How to Change a Kitchen Garbage Disposal

Turn off the circuit breaker switch for the kitchen. Remove any items from the cabinet under the sink. Cover the bottom of the cabinet with rags to protect it from water or debris that may leak out as you work on the garbage disposal.

Open the access panel on the garbage disposal unit to expose the electrical wiring, if necessary. Some garbage disposals may not have this cover panel. Loosen the screws or nuts that hold the wires onto the terminals and disconnect the wires.

Use an adjustable wrench to loosen the nuts that connect the extension pipe to the bottom of the garbage disposal. Remove the extension pipe and set it aside if you will be using it again with the new disposal.

Disconnect the garbage disposal from the sink drain. Depending on the design of your disposal unit, there may be a metal collar that must be removed before the disposal can be pulled away from the drain. The hardware package for your garbage disposal should include a wrench to loosen this collar. If it did not come with one, you can purchase the right type of wrench at a hardware or plumbing supply store. Garbage disposals with no collar can simply be unscrewed from the sink drain by hand.

Screw the new garbage disposal into the sink drain and tighten the metal collar, if applicable to your unit. Attach the extension pipe to the bottom of the disposal and tighten the nuts. Connect the home's electrical wiring to the terminals of the garbage disposal. Tighten the screws or nuts to secure the wires and replace the access panel if your new disposal has one.

Turn the circuit breaker switch for the kitchen back on and test the garbage disposal.