What's a good disposer? Insinkerator? I see 1/2 HP ISE's are <$100 - "Badger", are these the crap ones? 1 HP ISE's are >$250 - "Excel", are these overkill?

Don't blame me, I saw it on a local home show.

...and I've heard that it's sandpaper will help keep scissors sharp.

I replaced my builders special 1/2 hp Insinkerator with a new Insinkerator 3/4 hp Evolution Compact. My old one was leaking because of too many bouts with the plunger. The new one is much quieter and it supposedly has two stage grinding which is good because my wife can clog a sink with milk froth.

We also picked up a counter top compost canister last year and it has really cut down on what we put down the drain.

I put a GE 3/4 HP model in when my old one crapped out. Cost < $200. Nothing stops it.

Check the outlet from the disposal unit to the pipes. Ours had a lot of build up in there. I replaced the outlet connecter from the disposal unit ($2 at home depot) and ran quite a few pots of very hot water through the drain. The disposal unit works much better now that all the build up of crud, etc is gone.

Our plumber once said [following a $$$ repair] that the only thing to put down a garbage disposal is water... He was overstating to make a point - some people think that there is almost no limit to what can be dumped that way. Better to throw most scraps in the trash & take the trash out. JHMO...YMMV...:cool:

Oh, I do. Very little goes down my disposal. The last clog was caused by the peel from one large onion, the stems of three parsley sprigs, and the skin of five garlic cloves. Silly me, I thought it would be okay, just once.

A disposal run heavily only fills up the city sewer system and potentially clogs your pipes. My unit only is run for small bits that may have fallen in during cleaning of veggies / meat etc. I think it is a blessing, as otherwise you'd have to fish these out of a strainer. But again, I never use the disposal to actually dispose of anything.

I would snake the pipes and keep your unit. I do not think it is the cheapo unit giving you trouble. I never had a $250 unit and they all worked flawlessly!

George

ISE pro series. 1 hp will do the trick. I think your p trap might have a bunch of stuff stuck in there. If not, snake the drain. It sounds like the clog is not too far from the sink.

the one reason I like their pro series ( I think that's what they are called) is that they are really quiet, even when they are hook up to a stainless sink. I have insatlled them under haevy cast iron sinks and they are really, really quiet.

Jeff

I have a 350 foot run from the kitchen sink to the street. I put very little down it. My wife on the other hand.... She also keeps putting our good kitchen knives in the dishwasher when I'm not here.

I put in a 1/2hp badger with a stainless steel sink, but it runs noisy like any disposal.
The noise may be a good deterent for...cough...people...who think the sink, toilet, and trash can are the same thing...

About a month ago, I put in a 3/4hp Insinkerator (pro?) on a ceramic sink.
That thing is almost silent. It has rubber boot connections to the sink and pipes.
It was pricey though. 300 somethng dollars.


+1 on the hot water and dishwasher hookup. I usually don't use anything caustic with drains, and would use the enzyme stuff/snaking before anything else.
Measure the pipe and use new seals and plumbers putty.

I always push for 2" ABS p trap (glued) and never use that paper thin plastic crap they sell at home centers. This way, there is NO chance of leakage. Never.

I think it is a plumbing thing much more than a disposer thing. I moved my kitchen a few years ago and subsequently have new plumbing and disposer. You would not believe the crazy stuff we regularly feed down there. Banana peels? Check. Meat. Check. S-loads of vegetable scraps? Daily. Not a clog yet. As Milt says, our dishwasher drains into the same pipe. Never thought about that but it stands to reason. Our disposal is a middle of the road deal. I think our luck is due to new clean pipes and nice smooth transitions down stream. I agree that we are pushing what a disposal should do but since it works why change?

Good luck. I think the idea of a tune-up is a good one.
Larry

Just bringing "closure" to this.

The problem was many-fold. The old 1/2 HP disposal's underside flange was a mass of rust, the flange wasn't sealed right. I think water had penetrated the old disposal, causing a short that was tripping the GFCI more and more often. There was a plastic straw and something that looked horribly like mouse remains in the P-trap and a disgusting clog all the way to the Y-fitting.

Cleaned out the plumbing, replaced the disposal with a 3/4 HP model, replaced the flange using buckets of silicone caulk. All appears well. Thanks, guys.

I just had to replace my disposer. All the reviews said the Waste King SS8000 Legend was the best. Imagine my surprise when the second best (an Insinkerator) was over $300 and Amazon had the Waste King for $95! I think they made a mistake, as they are now selling a similar model without stainless steel components for $112. Still trying to get over naming a disposal the SS 8000 legend. Sounds like a 60s muscle car.
Amazon.com: Waste King L-8000 Legend Series 1 HP Continuous Feed Operation Waste Disposer: Home Improvement

Hmm, I paid more for a Badger 3/4 HP. I should've bought the one you did. Oh well, I'm sure I'll have the "opportunity" to upgrade in 5 years or so.

Now its time to find out what that bad boy will grind up!