Naptime DIY: How to replace a garbage disposal

You really appreciate the grinding noise of your garbage disposal when it’s not working.  The low ‘hmmmmmmm’ that it makes when the blades don’t turn are frustrating.  Once you’ve determined that it needs to be switched out, just how easy is it to replace a garbage disposal?  We were hesitant to do it ourselves, but several of our neighbors said that it was a simple task and sure enough it was, but here are some things that helped us.

Read the directions

It isn’t that easy, but read the directions that came with your garbage disposal and you can do it.  At its core the steps for you to replace a garbage disposal are:

1. Read the directions.
2. Turn off the power
3. Read the directions.  Did you really read them? 
4. Get your tools (flat head and Phillips screwdriver, needle nose pliers, hammer)
5. Turn off the power in case you skipped step 1.
6. Unscrew the pvc plumbing from the unit
7. Take the old unit off of the plumbing support using screwdrivers to pry it away from the sink.
8. Remove the green ground wire; unscrew the black and white wire from the unit.
9. Remove the small metal plate from the underside of the new disposal.  Pull the three wires out as far as you can.
10. Put the new unit, with PVC plumbing on the pipes under the sink.
11. Tighten the unit to the sink drain underneath.
12. Loop the green ground wire to the green ground screw, black wire to black and white wire to white.  Tighten with wire nuts.
13. Turn on the water, check for leaks.   If there are no leaks proceed to step 12.
14. Turn the power back on.
15. Test the system.
16. Grind and dispose till the cows come home.

From start to stop the job took us 60 minutes-and that was with two minor problems that don’t need to happen to you.

The hardest part of replacing a garbage disposal was the weight of the unit, combined with the tight working conditions.   You can’t do too much about the tight working conditions, they are what they are.

Moving the potentially heavy weight of the new garbage disposal to the sink opening can be accomplished using phone books, other books or lots of magazines.  In other words, sacrifice the printed word for a moment to help the project.  If the disposal is too heavy for you to lift and you’re intent on making this a DIY, you’ll need leverage getting it in place.

Hints

Unscrew the green ground screw on the new one before you mount the disposal under the sink.  Doing that provides as much space as needed in order to lock down the ground wire.

Also, be sure that you have the most precise screwdriver for the screws.  A certain screwdriver might do the job, but the correct one will do it quicker.  Getting the job done quickly when you’re laying down under the sink with 5” to work is important towards doing it right and not frustrating you in the process.

Both of these things came into play when we A. had the incorrect Phillips screwdriver and B. did not unscrew the green ground screw prior to placing it under the sink.  We spent 20 minutes trying to figure out why the screw wasn’t getting loose, resting our shoulder & arm and then looking for the correct size screwdriver.

Our experience when it came to replacing a garbage disposal was great. It’s a simple Naptime DIY project that was start to finish 60 minutes.  It helped us that we read the directions a couple times and laid out our work space prior to starting the project.  Good luck with yours!  Have you had to replace a garbage disposal?  If so, was your DIY as successful as ours?

Naptime DIY are DIY projects that one can accomplish start to finish, in a typical naptime.  We are not a home improvement professional, but we have done lots of home improvement projects ourselves.  If you have any doubt, hesitation or questions about your ability to do a home improvement project please consult a professional.