Garbage disposals are a nice feature that many home already have. IF you do not have one, however, installing one is moderately easy.
Have your plumbing system checked to see what kind of garbage disposal unit is compatible with your sewer and other plumbing hookups. Nothing is worse than buying a unit only to find out you can’t use it!
Choose the amount of horsepower you need in your garbage disposer. Usually, in-home disposals have 1/2 – 1 horsepower.
The former is fine for a small family with moderate disposal use, while the 1-horsepower garbage disposal is designed for larger families or more trash.
Be sure the disposal has a dishwasher drain connection. This will allow food from the dishwasher to be ground up and flushed out through the disposal system.
Look for special features such as overload manual reset, corrosion protection shield, sound baffles, self-service wrenches and anti-splash baffles. Many people are concerned about noise level, and some units and noise mufflers on them.
Make sure you check local regulations regarding garbage disposals. In some areas, disposals are not allowed because the town or city sewage system can not handle the additional garbage.
If you have a septic tank, make sure it can handle the additional waste generated from a garbage disposal. The best way to do this is to have your septic tank inspected by a professional.
