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How to Remove a Kitchen Aid Garbage Disposal

Dale Yalanovsky

KitchenAid began marketing garbage disposal units in 1968, calling them a "food waste disposer." Since then, they have commonly been referred to as garbage disposals, and are similar externally in all respects to garbage disposal units made by virtually every other company.

You can remove your KitchenAid garbage disposal with minimal tools.

Because of these similarities, any other brand name of disposal will readily retrofit into the place from where the KitchenAid unit has been removed.

  1. Turn off the power to the garbage disposal at the breaker panel before you continue.

  2. Unscrew the electrical access panel on the bottom of the KitchenAid disposal unit. Reach inside and pull out the wires.

  3. Unscrew the ground screw that connects the green wire to the inside of the garbage disposal unit. Pull off the green wire. Unscrew the wire nuts that attach the electrical wires onto the garbage disposal unit. Pull the wires apart.

  4. Remove the drain hose from the unit. Some KitchenAid disposals will be attached to the drain system by a drain elbow and a slip nut that directly attaches to the sink trap. A slip nut will loosen by either hand turning or by using a pipe wrench. A flexible rubber hose will be attached by a hose clamp, which must be removed with a screwdriver.

  5. Disconnect the body of the disposal unit from the mounting-ring assembly. Grasp the body of the unit firmly with one hand and support the bottom of the unit with the other. Give it a twist in a counterclockwise rotation until it releases and it will literally will fall into your supporting hand.

The Drip Cap

  • KitchenAid began marketing garbage disposal units in 1968, calling them a "food waste disposer." Turn off the power to the garbage disposal at the breaker panel before you continue.
  • Unscrew the ground screw that connects the green wire to the inside of the garbage disposal unit.
  • Some KitchenAid disposals will be attached to the drain system by a drain elbow and a slip nut that directly attaches to the sink trap.