I have done posts in the past about poor wiring to garbage disposers. I see this kind of defect so often that repetition is warranted.
Anyone can go to the Big Orange Tool Box or similar types of home maintenance stores and buy a garbage disposer—it is that simple. So how difficult can it be to hook it up?
It is usually the hook up to the electrical supply that is messed up. This is especially so when there is no plug-in type cord, and instead the disposer is “hard-wired.” All “hard-wired” means is that the unit can’t be unplugged—-and instead is wired continuously all the way to the breaker panel. There is nothing inherently wrong with the disposer being wired this way. But when it is wired this way, it is important that the wire that runs from the wall to the disposal be the correct type of wire and that the wire be properly protected from mechanical damage. Typically this wire is run in flexible conduit from the connection at the wall.
Installers that don’t know proper connection methods (aren’t electricians) sometimes just hook the wire that comes through the wall directly to the disposer. In the following picture we can see where the wires have been run inside flexible conduit, but the conduit is badly damaged at the wall in the background and is not connected properly to the disposer in the foreground. Notice also that the ground wire is not connected to the disposer. It is important for disposers to be properly grounded to prevent persons contacting the disposal from being part of a potential path to ground in the event of a short in the unit.
In this case, it seems the installer knew the wiring should be in conduit but they just didn’t know how to make the connections at the ends of the conduit—-resulting in: I “cantduit.”
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Charles Buell, Seattle Home Inspector
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I like your post. It was very informative. I have a question that perhaps you can answer. We have a disposal under the sink that is wired as a typical plug-in type cord. A home inspector listed that there is a missing or loose conduit wire at the base of our unit under the sink, but when I look at it, the set up and installation looks perfectly fine and normal. Do you know what this inspector might be referring to?
Here is a link to the underside of a disposal that looks identical to the one under our sink (not related to the highlighted section of the picture): http://www.thehandyblog.com/Images/Garbage_Disposal_Reset_Button.JPG
Yes, the connector that protects the wire where it runs inside the disposer is missing 🙂
Thanks for your post. We are in the process of replacing our hard-wired insinkerator and noticed that there wasn’t a ground wire running through the flexible conduit connected to our old disposal (only a red and white wire). It seems that there should be a ground wire connection — do we need one run, or is it possible that it’s grounded another way?
Thanks!
Typically there will still be a ground inside the conduit. Check with an electrician in your area.
The wire hard wired to my garbage disposal
Is not covered. I put liquid tight conduit over the wire and connectors on the pipe coming out of the wall and the dispol unit.
Is the code?
Per NEC it likely did not need to be covered. Liquid tight would likely be fine with the right connectors etc.
Great post! Very informative! Thank you. I removed my garbage disposer, it was hard wired, with proper metal flex conduit and connectors. I love in California. I won’t be installing a new one, ever, don’t use it, don’t need it! What can I do with the 34” flex conduit under the sink?
Just mount a junction box on the side of the cabinet in the back and terminate the flex in it.