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AKB (All Knowing Board): Fair price expectation for new garbage disposal installation?

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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq

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Have no idea about plumbing or the time/costs involved, but our disposal quit working (will hum for a bit after a re-set, but doesn't start up - maybe burned out motor?) the other day and I'm trying to get a sense of what is a fair price to have a new on installed. In my area, one local company is offering $250 just for the installation (I would have to provide the disposal). Is this reasonable? Thanks in advance.
 
Have no idea about plumbing or the time/costs involved, but our disposal quit working (will hum for a bit after a re-set, but doesn't start up - maybe burned out motor?) the other day and I'm trying to get a sense of what is a fair price to have a new on installed. In my area, one local company is offering $250 just for the installation (I would have to provide the disposal). Is this reasonable? Thanks in advance.
$100 is what I would pay. Scratch that, I would do this myself (and have a couple times).
Not a hard job at all.
 
Agree with all of the above. I've never done one, nor much plumbing, but bought one at HomeDepot and put it in myself in about an hour. I used a Youtube on how to install it.

I missed a blocking thing that I needed to punch out which was the path to dumping water into the pipe leading into the sink. That caused the first use to flood...after cleaning that up, I had to take it back off and punch the blocking thing up, and reinstall. Great since then...just make sure you hit all of the details.

other advice is to get one that has a powerful engine...don't go cheap!
 
This guy is robbing you. It is a very easy job PROVIDED you have some room to maneuver under the sink. If it is super-cramped it's going to be a PITA.

But if you can screw in a light bulb you can do your own garbage disposo. I bought a new one last year for about $130 at Lowe's and did it myself, took about 45 minutes. The hard part is getting the new one mounted to the plate on the underside of the sink. You cannot get it crossthreaded or it will leak. It is a suprisingly heavy bastard because of the motor and sometimes it's hard to get leverage on it.

Be patient, do it yourself, and definitely save the money.
 
in theory its not a hard job, it should already be plumbed and wired. So the price should be depend on who you get, a plumber, you are going to pay plumber rates, easy $80-$100 per hr plus travel time, and maybe a truck charge. And guaranteed they will have to run to Ferguson's for some parts, add another hour.

or you can see if a handyman might be around, he may want $100.
or go to the plumbers watering hole near you, buy a few beers and see who would come over for $50 cash, especially an apprentice.

or if you can find the exact make and model, it shouldnt be too hard to do it yoursel (it should be just swap out and go, take pics before you do anything) , provided you can fit in the cabinet under the sink , there is a little moulin between the cabinet doors that gets me every time!
 
Replaced one a couple years ago... using a video on Youtube it took about 45 minutes. Most of that was just laying everything out. Probably was also good that I was replacing it with the same brand/model.
 
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Have no idea about plumbing or the time/costs involved, but our disposal quit working (will hum for a bit after a re-set, but doesn't start up - maybe burned out motor?) the other day and I'm trying to get a sense of what is a fair price to have a new on installed. In my area, one local company is offering $250 just for the installation (I would have to provide the disposal). Is this reasonable? Thanks in advance.
I am confident that you can do this yourself. $250 is way too much for a job that will take a plumber around 30 minutes. Can you look under the sink and provide us with the make and horsepower rating of the currently-installed unit and whether you were satisfied with its performance (noise, grinding ability) when it was working.

The cost of disposals range from $100 (for a cheap builder-grade) up to $400 for a super-duper fancy one. You can get a good quality Insinkerator with 3/4 - 7/8 Hp motor for $200 - $225 on Amazon.

Aside from HP rating, the other thing you'll need to decide on is whether you want the disposal to start conventionally (i.e. it starts and runs when you flip a switch or push a button) OR have "Cover Start" which means that the disposal starts and runs as soon as you place the cover into/over the disposal drain
 
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It's probably locked up if its humming. Hex screw on bottom of unit,give it a back and force couple of turns to loosen jam. Could be a popcorn kernel
They make a hex wrench to do this but a wide head screwdriver will work fine. easy replacement if broken.
 
Appreciate all the responses! Really helpful!

Please spend the money on a good quality unit. I purchased a new home with “contractor quality” Sinkolator disposal. It was poor quality, noisy, and failed after 3 years.

I had it replaced with top quality Sinkolator for $95.00 installation.

The difference is significant and noise level apparent.

Be careful of quality you purchase.
 
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Have no idea about plumbing or the time/costs involved, but our disposal quit working (will hum for a bit after a re-set, but doesn't start up - maybe burned out motor?) the other day and I'm trying to get a sense of what is a fair price to have a new on installed. In my area, one local company is offering $250 just for the installation (I would have to provide the disposal). Is this reasonable? Thanks in advance.

Not much to add. Is the sink an under-mount sink? If so, make sure it can handle the weight if you upgrade. Shouldn't be a problem, but if you do go up in HP sometimes the added weight will break the seal between the sink and the counter surface. Also some disposals IIRC correctly have a kind of quick connect coupler. Last time I installed one (1hp Kitchen aid) was like 03'.

Other consideration is the relationship (again only if you don't swap like for like) is the relationship to the waste pipe/ drain. Those are the rare cases where it might be better to call a plumber.

Otherwise, it is/ should be an easy job.
 
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Have no idea about plumbing or the time/costs involved, but our disposal quit working (will hum for a bit after a re-set, but doesn't start up - maybe burned out motor?) the other day and I'm trying to get a sense of what is a fair price to have a new on installed. In my area, one local company is offering $250 just for the installation (I would have to provide the disposal). Is this reasonable? Thanks in advance.

I am a moron when it comes to home improvement but I was able to replace my disposal in a couple of hours.

Two hints:

1) A second pair of hands is useful for parts of the process.

2) Make sure the size of the unit will fit easily in the space. I (stupidly) "upgraded" to a more powerful model and it was a really tight fit to get in within the existing pipes, which made the process much tougher.

So if you have $$ to burn, hire a guy. If you are even slightly competent with tools, do it yourself.
 
Agree, with the above, do it yourself. Especially easy if you use the current drain mount. Other advice I would do is to try and free the motor if it is just jammed. Besides for the wrench method, a wooden broom handle down the top and forcing it counterclockwise saved mine numerous times.
 
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Have no idea about plumbing or the time/costs involved, but our disposal quit working (will hum for a bit after a re-set, but doesn't start up - maybe burned out motor?) the other day and I'm trying to get a sense of what is a fair price to have a new on installed. In my area, one local company is offering $250 just for the installation (I would have to provide the disposal). Is this reasonable? Thanks in advance.

Read the posts below. It's a pretty easy job, Midnighter. I've installed a few in my lifetime. About as difficult as a ceiling fan. Just follow the instructions. Don't forget some plumbers putty and telfon tape. Consult YouTube videos if you must. Good luck.
 
Have no idea about plumbing or the time/costs involved, but our disposal quit working (will hum for a bit after a re-set, but doesn't start up - maybe burned out motor?) the other day and I'm trying to get a sense of what is a fair price to have a new on installed. In my area, one local company is offering $250 just for the installation (I would have to provide the disposal). Is this reasonable? Thanks in advance.
You may not need a new disposal. When you say reset, do you mean just pushing the reset button or have you also used the hex wrench to manually turn the drum and dislodge whatever is preventing it from running. If it hums it is attempting to run but then trips the reset button to prevent a burnout of the motor. I expect you have something wedged in the disposal.
The hex wrench goes in at the bottom of the motor, in the center. Move it both directions to loosen whatever is jammed.
 
You may not need a new disposal. When you say reset, do you mean just pushing the reset button or have you also used the hex wrench to manually turn the drum and dislodge whatever is preventing it from running. If it hums it is attempting to run but then trips the reset button to prevent a burnout of the motor. I expect you have something wedged in the disposal.

I did try the wrench trick but wasn’t sure how much or how far I was supposed to turn. The engine does hum but quits after a bit.
 
Have no idea about plumbing or the time/costs involved, but our disposal quit working (will hum for a bit after a re-set, but doesn't start up - maybe burned out motor?) the other day and I'm trying to get a sense of what is a fair price to have a new on installed. In my area, one local company is offering $250 just for the installation (I would have to provide the disposal). Is this reasonable? Thanks in advance.

Sounds like something is jammed in it. Most likely, If it is humming, it is trying to turn and something is blocking it. With it turned off, stick a sturdy mop/broom handle down into the disposal and try and turn it in both directions. I've had a wash rag stuck in a disposal and it took a bit of manually forcing it to turn back and forth to finally be able to pull it all out a little at a time.
 
Forgot to add to things that you will want to do. One is if you have large plastic container or sheet cake pan put that underneath the disposal. Two, assuming you have a dishwasher, make sure that hose is in good shape and fully connected.

Some of the better/ high end cabinetry is made of MDF now days. MDF and water are not friends.
 
That is probably the highway robbery price from a "flat fee" plumber. I.e. they charge you $250 for 20 minutes work.

If you're replacing your disposal with the same brand (i.e. a Badger with a Badger), it is pretty much a 30 minute job for the homeowner. If you have to change brands, allow another half hour to replace the sink mount (be sure you have plumber's putty) but it is still easy.

If you're replacing the same model, switch it off from above the sink (and/or switch off the circuit from the breaker box), put a water bucket underneatt to catch spills, then twist the old dishwasher out from under the sink (badgers have a very nice simple mount system), take out the wire, wire the new one, punch the hole for the dishwasher, reconnect the drain line and dishwasher line, then lift it up and mount it back in the sink and test for leaks. Plenty of YouTube videos to walk you through it.

If you want to pay someone to do this, hire a certified handyman, not a plumber. It does not require a plumber's expertise. A handyman's charge should be somewhere in the $50-75 range because it a half hour job for them.
 
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Agree with all of the above. I've never done one, nor much plumbing, but bought one at HomeDepot and put it in myself in about an hour. I used a Youtube on how to install it.

I missed a blocking thing that I needed to punch out which was the path to dumping water into the pipe leading into the sink. That caused the first use to flood...after cleaning that up, I had to take it back off and punch the blocking thing up, and reinstall. Great since then...just make sure you hit all of the details.

other advice is to get one that has a powerful engine...don't go cheap!

I did the exact same thing. I knew to punch it out, but forgot. Got a call from my tenant that the dishwasher was leaking all over the kitchen. Knew immediately what I screwed up.

My first time doing it, took me less than an hour. A quality handyman should be able to do it for $100 or less in my opinion.

Agreed, don't go cheap or you'll do this again in a few years.
 
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Agree with all of the above. I've never done one, nor much plumbing, but bought one at HomeDepot and put it in myself in about an hour. I used a Youtube on how to install it.

I missed a blocking thing that I needed to punch out which was the path to dumping water into the pipe leading into the sink. That caused the first use to flood...after cleaning that up, I had to take it back off and punch the blocking thing up, and reinstall. Great since then...just make sure you hit all of the details.

other advice is to get one that has a powerful engine...don't go cheap!

Speaking of which, did you ever eat Colombian food? It is fantastic.
 
Yes, I have a son that graduated from Ohio State and have had many fine dinners in Columbus.

True but have you ever stayed at Mohunk Mountain house in New Paltz New York?
They have a lake with fish in it.
 
True but have you ever stayed at Mohunk Mountain house in New Paltz New York?
They have a lake with fish in it.
See this is where you don't get it. I can choose not to read your post, or if I do read it, I can choose not to respond.

I know change can be hard. Its OK>
 
Have no idea about plumbing or the time/costs involved, but our disposal quit working (will hum for a bit after a re-set, but doesn't start up - maybe burned out motor?) the other day and I'm trying to get a sense of what is a fair price to have a new on installed. In my area, one local company is offering $250 just for the installation (I would have to provide the disposal). Is this reasonable? Thanks in advance.

I paid $50 for mine.

Basenji-Care1.jpg
 
I agree with those who think the disposal is jammed. Mine did the same humming one time. With persistence, I eventually dislodged the jam. My other advice: Rarely use the disposal. Buy a compost bin for vegetable scraps, and freeze animal waste (e.g., bones, fat) until trash day.
 
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