Disposal dilemma part 2: the solution

Note: If you missed part 1, you you can catch up here.

My first stop was to research the problem of a near-constant leak from the bottom of our InSinkErator disposal (which was exacerbated by running the dishwasher). Turns out it's pretty common and apparently happens to other models. Not surprisingly, I found nothing about the problem on the company's website. But I did find the name and number for the only authorized service rep in Maine, so I gave him a call.

Entertaining as it was, I'll paraphrase our conversation: Yes, it's a common problem. He could come look at it the following week, but the cost of the visit alone (forget any necessary parts) would most likely be more expensive than a new disposal. Is that hard, I asked. "Can you swap out a switchplate?" (I can). I thanked him and hung up.

I found a well-reviewed KitchenAid from Lowes, but it wasn't available in any nearby stores. No problem. The bucket could stay in place a little longer, so I ordered it and had it shipped to my local store. Delivery was a little delayed, so it arrived last Friday. I was so excited I planned my entire Saturday morning around installing it.

I'd done my homework and found that while installing a disposal isn't quite as easy as swapping out a switchplate, it's not much more difficult.

Even though it wasn't challenging skills-wise, the installation is best told as a standalone story - which I've told in Part 3: the resolution.

Disposal dilemma part 1: the problem

Welcome to the latest chapter in what's becoming a continuing saga of appliances, fixtures, etc. outliving their usefulness in our home. This episode is sponsored by the InSinkErator Badger 1/3 HP disposal that's lived under our kitchen sink for nearly six years.

When I replaced our kitchen faucet in March of this year, I noticed a small amount of standing water on the bottom of the cabinet under the sink. I cleaned it up and made it a priority to find out where said water was coming from. It didn't take long (one running of the dishwasher) to locate the slow leak at the base of the disposal. I placed a small tin flowerpot underneath and again monitored the situation.

Over the next few weeks, there was only a small amount of water in the pot, so I continued to monitor. Eventually, water stopped showing up, so I decided it had been a fluke, perhaps linked to the problem of the dishwasher overflowing (which we'd had repaired). I left the flowerpot in place - just in case - and lined the bottom of the cabinet with some old plastic placemats.

Fast forward to September. We were gathering cleaning supplies for the woman we hired to give our place a good top-to-bottom cleaning every two weeks when my wife noticed some dampness on the bottom of the cabinet. No biggie, I thought, the pot must have gotten pushed out of the way of a small leak.

I saw just how wrong that assumption was when I went to sop up the water. The placemats were practically floating on a bed of standing water, and their undersides were covered in an oozy slime. The veneer on the cabinet's lower shelf had almost completely peeled off. Once I got the mess cleaned up, tossed the placemats and dealt with the wrath of Mrs. Handyman (who rightly said I should have dealt with the problem in the first place), I placed a larger bucket under the disposal. Before calling someone, I needed to be absolutely sure it wasn't a pipe that was leaking.

It wasn't. That first night, after running the dishwasher, there was at least an inch of water in the bucket.

Next up: Part 2: the solution (which wasn't what you might think.)