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Average Guy DIY | ||
How to replace a garbage disposal splash guardThe rubber splash guard on my garbage disposal is in need of a replacement. It is all torn and missing sections. A worn-out splash guard doesn't stop water and food from coming back up when the garbage disposal is on. Luckily, I have an In-Sink-Erator garbage disposal and all their splash guard rubber gaskets are the same regardless of model. So I took a trip to my local hardware store and purchased a new splash guard. 
This might be the easiest DIY home improvement project to do. Well, at least the easiest project that actually looks difficult. I was able to replace the garbage disposal splash guard with one tool. And that one tool was a flathead screwdriver. It also took more time to remove all the stuff that was under the sink than to replace the rubber gasket. Ok, hold your breath, here it goes and don't blink because this is fast and easy. 
First I shut off the power to the garbage disposal. Even though I wasn't touching the electrical or inside the disposal, I didn't want the garbage disposal to start while I was holding it. The next step was to remove the waste pipe connection. This is connected with a rigid pipe and a gasket covered by a flange that screws in on one side and is held in by a tab on the other side. I removed the screw that holds the flange and pulled the pipe free from the garbage disposal. I had enough slack in the waste line that connects from the dishwasher and the electrical wire, so I didn't have to remove those in order to drop the garbage disposal. 
The garbage disposal is connected to the sink by a metal nut. The nut has dog ear flaps that a screwdriver can fit into. I jammed a screwdriver in a dog ear flap and turned the nut counter-clockwise. It only threads on by a 1/4 of a turn. I dropped the disposal down and removed the old worn-out rubber gasket and replaced it with a new splash guard. The splash guard fits snuggly over the lip on the top of the garbage disposal. 
Putting the garbage disposal back in place required me to reverse the steps of removal. I held the garbage disposal in place and started to thread on the metal nut with the dog ear flaps by hand. I then used a screwdriver to make the nut snug and leak proof. I inserted the waste pipe back in place and screwed the flange in tight. And that was it. I did a test run with just water and checked for leaks. Since that checked out fine, I then fired up the garbage disposal and checked for leaks again. Everything was great, and it took about 10 minutes. Submit to:
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Tools for the JobYou just need a flathead screwdriver. I hope you already own one and you don't need a picture from me to show what one looks like. And I hope you realize I am joking. |
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