My garbage disposal quit working a months ago, and along the way I also noticed that the disposal side of the sink(2 basin) seemed very slow to drain. This past week, my dishwasher also started overflowing(primarily out the overflow, but on one occasion out the front-that was accompanied by the disposal side of the sink filling up with water also).

I finally buckled down this evening and pulled the disposal off. AFAIK, it's original to when the townhome was built in 2006, and it's pretty nasty and crusty(and totally seized up). I capped off the drain on that side of the sink, and filling the disposal with water it's VERY slow to drain out-I'm guessing this is the source of both my dishwasher and slow basin drain(the dishwasher drain is connected to the disposal). Given that there's no wiring to speak of involved(it has a standard GFCI outlet under the sink that the disposal plugs into) I can't imagine that replacing it is beyond my capabilities. Aside from cleaning up the flange in the drain and putting some fresh plumber's putty around it, it looks like a bolt-on job.

What I just pulled out is a Badger 1 1/3 HP. It seems to be the same as this

https://www.lowes.com/pd/InSinkErator-Badger-1-1-3-HP-Continuous-Feed-Garbage-Disposal/1267193

That seems the obvious replacement since-assuming it hasn't changed in ~13 years-it should bolt right on without any plumbing configuration. For obvious reasons, that gets a strong nod.

With that said, I'm wondering if it's worth an upgrade. I'm going to be moving/selling in the next year. I hate to kick the problem to the next owner, but at the same time longevity isn't a huge concern for me. My single biggest use for it is to dispose of the remains of the couple of apples a week I eat, and it rarely sees much beyond other fruit(oranges, peaches, and the like).

Is it worthwhile to step up to a 1/2 HP unit? What about a different brand? There again, I'm trying to avoid a plumber bill(I'm still hurting from a water heater two weeks ago, which was extra expensive since whatever moron designed the place thought a closet 8 ft in the air was a good location) and would prefer something ideally that's as close to plug and play as I can make it. FWIW, the current plumbing configuration has a rubber flex hose coming in for the dishwasher drain, and then a PVC attached out the side using what looks like a distributor clamp on an engine. It's about a foot of straight PVC pipe over to where it Ts with the drain from the right basin, and then the combined ones run down into the trap and from there out of the cabinet.

Any thoughts on this?

When i bought our first home 30 years ago my wife started destroying the things. After three minor upgrades i put in the biggest baddest unit available. I believe that disposal is still going (i know the folks that bought it). 16 years ago i built this house and did the same thing. And again I’ve never thought about it again.

Last year my son started homeownership and history repeated itself. Young housewives, I expect, are part of the problem.

In any event, I’m about 1hp, auto-reverse, stainless steel baskets and shafts and etc.

Yes its overkill. But i do most things like that, and i get a premium for things i sell, so it works out. All 3 of mine have been insinkerators...

For two apple cores a week save yourself some money and just put them in the garbage.

I'd buy a waste king.. they make an adapter flange so its simple bolt on too.

if you have a hacksaw the drain pipe should be easy to fit

I replaced a .5hp badger with a 1hp waste king and the pipe mods took about 5min with a hacksaw... and 10min watching youtube because the adapter flange installation is sorta backwards/counter-intuitive.(but easy)

1/3hp $45
https://www.amazon.com/Waste-King-L...waste+king&qid=1573796522&sr=8-8

3/4 hp $95
https://www.amazon.com/Waste-King-L...waste+king&qid=1573796576&sr=8-4

here is the adapter flange
https://www.amazon.com/Waste-King-G...ng+adapter&qid=1573796660&sr=8-9

What do you mean by two apple cores?

I vote drop in tye same unit that came out. make sure the unit is physically the same so all your connections match. you got 13 years out of this one, cant complain about that for a $99 unit.

replacement is easy. i didn't bother changing the sink drain. just unbolt from the drain and pipes then bolt in the new on,

quick and easy and you are ready for another 10+ years, those badgers come in every new built home ive been in,

If you're selling soon then it's not worth the upgrade. If you were staying long term I'd make a case for a higher quality disposer, but not this time.

If you are planning to move I would just delete the disposal and plumb it normally.

Me too. Never understood the love for disposal units. Just throw the food in the trash.

My previous apartment had an insinkerator. Every year it would have to get replaced. It would either burn the motor up or start leaking. At one point it started leaking water out the power cord!

Answer: People hate having to take out the trash. Consequently a "normal" size trash can/will start to stink before it's even full when you're dealing with a small household. Esp in the summer.

I upgraded (can't remember which one) a couple of months ago when our 9-year-old base-model Badger seized. Quite a bit larger in diameter, and a little taller, but man is it quiet in comparison. You could hear the badger from the other side of the house, but you have to turn off the faucet to hear this one running. Takes up more room under the sink, and I had to re-do most of the pipes because the output was lower. Not sure it's worth all that just to move away soon.

Install a high-end disposal in your new house. The quiet is worth it.

x2 for wasteking.

I put the 1 HP, at that time cost around $90, now a little more but with LT warranty.
The previous one was Wasteking 1/2 HP and last me about 10 years.

The 1/2HP replaced an ISE and it was easy to replace.
You can get the 1/2HP wasteking if you want cheap.

Replace with a like unit. Why spend more?

If an upgrade is in the budget, I would do it.
I bought a couple from Costco as the price is generally pretty good.