Installing a Garbage Disposal

LESLIE: Tony in New York is calling in with a plumbing question. What can we do for you?
 
TONY: Hi. My girlfriend and I just recently purchased a vacation home in Florida and I was wondering if – we were interested in getting a garbage disposal installed.
 
TOM: OK.
 
TONY: And I was wondering if that would be a project I can do on my own or would I have to hire – would you recommend me hiring a contractor or a plumber and if I had to hire somebody, would it be a contractor or would it be a plumber to do that job? I wasn’t sure how difficult it would be to install such a thing.
 
TOM: Well, have you done any plumbing or electrical work, Tony?
 
TONY: Really light stuff; nothing …
 
TOM: Because it involves both. I assume that this never had a disposer before.
 
TONY: No, it’s brand new construction.
 
TOM: Yeah. And it’s not wired for one; so there’s no outlet under the sink cabinet?
 
TONY: Yeah, not that I’m aware of. I’d have to check.
 
TOM: Yeah. You know, you’ve got to – it’s a bit of a project. I mean you could do it yourself but it’s a bit of a project. Here’s what’s involved.
 
First of all, you’ve got to get power down there. So that involves running a circuit or extending a circuit that you have so that you have an outlet down there because most disposers today are not hardwired; they have a plug and they have to be plugged in, so you actually have to install a receptacle.
 
Secondly, the plumbing itself, not terribly complicated since all the pipes are plastic but, you know, it’s a bit of a puzzle and it’s a difficult space to work in. So you may find that the time and the frustration factor would make it a lot easier for you to hire a plumber to do this. And you know, depending on the requirements of the area that you’re in, sometimes the plumbers will bring in electricians to do this work; sometimes they’ll do it themselves. I’d make sure that, in any case, you had a permit to get it done so that you can be assured it’s done correctly.
 
But because it’s a small space, because it involves both plumbing and electrical work, it may be best to have this one hired out.
 
TONY: OK, sounds good. Terrific.
 
TOM: You can get more sunshine time that way. (Leslie chuckles)
 
TONY: (chuckling) Yeah. Terrific. Thanks for the information. I greatly appreciate it.
 
TOM: You’re welcome, Tony. Good luck with that new house. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.