What's included in our garbage disposal repair in Oklahoma City
A disposal problem is rarely just the disposal. We look at the unit and everything connected to it:
- Jams. Freeing a stuck flywheel and removing whatever caused it.
- Power problems. Reset buttons, switches, cords and the outlet or circuit feeding the unit.
- Leaks. Sink flange seals, the dishwasher inlet, the discharge tube and the trap below it.
- Clogs. Clearing the kitchen drain line that a disposal often gets blamed for.
- Replacement with a new unit, mounting assembly and connections when the old one is done.
Repair or replace your garbage disposal
Repair makes sense when the unit is sound and the trouble is a jam, a tripped overload, a bad switch or a leaking connection. Replacement makes sense when the body leaks, the motor will not run after a reset and a power check, the grinding chamber is badly corroded, or the unit trips every time it runs. If you have reset the same disposal several times in a month, it is wearing out. We give you the price of both options, and we do not push a new unit on a disposal that still has years left.
Sometimes the disposal is fine and the sink is the problem. A leaking faucet, a cracked basin or a loose sink strainer on the other bowl can all look like a disposal leak, and our faucet and sink repair service sorts that out on the same visit.
Garbage disposal replacement and installation
We size a new unit to how you cook and how your kitchen is plumbed, then install it properly. The plumbing code Oklahoma uses requires household disposers to conform to ASSE 1008 and be listed to UL 430, so we install listed units only. Every replacement includes:
- A new sink flange and mounting assembly, sealed so it will not drip into the cabinet
- Removing the dishwasher knockout plug when a dishwasher drains through the unit
- Lining up the discharge with the trap so it drains with proper fall
- Connecting the unit to its switch or plug as the manufacturer specifies
- Testing with water and a full dishwasher cycle
If you are replacing the sink or faucet at the same time, our fixture installation service handles the whole kitchen sink in one trip.
Habits that keep a disposal running
Disposals that fail early have usually been overloaded or fed the wrong things. A few habits make a real difference:
- Start the cold water first, keep it running while you grind, and let it run a few seconds after the grinding sound stops.
- Feed scraps in a little at a time. InSinkErator advises against overfilling the unit at one time.
- Scrape plates into the trash first and use the disposal for the small bits that are left.
- Run it every few days, even briefly, so the parts inside do not sit idle and stick.
- Skip chemical drain openers. They sit in the grinding chamber and do nothing for a jam.
What affects the cost of disposal repair
- Repair or replacement. Clearing a jam is a short visit. A new unit adds the cost of the disposal itself.
- The unit you choose. Larger motors and quieter models cost more.
- Connections. A corroded trap, a new dishwasher hose or a reworked drain adds time.
We quote the actual job once we see it, and financing is available for larger kitchen plumbing work.
Disposals and grease in Oklahoma City kitchens
The City of Oklahoma City reports that more than one-third of sewer line blockages in the city are caused by fats, oils and grease, and it says the average kitchen disposer will not break grease down enough to prevent clogs. A disposal chops food, but it does nothing to keep grease from cooling and sticking to the pipe a few feet downstream. That is why kitchen sinks with disposals still clog. If your kitchen line keeps backing up, routine drain cleaning opens it, and hydro jetting scrubs years of grease off the pipe walls. Want to know more about us? Start at our homepage.