Garbage Disposal Leaks for Dummies

Garbage disposal plumbing

One of the reasons we started this blog is that, while researching an electrical project several years ago, our founder came across some alleged instructions that were so ignorant as to be dangerous. The post was, of course, at eHow; and it was gone by the time we started this. We still see plenty of ignorant former eHow posts out there, however, and have no problems pointing them out and correcting the misinformation. That's why we're here today to talk about Damon Koch and his Hunker.com post, "My Garbage Disposal Leaks When Running."¹

That's certainly a problem; one a staffer or two have observed at times. So it was with some interest that they perused Koch's attempt at solving the problem. They agree with Damon's statement that,

"If water is coming through the garbage disposal housing, the disposal must be replaced."

Yes, disposals wear out and the grinding chamber can rust through, which is a fatal condition. Kudos to Damon. On the other hand, Koch must not have seen very many disposals if he thinks that,

"...you will see water leaking from the top of the disposal, where it attaches to the sink drain, or at the bottom of the disposal, where it attaches to the drain pipe."

We say that because the drain pipe of a disposal exits from the side, not the bottom: the bottom is where the electric motor that drives the grinder is. Damon also screwed the pooch when he told his readers to,

"Grasp the garbage disposal securely with both hands if the leak is occurring from the top where it attaches to the drain. Twist the disposal clockwise to tighten its connection to its mounting bracket."

You don't even do that when you're installing a disposal, Damon, and you sure as heck don't "Twist the disposal clockwise" after the plumbing is installed: it won't move! Now, for Koch's ideas of how to stop any leaks:

• "Tighten the mounting ring by turning the nut clockwise with an adjustable wrench." – Ain't gonna happen, unless the "adjustable wrench" opens to about three inches. In reality, you turn the mounting ring with a lever such as a big screwdriver, not a wrench. 
• "Use a screwdriver to tighten the metal band that secures the bottom of the disposal to the drain pipe..." – Again, it's not the bottom of the unit. That, and the "metal band" is typically the clamp on the hose from a dishwasher, not the drain pipe.

Other potential leaks are a poorly-installed strainer (that's where the big nut is) and actual connection to the drainpipe, which is typically a rubber gasket behind a flange held by two screws. Again, on the side; not the bottom.

His claimed many years working in "building maintenance" notwithstanding, Damon apparently doesn't know very much about garbage disposals. He does, on the other hand, deserve a Dumbass of the Day award...

¹ The original was sent to the rewrite team by Leaf Group, but can still be accessed using the Wayback machine at archive.org. Its URL was   ehow.com/how_7766445_garbage-disposal-leaks-running.html

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