How difficult is it to replace a garbage disposal?

Has anyone ever replaced their own garbage disposal without messing up the process?

I'm going to look at some youtube videos, again, but my eyes tend to glaze over a bit when thinking about doing this myself.

How difficult is it to simply replace the damn thing on my own instead of calling the plumbing company?

Just asking a general question.

Thanks,
Elisabeth

Shouldn't be that difficult, honestly. I know when I had one replaced in my old apartment, the guy was in and out in about 15-20 minutes.

I think you have the right idea. Take a good look at the connections on your disposal.

Most likely you'll only have two connections to separate the disposal from the plumbing.

Watch the you tube again and see if yours is very similar and there you go!

If they look like oil & water when you compare them, get another opinion up close & personal.

Not that hard to do. Make sure you have some plumbers putty to seal the new mounting in your sink. The hardest part can be lifting the disposal and then connecting it to the mounting ring.

You tube is helpful.

Just give a man bj. Done

It took longer to checkout at the box store than swap it out when I did mine about 4 months ago. I will say this though, I replaced with the exact same model as what came out so there was no guess or re-fit work required.

I've done it before. I was cleaning my fish tank and got rocks in it and it jammed up and I was afraid to call my landlord, so I took it off and cleaned it out. Then I remounted it. No pun intended, but the hardest part was "laying on my back" and holding up the actual unit with one hand while I was trying to "mount" it in with the other hand. The mechanics of it are not hard, it's just a little awkward laying on the kitchen floor.

1. you will need to transfer the power cord from the old unit to new, not hard, just need a screw driver
2. there are 2 basic parts to the disposal, the unit itself and the chrome ring that you see in the sink. If you replace the old disposal with an identical unit you can leave the chrome ring in place in the sink and not have to worry about plumbers putty. If the chrome ring in the sink is in bad condition or you get another type of disposal you will need the putty as Last Ride said. Installing this chrome ring and putty is not hard but does require you to screw 3 jack screws with a screwdriver to secure the chrome ring in place, smush the putty so it seals water, and get the 3 jack screws uniformly tightened.
3. the disposal is held to the chrome ring by another ring that is attached to the disposal. Remember, these are 2 separate rings that will eventually mate to each other. As Katrina said, the hard part is on your back, lifting the disposal with one hand, lining it up with the chrome ring, then twisting the disposal ring to "screw" the disposal on. It is usually only about a half turn of the disposal ring but it does act like a screw. Since you are attaching the disposal to the chrome ring you have to twist the disposal ring usually with a tool to get it tight. You are securing the heavy disposal to the chrome ring and making a water tight connection, so the twisting of the ring takes some effort.
4. if you have a dish washer you will have to hook its drain hose to the disposal. To do this you have to knock out a plug inside the hole where the drain hose attaches. If no dish washer, leave the plug in place. But knocking out the plug may require a hammer and a punch or screwdriver you don't mind beating on.

With experience you can do one in 20 min, for a first timer allow an hour.

If your eyes have not glazed over by now with my explanation, then use YouTube to see all the above in a video so it all makes sense.

Good Luck

Sure it needs to be replaced?

Severe clogs or jams can cause it to seem broken but just need to be unjammed. Like the rocks from Katrina's example. I've done worse.

There is a hole for an Allen wrench at the bottom of the unit in the center.

Manually turn that with an Allen wrench to clear what ever is stopping it.

Still not working, may look at replacing.

Google it and watch the videos. Excellent training there.

You might want an extra hand tho... But check it out and many questions will be answered.

Not that hard of a job. If you were closer I would help you out.

if you want your unit to last, don't use if for coffee grounds, egg shells, or celery. to clean, drop in ice cubes and vinger.

Do you need a hand? I can come by.

Getting some help is a good idea. Those things are heavy. Having someone to hold it in place while you tighten the collar is best. If you cannot find a helper, a small car jack will do the trick.

replacing garbage disposal site:youtube.com