A few posts back, we talked about how to clear jams and do electrical resets to your garbage disposal to avoid replacing it, altogether.  What happens if you do need to replace it, even after clearing and resetting it?  That’s what we’ll show you in this post.

Replacing a garbage disposal can be a very easy DIY project for the average homeowner.  This post assumes you are actually replacing an old disposal and not installing a new one, from scratch.  This means the sink components are already installed, plumbing and electrical connections are all available, correct, and to your local code.

Once you’ve turned off the water, begin by disconnecting your dishwasher hose (if you have one — it is the clamped connection near the top of the disposal).  Next, loosen your plumbing connection.  You may have difficulty actually removing this connection without removing the disposal, so we’ll just get it loose, for now.

Now, you’re ready to uninstall the disposal.  This just requires a straight slot screwdriver and a hammer.  As you can see in the video, you pound against the lower ring that secures the disposal to the sink in a clockwise direction.  This releases the disposal and you should now be able to disconnect the loosed plumbing connection, with ease.  Remember, you still have the electrical connections in place.

The disposal should be a switched electrical connection, so as long as it’s switched off (should be, otherwise your disposal will be running during this process), you should be safe from electrical shock.  If you want further assurance, shut the breaker off at the panel.

Disconnect the electrical connections and you should be ready to proceed with the new disposal.

PLEASE NOTE: All new disposals come with a dishwasher connection that has been “plugged.”  Just pop that plug out with a screwdriver and hammer, but be sure to take the plug out of the inside of the disposal.  Both of these steps are commonly forgotten and you either end up with dirty water backing up into the dishwasher or damage to your new disposal blades.

Your plumbing connection on the new disposal should be a pipe that elbows or bends 90 degrees, a gasket, and a securing ring.  Slide the gasket over the pipe so that it fits snugly up against the disposal when the pipe is in place.  Slide the securing ring over the pipe and secure in place with the screws provided.

Now, re-connect your electrical connections.

This last part can be a bit tricky.  I find it easiest to “dry fit” your plumbing connection, first.  In other words, put it in place with all the securing screws and gaskets in the right place, but don’t tighten anything.  Next, install the new disposal with the securing ring at the top.  Getting this ring to rest on all three ledges and tighten may take a few tries and your plumbing connection may “pop” out a few times.  Just keep at it and you’ll get it.  I find it easiest to “palm” the base of the disposal with my left hand and hold it as level as possible while using my right hand to secure the ring.

Lastly, tighten down your plumbing connection, reconnect the dishwasher (if you have one), and turn the water back on.  Be sure to watch for leaks and tighten any plumbing connections that loosened during the installation.

Oftentimes, we need to replace the internal components of our toilets.  The plastic and metal parts wear out and need to be replaced for the toilet to function properly.

Fortunately, this is an inexpensive and easy home improvement project.  Most hardware stores carry a “toilet repair kit” that costs around $18-20 that includes all the components you’ll need for this project.  In fact, you’ll have some parts leftover, because the kits come with lots of parts to cover various types of toilets you may be using with the kit.

As noted in the video, you need to start by tearing the old components out of the toilet.  Of course, you’ll do this after shutting off the water supply — typically a valve right next to the toilet, close to the floor.

Once the old parts have been removed, there will be some necessary clean-up, especially where the tank attaches to the toilet base.

Now, you just need to install the new parts from the toilet repair kit.

This is a fairly easy DIY project that may require a second person, just because the toilet tank can be somewhat awkward to move.

What challenges do you have with your toilet?  Leaking flapper valve, running fill valve, etc.?  Let us know your toilet issues in the comments section and we’ll do a new post!

It’s that time of year when people start to think about summer, mowing the lawn, and irrigation systems.  Well, at least it is here in Florida.

Getting irrigation systems in working order before the hot, humid days of summer roll around is generally a primary project for many homeowners in the south.  Things happen over the winter, the system doesn’t get used, and we need it for the summer months, so we start to fix any and all issues right about now.

In this post, we’ll talk about how to replace a broken sprinkler head.  Although we ran into a slight challenge, this is generally a very simple project for any homeowner to take on.  You simply unscrew the old sprinkler head (by hand) and screw the new one on — after wrapping the threads with Teflon tape.

Normally, that’s all there is to the project.  For us, we had a 3/4″ sprinkler head that we needed to attach to a 1/2″ irrigation line.  That just meant that we needed a reduction bushing that we show you in the video.

Material List

1. New sprinkler head — this will vary based on the type of head you’re replacing.  For this project, we were replacing a large area, rotating head.  Although we’ve used XXXX brand in the past, we decided to try the “K rain” brand this time, just to see how it works.  The “K rain” K8000 head was the least expensive of the large area rotating sprinkler heads available at our local store and it also had the largest maximum distance.  Cost: $8.99
2. Teflon tape — also known as PTFE tape, you will need this for almost any plumbing project that involves threaded connections. Cost: Pack of 5=$2.98

Optional/necessary: We found that we also needed a flush-reducing bushing that added $0.66 to the costs mentioned, above.

Do you need to replace your garbage disposal? Well, maybe not! A lot of people replace their garbage disposals when all they need to do is clear a jam or reset the electrical system. Every garbage disposal has a way to clear jams and a way to reset the electrical system.

Watch the video to see how Insinkerator’s are cleared and reset — most garbage disposal’s are very similar.  Before replacing that garbage disposal, check to see if it needs to be reset or a jam needs to be cleared.