Kitchen and bath
Garbage disposal replacement cost
A 1/2 HP disposer is $130. Fitted, it is about $417 when the new unit twists onto the mount already in the sink, $497 when the mount changes, $564 the first time a kitchen has one — and $904 when that kitchen has no outlet under the sink, which is most of them. This prices the three jobs apart, puts the horsepower on a per-year footing, and covers the cord that is not in the box and the dishwasher plug that floods kitchens.
Written and edited by Pablo Ruiz Quintero
Last reviewed 2026-09-23 · Nothing you type leaves your browser
Garbage disposal replacement cost calculator
What is under the sink now
The unit is the small part. Whether there is a disposer there already, on which mount, and whether there is an outlet under the sink, is the price.
The new unit twists onto the flange already in the sink. Half an hour, no putty, no plumbing — the job the shop's installation offer and any handyman covers.
The right size for most kitchens. Galvanised grind chamber on the cheap ones, which is what rusts through.
Power
Look in the cabinet. A receptacle on the back wall, a cable coming through a cover plate, and a switch on the wall above the counter.
Plug it in.
Above the counter.
A cord and plug; the cord is sold separately.
Drains through the disposer. The knock-out plug comes out first.
On the sewer.
By the hour plus the trip.
Used only to pick a regional labour rate. It stays in your browser.
Replacing — same brand and mount
$417
1/2 HP · 0.8 h plus the trip · about $46 a year over 9 years
The same unit, the three jobs
same brand and mount $417 · different brand or mount $497 · first install $564 · first install with no outlet $904
Before the hose goes on
Knock out the dishwasher plug.
Every new disposer ships with a plastic plug in the dishwasher inlet. It comes out with a screwdriver and one tap, and if it stays in, the dishwasher cannot drain and the first cycle ends on the floor. It is the most common disposer call-back there is, and it costs nothing.
This sink, each horsepower
| 1/3 HP — basic | $382 | $64/yr |
| 1/2 HP — the usual | $417 | $46/yr |
| 3/4 HP — quieter, stainless | $502 | $42/yr |
| 1 HP — heavy use | $617 | $44/yr |
Same job, same sink. The right-hand column is the unit price spread over its years, and it is why the 3/4 HP is the cheap one.
One unit, four sinks
What is under the sink decides the price. The unit does not.
What to buy, and what the visit costs
- 1/2 HP — the usual
The right size for most kitchens. Galvanised grind chamber on the cheap ones, which is what rusts through.$130 - Cord kit
Most units come without a power cord. If it plugs in, this is the kit; if it is hardwired, it is a strain relief and a wire nut.$16 - 0.8 hours of a plumber
The new unit twists onto the flange already in the sink. Half an hour, no putty, no plumbing — the job the shop's installation offer and any handyman covers.$86 - Trip charge
More than the hour on a straight swap. It is the job.$160 - Taking the old one away
Twelve pounds of rusted steel. Some plumbers include it.$25
What it costs
National average. A 1/2 HP disposer, replacing — same brand and mount, dishwasher connected. Not included: a new sink or strainer, a drain line that is corroded beyond the trap, or a circuit that has to come from the panel.
The outlet under the sink is a GFCI, counted with the rest of the kitchen’s on the GFCI page; if it needs a circuit of its own, that starts at the panel.
Worth knowing
- Same brand, same mount: the new unit twists onto the flange already in the sink, and the whole job is $86 of labour on a $160 trip charge. It is the one plumbing job worth a handyman — $310 that way. Check the mount before buying: a three-bolt mount takes any three-bolt unit, whatever the badge.
- The dishwasher drains through the disposer, and every new unit ships with a plug in that inlet. It has to be knocked out — a screwdriver and a tap — before the hose goes on. Left in, the dishwasher cannot drain, and the first cycle ends on the kitchen floor. It is the single most common disposer call-back, and it is free.
- The power cord is not in the box. A cord kit is $16 and it is in the total; buying the unit without it is a second trip to the shop with the sink in pieces.
On this page — 5 sections
Three jobs with one name
The short version
- Same mount, $417. New mount, $497. First time, $564 — or $904 with no outlet.
- The unit is $130 of it. The trip charge is more than the labour on a swap.
- The 3/4 HP is the cheap one per year. Stainless, quiet, and it does not jam.
- Knock out the dishwasher plug. Buy the cord. Two free mistakes.
A garbage disposal is a $$130 appliance, and the question of what it costs to put in is really the question of what is under the sink already.
If there is a disposer on the same mount — and most are on the same three-bolt mount whatever the badge — the new one twists onto the flange that is already in the sink. Half an hour, no putty, no plumbing. If the mount is different, the old flange comes out, a new one goes in on a ring of putty, and the drain is remade to meet a unit of a different height: an hour. If there has never been one, the sink drain is reconfigured around the unit, the dishwasher hose is rerouted through it, and — in almost every kitchen that never had a disposer — there is no outlet in the cabinet. That is an electrician before the plumber, and it is the line that turns a $$564 job into $$904.
| With a plumber | With a handyman | |
|---|---|---|
| Same brand and mount | $417 | $310 |
| Different mount | $497 | $364 |
| First install, outlet there | $564 | Plumber's job |
| First install, no outlet | $904 | Plumber and electrician |
| The unit, in every row | $130 | $130 |
MaterialsEstimator, Garbage disposal replacement and installation price survey · checked 2026-09-23
The outlet is the surprise
A disposer plugs into a receptacle in the cabinet under the sink, on a cord of 18 to 36 inches, with a switch above the counter to run it. Kitchens that have had a disposer have that receptacle. Kitchens that have not, mostly do not — and under the current code a receptacle within six feet of a sink is GFCI-protected, which means it is an electrician’s job and not a plumber’s extra.
That is $$340 on this page, and it is the difference between the two first-installation prices. There is no way round it for a continuous-feed unit with a wall switch. There are two ways round the switch: an air switch on the counter, which works the unit through a tube of air, and a batch-feed unit, which runs only when its stopper is turned. Neither gets round the outlet.
$340
Outlet and switch
GFCI, in the cabinet
$38
An air switch
No switch, no electrician
$16
The cord kit
Not in the box
$160
The trip charge
0.8 h of work on a swap
National Fire Protection Association, NEC 422.16(B)(1) — Cord-and-plug connection of waste disposers, and 210.8(A) — GFCI in kitchens (2023) · checked 2026-09-23
Horsepower, by the year
The four sizes are $$95, $$130, $$215 and $$330. On a job that is mostly a trip charge, the step from a 1/2 to a 3/4 HP is $$85 on $$417 — and it buys stainless grinding components instead of galvanised ones that rust through, sound insulation, and a unit that does not jam on celery.
Spread over the years each one lasts, the order reverses: the 1/3 HP is $$64 a year, the 1/2 is $$46, the 3/4 is $$42. The cheap unit is the dear one, because it is the one that gets replaced — with another trip charge — first.
| Unit | Unit price | Fitted, same mount | Years | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/3 HP — basic | $95 | $382 | 6 | $64 |
| 1/2 HP — the usual | $130 | $417 | 9 | $46 |
| 3/4 HP — quieter, stainless | $215 | $502 | 12 | $42 |
| 1 HP — heavy use | $330 | $617 | 14 | $44 |
Same swap, same plumber. The last column is the one to buy on.
InSinkErator / Moen / Waste King, Food waste disposer installation manuals and specifications · checked 2026-09-23
On the day
Before anybody crawls under the sink
- Photograph the old mount. Three bolts on the collar is the common one, and a new unit on it twists on in minutes.
- Buy the cord kit with the unit. It is not in the box, and the sink is in pieces when you find out.
- Find the power: a receptacle on the cabinet wall, or a cable into the old unit through a cover plate. If neither, the electrician comes first.
- Knock out the dishwasher plug before the hose goes on. A screwdriver, one tap, and fish the plug out of the chamber.
- Plumber's putty under the flange if the flange is new. A dry flange drips a year later, from under the sink where nobody looks.
- Empty the cabinet. All of it. And put a towel down, because the trap has water in it.
- Run it with water for a minute afterwards, then run the dishwasher's drain cycle and look underneath.
The one leak that is not a mistake is the one from the bottom of the unit itself. That is the grind chamber rusted through, it is not repairable, and it is the sign the unit is done — usually at about the number of years in the table above.
What goes wrong
01Leaving the dishwasher knock-out in
The dishwasher cannot drain, and the first cycle ends on the kitchen floor. The most common disposer call-back there is.
Instead — Screwdriver, one tap, fish the plug out. Before the hose goes on.
02Buying the unit without the cord
It is not in the box, and the sink is disconnected when you discover it.
Instead — A $16 cord kit in the same basket — or none, if the old one was hardwired.
03Changing mounts for no reason
A different mount means the flange out, putty, and the drain remade: $80 more for the same result.
Instead — Match the mount. Most units share the three-bolt one, whatever the badge on the front.
04Booking a plumber for a same-mount swap
The trip charge is more than the 0.8 hours of work. It is the one plumbing job a handyman does as well.
Instead — A handyman, about $310 against $417.
05Being surprised by the electrician
A kitchen that never had a disposer almost never has an outlet under the sink, and adding one is a separate trade and a separate visit.
Instead — Look in the cabinet before booking anyone. If there is no receptacle, $340 is on the bill whoever fits the unit.
06The 1/3 HP because it is cheapest
It is $120 less than a 3/4 HP on a $417 job, and it jams, it is loud, and it rusts through first — with another trip charge when it does.
Instead — 3/4 HP, stainless, insulated. The cheapest unit per year in the table.
07A standard disposer on a septic system
It fills the tank with ground food years early, and pumping the tank costs more than the unit did.
Instead — A septic-rated unit with the enzyme cartridge, or no disposer.
08Repairing a unit that leaks from the bottom
That leak is the grind chamber rusted through. It is not a seal, and there is no part for it.
Instead — Replace it. On the same mount, it is the half-hour job.
- 01Look at what is thereA disposer, or a plain drain. If a disposer, photograph the collar where it meets the sink: three bolts is the common mount.
- 02Match the mount if you canA new unit on the same mount twists onto the old flange. It is half the labour and no plumbing.
- 03Find the powerA receptacle on the back wall of the cabinet, or a cable into the old unit. If there is neither and no disposer, an electrician comes first.
- 04Pick the horsepower by the year, not the priceA 3/4 HP stainless unit costs more and lasts longer, and per year it is the cheaper one.
- 05Buy the cord kit with the unitIt is not in the box, and the sink will be in pieces when you find out.
- 06Knock out the dishwasher plugBefore the hose goes on. Every time.
The receptacle a first installation needs is a GFCI within six feet of the sink, and it is cheaper counted with the rest of the kitchen’s than added on its own trip.
If there is no outlet under the sink- Mount
- The flange and collar in the sink drain that the unit hangs from. Most InSinkErator and Moen units share a three-bolt mount; Waste King uses its own. Same mount means the new unit twists onto the old flange.
- Flange
- The stainless ring in the sink hole, bedded in plumber's putty. It stays when the unit is swapped like for like, and comes out when the mount changes.
- Continuous feed
- The ordinary kind: runs while the switch is on, scraps go in while it runs. Needs a wall switch or an air switch.
- Batch feed
- Runs only when the stopper is turned in the drain, with the scraps already inside. No wall switch needed, and nothing can fall in while it runs.
- Air switch
- A button on the counter connected to the unit by a tube of air. Works the disposer without a wall switch or any wiring above the counter.
- Dishwasher knock-out
- The plastic plug in the dishwasher inlet of every new unit. Removed with a screwdriver and a tap before the hose goes on; left in, the dishwasher cannot drain.
- Cord kit
- The power cord, strain relief and wire nuts that a plug-in disposer needs and that almost no unit includes.
- Hardwired
- The cable from the switch runs straight into the unit through a cover plate, with no plug. Common in older kitchens, and it needs no cord kit.
- Grind chamber
- Where the scraps are ground against the wall by the impellers. Galvanised on cheap units, which is what rusts through; stainless on the ones that last.
- Septic-rated
- A unit that doses an enzyme cartridge with each use, so ground food breaks down in the tank instead of filling it. On a septic system, the alternative is no disposer.
- Trip charge
- What a plumber charges to arrive, about $160. On a straight swap it is more than the labour, which is why the swap is worth a handyman.
- Cost per year
- The fitted price divided by the years the unit lasts. It is the number that makes the 3/4 HP cheaper than the 1/3.
Common questions
- How much does it cost to replace a garbage disposal?
- About $417 fitted with a 1/2 HP unit when the new one goes on the same mount — $130 of unit, $16 of cord, 0.8 hours of a plumber and a $160 trip charge. A different brand or mount is about $497, because the flange comes out and the drain is remade. A handyman does the same-mount swap for about $310.
- How much does it cost to install a garbage disposal where there was none?
- About $564 when there is already an outlet under the sink, and $904 when there is not — which is most kitchens that never had one. The difference is an electrician: a GFCI receptacle in the cabinet and a switch above the counter, about $340, before the plumber can plug anything in. The plumber's part is remaking the drain around the unit and rerouting the dishwasher hose.
- What is the labour cost to replace a garbage disposal?
- About $246 for a same-mount swap — 0.8 hours at a plumber's rate plus the trip charge, and the trip charge is the larger half. $304 when the mount changes, $396 for a first installation, plus the electrician if there is no outlet.
- Can a handyman replace a garbage disposal?
- Yes, and for a like-for-like swap it is the sensible choice: about $310 against $417 with a plumber, for the same twist onto the same flange. A different mount is still within a handyman's range. A first installation remakes the drain and usually needs an outlet, and that is a plumber and an electrician.
- How much is a garbage disposal unit?
- $95 for a 1/3 HP, $130 for a 1/2 HP, $215 for a 3/4 HP with stainless grinding components and sound insulation, $330 for a 1 HP. Plus $16 for the cord kit that is not in the box. Spread over the years each lasts, the 3/4 HP is the cheapest of the four.
- What horsepower garbage disposal do I need?
- A 1/2 HP does most kitchens. The step to 3/4 HP buys stainless grind components that do not rust, sound insulation you can hear the difference of from the next room, and a unit that does not jam on fibrous scraps — for $85 more on a $417 job. Per year it comes out cheaper: $42 against $46 for the 1/2 and $64 for the 1/3.
- Can I replace a garbage disposal myself?
- It is one of the more forgiving jobs under a sink: $146 of unit and cord, an hour on your back. Breaker off, the old unit twists off the mount, the new one twists on; the drain is slip joints; the cord goes in under a cover plate. If the mount changes, the flange comes out and goes back in a ring of plumber's putty. Knock out the dishwasher plug before the hose goes on. The outlet, if there is not one, is the part to leave to an electrician.
- Why won't my dishwasher drain after a new disposal?
- The knock-out plug. Every new unit ships with a plastic plug in the dishwasher inlet, and it has to be knocked out — a screwdriver and one tap — before the dishwasher hose goes on. Left in, the dishwasher has nowhere to drain and the first cycle ends on the floor. It is the most common disposer call-back there is.
- Does a garbage disposal come with a power cord?
- Almost never. A cord kit is about $16 — cord, strain relief, wire nuts — and it goes in the basket with the unit. If the old unit was hardwired, no cord is needed: the cable goes straight into the new one through the cover plate.
- What if there is no wall switch?
- An air switch — a button on the counter that works the unit through a tube of air — is about $38 and needs no electrician. A batch-feed unit, which runs only when its stopper is turned, needs no switch at all and is the safer choice with children. Adding a wall switch to a hardwired unit is an electrician, about $190.
- Can I have a garbage disposal on a septic system?
- With a septic-rated unit, which doses an enzyme with every use so the ground food breaks down instead of filling the tank — about $100 more, $517 fitted. A standard disposer on a septic system brings the next pump-out years forward. The other honest answer is not to have one.
- How long does a garbage disposal last?
- 6 years for a 1/3 HP, 9 for a 1/2, 12 for a 3/4 with stainless components, 14 for a 1 HP. What ends them is the galvanised grind chamber rusting through on the cheap ones, and a leak from the bottom of the unit is that — it is not repairable, and it is the sign to replace.
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About the author
Pablo Ruiz Quintero — Editor
Editor of MaterialsEstimator. Decides which documents count as a source, what every default value is, and where the line sits between what the reader parses and what the engines compute.
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