Need Help Installing a New Garbage Disposal? What to Do Before DIY

In the United States, between 30 and 40 percent of food is wasted.

For many of us, our only interaction with this waste is what happens to the food in our home. To help reduce that contribution, many people are installing a new garbage disposal.

Garbage disposals help with food waste by grinding up organic waste and flushing it away. Garbage disposals are also very convenient and make doing dishes much easier. There are a lot of advantages to using a garbage disposal.

Installing A New Garbage Disposal

If you want to install a new garbage disposal in your home, you can either do it yourself or hire a plumber. There are a lot of resources online that will tell you how easy it can be to install a garbage disposal in your home.

Before you decide to jump in and start disconnecting drains, let’s talk about some of the things you should know. Like any project, installing a garbage disposal is really easy if you have installed several of them. If you haven’t, you need to be aware of the difficulties.

If You Already Have A Garbage Disposal, Make Sure It’s Broken

Don’t change the garbage disposal just because you are having some trouble. Tips to troubleshoot garbage disposal issues are available. In many cases, you could be able to repair or have your garbage disposal repaired.

The Tools You’ll Need

Installing a new garbage disposal requires that you have some tools on hand. You will need to have a hacksaw, a hammer, a hex wrench, pliers, and a screwdriver. If you don’t have any of these tools, you will need to get them. Some tools, like hex wrenches, come in different shapes and sizes. Make sure you have the right one.

You may also need other tools. This is just the basic list of things that you will need if everything goes well. There is also a difference between replacing an old garbage disposal and installing a new garbage disposal.

You’ll Be Working With Electricity

If you are not comfortable working with electricity do not attempt to install your garbage disposal. You will have to run wires and tap into the electrical grid of your house. This is in order for the switch on your garbage disposal to work.

You will also have to wire the disposal in. Some disposals have power cords, but most do not. In order to have the power to operate the garbage disposal will need to be hardwired into the electrical grid of your home. If you encounter anything you are uncomfortable with, consider hiring a professional.

Where you will be working will also put you in close proximity to water. Water and electricity don’t mix, so make sure you take all necessary precautions. Be careful of exposing yourself to potential injury and your home to damage.

You’ll Have To Cut Your Wall

If you don’t already have a switch installed for a garbage disposal, you are going to have to do it yourself. It will need to be by the sink, and you will have to cut out space for the switch to fit into your wall. If you don’t have any experience with cutting tile or the tools necessary, you could damage your wall.

This will be more difficult depending on what your kitchen wall is made of. For the most part, you would be better off avoiding any tiles on the wall. These will require you to have special tools to cut, or they will have to be removed.

Practice Makes Perfect

In order to avoid costly mistakes and leaks, make sure you are familiar with the device you are installing. Practice putting together the disposal before you have to install it. This will give you an idea of what you are dealing with and some of the issues you might face.

Once you have put it together and taken it apart a few times you will now be ready to start putting in your garbage disposal system.

Disconnect The Pipes

If you are installing a new garbage disposal you will have to disconnect the drain on your kitchen sink. The disposal will be replacing the drainpipe you see when you open up your kitchen sink. It will fit near the sink itself.

Professional Help

If any of this seems like more trouble than it is worth, don’t worry. Home plumbing issues can be dealt with in a quick and efficient manner by plumbers. If you are uncomfortable with any aspect of installing your garbage disposal contact them.

A trained plumber will be able to get your sink back up and running with the new garbage disposal. They can do this much quicker than you will be able to, so you can get back to living your normal life. The amount of time it will take them will mean that you aren’t paying an arm and a leg.

The most important thing is that you avoid causing any injury to yourself or damage to your property. Damaging the disposal during installation can force you to repeat the process. If a plumber has problems installing your disposal, they have access to the knowledge and experience to make sure it is correct.

Plumbing Help In Colorado Springs

If you are thinking about installing a new garbage disposal and you live in the Colorado Springs area help isn’t far away. Even if you live as far away as Monument, Fountain or Woodland Park we can help you out.

Like any do it yourself project, they all seem to be attractive on the outside. When you really get down to it watching a person who has done it a hundred times on the internet is nothing like what you will experience yourself. Give us a call and we will take the worry out of installing a new garbage disposal.

Not installing a new garbage disposal correctly can lead to some serious problems. Don’t risk working with the electrical system unless you are confident you can do it right. Contact us to have all your plumbing problems taken care of.