Combining The Food Disposal With Your Dishwasher
May 31, 2010 by Scott Rodgers
Filed under Gardening
Installing a garbage disposal in a kitchen sink is a straightforward task, although fitting the pieces together and checking for leaks can be a time-consuming endeavor. If you have a dishwasher, though, you will need to add a step to this process. The dishwasher typically empties into the drain pipe, but when you install a garbage disposal, it will need to empty into the disposal unit.
Fortunately, attaching a garbage disposal to a dishwasher is easy. The article below familiarizes the homeowners with the steps to connect the garbage disposal with the dishwasher.
To begin this process we shall first of all clean the bottom of the sink cabinet and keep a bucket beneath the sink. Using a pipe wrench, loosen the pipe and remove it. Any water in the pipe may be disposed in the bucket. Remove the drain pipe by unscrewing the long screws that joins the sink and the drain pipe.
Use a small putty knife to trim away the old plumber’s putty that helped seal the drain inside the sink, and lift the drain pipe out of the sink.
Connect the garbage disposal to the sink. Place a ring of plumber’s putty around the sink opening at a bead size of approximately 1/4 inch, and then slip the sink-mounting assembly and flange piece through the hole and down into the cabinet beneath. Press the drain piece down into the putty to compress the bead and form a tight seal. Hand-tighten the ring so, it will not shift from the sink. Wipe away any putty that presses out into the sink from the tightening.
Align the disposer with the three mounting ears on the sink mounting assembly. Holding the disposer in place, turn the lower mounting ring until all three mounting ears are locked into the mounting assembly.
Line up the disposal with the mounting ring. Turn the disposal slightly and it will tighten and finally lock into place with a click. Connect the unit to the wall drain pipe, using the replacement J-trap that came with the disposal.
The disposal plug should then be pushed into the outlet below the sink and the reset button be pressed. This will set the disposal ready for use. Open the water tap of the sink and look for leaks. Make sure the power is switched on and the disposal is activated. Also, ensure that the unit turns in. The water should keep running during the is process otherwise the unit may damage.