Shopping For a Garbage Disposal - Wisler Plumbing & Air

If you’re shopping for a new garbage disposal, I think you should start by asking yourself the following question:

What are my needs when it comes to a garbage disposal?

How frequently do you use it, what do you put down the disposal, and do you have a septic system or not? If you use the garbage disposal very frequently, I would not recommend settling for a low horsepower system. Residential models come with ⅓, ½, ¾, and 1 horsepower. I recommend not going below ¾ horsepower. If you replaced a ¾ horsepower system with something that had less power, it would be extremely noticeable.

What is the warranty?

There are many cheap options out there when it comes to garbage disposals. The worst thing that would happen is that the garbage disposal will fail, putting water under your sink and causing damage. Most people have a lot of things stored underneath the kitchen sink. If there is a leak, then all those items will become damaged (along with the cabinet itself).

It’s a good idea for you to buy a garbage disposal that has a lifetime warranty. They are out there, and  you won’t ever have to worry about what to do in case it fails. If you don’t want to go for that option, just make sure that it has a good warranty that covers both labor and parts.

Am I going to put a lot of items in the garbage disposal?

You will want to want to pay attention to the RPMs that the garbage disposal’s motor spins at. This is important because most people put items in the garbage disposal that causes it to clog or lock up (like celery, potato peels, etc.) The system will bind up more easily if it has low RPM. The higher the RPM, the less likely for the disposal to get bound up.

There is a trade-off with using a higher RPM garbage disposal, though. The higher the RPM, the more noise it makes. If you’re not going to be putting that much down the system at one time, a lower RPM model may be a great option for you.

Replace the Basket Strainer

Garbage disposals have something called a basket strainer, which is what connects the system to the sink itself. I’ve seen lots of times where people will take the old garbage disposal off of the basket and put the new one right on that old basket. That’s not a wise thing to do—if you replace the disposal itself, definitely replace the sink basket also. If not, the joint may fail at any time.

We don’t shop for a new garbage disposal very often, but these are the things that everyone should consider. If you want a qualified professional to help you out with the process, contact us online or give us a call at (540) 483-9382.