how long does a garbage disposal lastGarbage disposals are essential kitchen appliances, but even the best ones don’t last forever.

Depending on the model you buy, and how you use it, your garbage disposal could last as little as 3-5 years, or as many as 15.

Still, how long your garbage disposal lasts will depend on the model you choose and how you use it. While some seem to have problems from the moment they are installed, others might last more than a decade. Here’s a few factors that play into how long a garbage disposal will last.

How Do You Use Your Garbage Disposal?

Families that rarely use their garbage disposals, and never use it to grind up materials that are hard on the blades or motor, will get the most life out of their disposals. If you use your disposal daily and pour down foods that the manufacturer warns against, the disposal will wear out faster, naturally.

If you’ve poured greasy or fibrous foods into your garbage disposal it will have a shorter lifespan. Potatoes and banana peels will dull the blades and eventually make the disposal run slowly. Greasy foods like bacon and cooking oils can solidify and cause clogs that stress disposal parts until they break.

Quickly addressing slow or clogged garbage disposals can improve their lifespan, too. Slow disposals can be caused by stuck blades and clogged drain lines, which can put a lot of strain on the equipment.

Garbage Disposal Warranties

A garbage disposal warranty can give you an idea of how long a manufacturer expects a garbage disposal to last. They know when their product tends to break down, and certainly won’t offer a warranty past that point.

However, garbage disposal warranties vary widely. We’ve seen some warranties for one year, and other for five. In part, garbage disposal manufacturers may not want to offer a warranty for very long, as many people abuse their products and cause early failure.

That being said, the longer a warranty the longer lifespan you can typically expect of a garbage disposal. Or course, you have to balance the warranty against product reviews.

Should You Replace or Repair?

Is it worthwhile to repair your broken garbage disposal, or should you just replace it? While the costs of replacing can be high, if your garbage disposal is more than a few years old, it may be more cost efficient to replace it anyway. New garbage disposals last much longer than older models used to.

If you’re not sure how the math will work out, you can talk to your plumber about your options. They can tell you if your garbage disposal is likely to need more repairs in the future, so that you can estimate costs and decide which option is more worthwhile.

Also, your plumber may have advice about which garbage disposal brands they like, or models to avoid. Afterall, they are called to the worst garbage disposal problems and have some idea of which models cause the most trouble.

Simpson Plumbing can help you with any type of garbage disposal repair or installation in Discovery Bay and the surrounding area.