A cereal bowl sat under the garbage disposal in my kitchen sink cabinet for over a year. The bowl collected brown water which dripped from a crack in the disposal. Daily, I washed the bowl and returned it to its important place. Without it, the sink cabinet would have been continually damp and smelly.
A plumber quoted me $250 for a new disposal and installation. I didn’t want to spend the money to replace the disposal so hence the cereal bowl collection system.
My daughter told me my son-in-law installed a new disposal. My neighbor, Kyle, said I should be able to do it. I was pretty sure I could get the old disposal out, but was I strong enough to lift the new one into place? I was apprehensive. What if I got the old one out but could not get the new one in? How would I use the sink and dishwasher if I couldn’t get the new one installed?
After about a year of putting up with a worsening leak and reading lots of online reviews, I finally bought a new disposal for about $90. As expected, taking out the old garbage disposal was easy with the right tools. Connections to the new one were easy too but, as suspected, I was not strong enough to hoist the new disposal high enough to attach it to the bottom of the sink. Now what?
I started stacking household items up under the opening until I had the right height. A medium-sized metal mixing bowl, the book The Encyclopedia of Gardening, and some cardboard packing from the disposal’s box. Then I set the disposal on top of the stack. The items acted like a jack. Surprise! It worked. I was able to fasten the disposal to the sink! I could use the sink, dishwasher and now the new disposal. No more cereal bowl and leaky garbage disposal.
If you need to replace your garbage disposal but don’t want to pay for the installation, you might try using your car jack. Surprise! I know I will next time.