesn't work.

Once the old unit has been removed, place it aside and unpack your new unit. The process for installation is the exact reverse of what you just did. Make sure you follow the instructions provided with the new unit, just in case.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-11-22 17:26:46. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Garbage Disposal Repair

Of the range of issues that can hit a garbage disposal, some are easily fixed, while others will need some advanced training. It will be up to you to decide what you are and are not capable of dealing with, but for the sake of safety, you should never take on any unnecessary risk if you do not need to. Here are a few of the more common issues you may run into:

Overheating - If you flip your switch and the garbage disposal simply will not even hum, then you are probably dealing with an overheating problem because of overfilling, and it has probably tripped itself off. Check under the unit and press the red "reset" button. If this doesn't work, then check the circuit breaker box - Has anything been tripped? This is a common problem so check it out first.

Jamming - If the unit is giving you a humming noise but it still simply is not working, then the most likely culprit is that the unit has become jammed, meaning that the impellers have become stuck. The first step is to never, ever, ever put your hand down into the grinding chamber. Do not reach down there hoping for the best, it's not going to work and you'll likely get hurt in the process.

Turn the circuit breakers off to make sure that the unit is completely stopped. Remove the bottom housing and dislodge whatever blockage has occurred from underneath. This really is not a difficult fix to do on your own. If you are not sure about what you are doing however, it might be wise for you to consult a professional to make sure that you get the job done right the first time without getting hurt.

Final Option - If neither of these two options seems to be doing the trick, then the fix at hand is something more serious than you are going to be able to handle on your own. At this point the cheapest option is simply going to be to buy a brand new garbage disposal unit. Fixing a broken garbage disposal can be costly, so if its in your budget to simply buy a new one, do so and you will be saving yourself time and money in the process.

Photo credits: jsgphoto

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Originally posted 2009-11-16 03:37:09. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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