Choosing a new garbage disposal really comes down to what features you are looking for and what your pocket can afford. An old house also needs special considerations with their old plumbing and small spaces.
These four garbage disposals I looked at cover a wide range of benefits and price. Each comes from a company with a history of reliable products you can trust.
Don’t worry about having to return to this project in the next year or two. I’ve been down that road before after installing a cheap garbage disposal to just get the job done. All of these garbage disposals will last years so you don’t have to tackle this project anytime soon.
General Electric GFC520N Continuous-Feed Disposall
If you are looking for a garbage disposal that can be directly wired to a dedicated circuit, since many old homes do not have an outlet under the sink, then the General Electric GFC520N Continuous Feed Disposall may be a great fit for you.
With EZ mount installation and a dishwasher drain connector, it will help you if you’re in the process of replacing your old appliances with more modern upgrades. This model is also one of the more budget-friendly garbage disposals available while still offering power and reliability.
With 1/2 horsepower and a large-capacity continuous-feed disposer, this product gets the work done quietly with its standard sound-insulation package. It’s no false bravado that this product is called Dispos-all.
Waste King 9980 Garbage Disposal
Let’s say your old home has enjoyed the benefit of rewiring and you now have an outlet under your sink. The Waste King 9980 Garbage Disposal is a reasonable choice that works actively against jamming. This one lasts, so once you go through the work of installing it, you won’t have to worry about it for a long time to come.
With 1/2 horsepower and sound insulation, the Waste King 9980 serves well for normal household usage. Also, it is safe to use with septic tanks. This means a lot for those of you without city utilities. Even if you have city utilities, it is nice to know what is passing through your pipes is as manageable as possible.
The grinding chamber is rust and corrosion-proof and will last you for a very long time. The Waste King 9980 will not be a waste of time.
InSinkErator Garbage Disposal, Evolution Excel
This one is a personal fav of mine and it is installed on my own kitchen sink for six years. If quiet power is very important to you, then you may want to look at the InSinkErator Garbage Disposal, Evolution Excel. This offering from the company who invented the garbage disposal shows that they’re still running strong and still innovating.
It will pulverize food with a 1 horsepower motor and its jam-sensor circuit increases the spinning speed 5 times quicker to break through the toughest jams.
Another great feature is the auto-reverse grind feature. Many garbage disposals allow you to manually turn the blades in the opposite direction to help dislodge major blockages, but this one does the work for you.
InSinkErator has many models to choose from for the DIYers out there, but if replacing or installing a garbage disposal seems too daunting and you’d rather have a plumber come do it, then this model is a great pick.
A 7-year parts and in-home service warranty backs up this product that doesn’t just brag about what it could do, but what it actually does do.
InSinkErator Evolution Pro750
If you’ve got tight quarters under your sink and you’ll looking for a slim profile garbage disposal then for about half the price of Evolution Excel you can pick up a Evolution Pro750 model and get most of the same great features above in a smaller package.
Their SoundSeal technology delivers quiet performance versus a standard disposer. MultiGrind technology delivers 2 stages of grind vs. 1 stage in standard disposer and it includes a sound-reducing Quiet Collar Sink Baffle.
At 3/4 horsepower it can handle anything you can throw at it other than baseballs and marbles, but if you’re looking to grind those you’re reading the wrong post. It also comes with a 6-year parts warranty which is great for the industry.
Shop Around
Owning an old home brings many challenges, and since garbage disposals didn’t really hit the market until the 1940s in historical cusp and mid-century modern homes. Even then they weren’t immediately in every home, it’s common for people with classic homes to have to install a disposal themselves. As the homeowner now, you can look at your situation under the sink and decide what is best for you and your family.
There are many other makers and models to choose from in garbage disposals, but rather than getting the cheapest model at the home store take a look at some of these premium options.
These four offer everything from direct wiring to plug-in options, economical to professional-grade, and quiet to super-quiet. These are about the best garbage disposals you can install or have installed in your kitchen without getting that sinking feeling of regret.
Founder & Editor-in-Chief
I love old houses, working with my hands, and teaching others the excitment of doing it yourself! Everything is teachable if you only give it the chance.
“It will pulverize food with a 1 horsepower motor and its jam-sensor circuit increases the spinning speed 5 times quicker to break through the toughest jams.” Unfortunately, this statement is incorrect. Unless you are trying to power it from other than 60 Hertz AC, it is not possible to “increase the spinning speed”. The fastest it is capable of spinning is 1800 RPM (no load). Full load speed is 1725 RPM. When the motor stalls or is about to stall, the jam sensor circuit electronically (without a mechanical centrifugal starting switch) pulses the starting windings 60 times per second, substantially increasing motor torque (rotational force) through bursts of high inrush current, hence the “hammering” effect ISE advertises.