SinkMaster Garbage Disposal Installation

Set the breaker switch feeding power to the garbage disposer to the "off" position before starting the installation.

Knock out the dishwasher plug situated on the upper barrel of the disposer with a hammer and a wooden dowel; do not use a sharp instrument such as a screwdriver. Note that this only applies if you are connecting a dishwasher to the system. If the plug happens to fall into the disposer, you may either try to fish it out with a pair of needle-nosed pliers or you can simply leave it; the disposer will grind up the plug the first time you switch the unit on.

Install a separately purchased dishwasher connector kit to the side of the disposer. Place the rubber gasket between the connector flange and the disposer. Attach the connector flange to the disposer with the two hex-head screws provided in the kit. Use a nut driver to tighten the nuts, but do not over-tighten.

Disassemble the EZ mount assembly on the disposer by loosening the hose clamp surrounding the rubber cushion mount with a screwdriver. Once the hose clamp is loose, rock the cushion mount sideways until the lip on the outside of the disposer slips out of the matching groove inside the cushion mount. Repeat by removing the sink flange. Practice installing the cushion mount a couple of times as follows.

Push the cushion mount onto the end of the threaded sink flange until you feel the groove on the inside of the cushion mount slip over the lip on the end of the flange. Use a motion similar to fitting a lid onto a plastic container. Repeat by inserting the disposer onto the other end of the cushion mount until the lip on the disposer inlet fits into its matching groove inside the cushion mount. Once set correctly, the cushion mount will be able to rotate freely while acting as a gasket between the disposer and the sink flange; practicing may take a few minutes, but doing so will simplify matters when you are working upside-down from below the sink.

Unscrew the upper support ring and the lower mount ring from the sink flange and remove the rubber gasket; leave the large fiber washer on the support ring. Place the rubber gasket over the sink drain outlet and insert the threaded sink flange into the sink opening. Note that the rubber gasket is designed for use on stainless steel sinks. If you have another type, such as porcelain, replace the rubber gasket with a ring of plumber's putty pressed onto the rim of the sink flange opening. Insert the sink flange and press downward to bed it in; do not rotate the sink flange once it is installed on top of plumber's putty.

Place the fiber washer over the exposed sink flange thread from underneath the sink; make sure the arrows printed on the fiber washer point upward. Thread the upper support ring clockwise onto the flange. Hand-tighten firmly until the sink flange cannot move. Insert the stopper into the sink and open the faucet for half a minute. Use a flashlight and paper towel to check for leaks from below the sink. Tighten the support ring further if necessary.

Thread the lower mount ring onto the flange. Install the cushion mount onto the protruding section of the sink flange from below the sink until the rim of the flange slips into the groove inside the cushion mount.

Remove the nut holding the cover plate onto the base of the disposer. Undo the two screws on the strain relief clamp attached to the electric wire inlet on the side of the disposer. Insert the end of the disposer electric cable and the exposed copper ground wire through the strain relief clamp and into the base of the disposer.

Bend the end of the bare copper earth wire into a U with a pair of needle-nosed pliers. Loosen the nut on the green earth terminal inside the base of the disposer. Slip the bent U end of the copper wire over the earth screw, with the washer on top of the copper wire. Tighten the green nut firmly with a nut driver.

Connect the live and neutral wires from the power cable to the live and neutral wires in the disposer. Twist the exposed ends of the two black wires tightly together. Screw a plastic cable nut firmly onto the twisted ends until the bare wires are covered. Join the two white wires together the same way. Tighten the screws on the strain relief clamp holding the cable to the side of the disposer. Replace the cover plate, thread the nut back on and tighten with a nut driver.

Loosen the hose clamp surrounding the cushion mount. Lift the disposer and insert the inlet into the cushion mount until you feel the lip machined onto the top of the disposer inlet slip into the matching groove inside the cushion mount. At this point, the disposer is able to rotate freely. In addition the tension supplied by the rubber cushion mount will hold the disposer in place without tightening the hose clamp.

Twist the disposer body until the downward facing outlet pipe lines up with the P-trap inlet attached to the sink drain pipe. Thread the plastic ring nut on the end of the P-trap onto the disposer outlet pipe. Tighten both ring nuts on the P-trap with a pair of channel pliers, but do not over-tighten.

Place a hose clamp over the outlet hose leading from the dishwasher. Push the hose over the dishwasher connector attached to the side of the disposer. Tighten the hose clamp firmly with a screwdriver. Once everything is lined up and connected, turn the mount ring on top of the cushion mount downward in a counterclockwise direction. Once it is hand-tight, tap the ears protruding from the mount ring lightly with a hammer until you hear it lock into place. At this point, the mount ring is unable to turn any further.

Tighten the large hose clamp surrounding the cushion mount firmly with a screwdriver to complete the installation.

Restore electric power to the disposer by switching the breaker switch to the "on" position. Turn the sink faucet on and flip the disposer switch above the sink to test the disposer. After turning the disposer off, leave the water running and check the plumbing below the sink and the top of the disposer for leaks. If one of the couplings in either end of the P-trap show signs of a leak, tighten the relevant ring nut a little further with the channel pliers.