Scraping your plates into the garbage makes for unpleasant odors in your trash. Why not send your leftovers down the drain? After all, many water treatment plants recycle food waste into fertilizer and energy. Let’s take a deeper look at these two in-sink waste disposals to see which one will be the best for you.
Waste King L-1001 Legend Series 1/2 HP Continuous Feed Operation Garbage Disposer (With Power Cord)
The Waste King brand has a few advantages over competitors. Their disposers grind quickly, tend to resist corrosion well, and they have excellent warranty service. The L-1001 is one of their top-selling models because it’s an inexpensive workhorse.
The 1/2Hp permanent magnet motor has a top speed of 2600rpm so it doesn’t take long to make your scraps disappear. But even as fast as it is, it’s quiet for an in-sink disposal. While the stainless steel impellers and galvanized steel grind plate pulverize peels and leftovers, the rubber baffle keeps mush from burping up into your sink.If you have a septic system, the L-1001 grinds up waste small enough that it should be safe for your tank to process.
This baffle is removable for cleaning unlike the baffles included with some competitors’ disposers. The steel components are all treated to be corrosion-resistant. Of course, the glass-filled polyester grind chamber doesn’t rust either. At just 12.68-inches tall, the L-1001 is small enough that it fits under most kitchen sinks.
This E-Z Mount disposal is fairly easy to install even for people without plumbing experience. At just 12.68-inches tall, the L-1001 is small enough that it fits under most kitchen sinks.Waste King includes illustrated instructions in the box. They recommend having these tools at hand: Phillips and flat blade screwdrivers, hacksaw, plumber’s putty, pipe wrench, hammer, strain relief, dishwasher connector kit (sold separately), and a wooden dowel or steel punch (for opening the hole for the dishwasher hose). Waste King provides a 3-foot long power cord for the L-1001 so you don’t need to wire it into your home’s electrical system.
If you’d like to send your dishwasher’s waste water to the disposer, you only need to knock out a pre-perforated hole on the side of the L-1001. Then you can connect a standard 7/8-inch hose.
Should the disposer jam, remove the turn off the power, remove the stopper and splash guard baffle, and remove the jammed object. There is a red reset button near the bottom of the grind chamber. Switch that and see if the jam has cleared. If the problem isn’t resolved, Waste King will send a repair person to your home to fix your L-1001 anytime during the 2-year warranty period. If you would prefer a longer warranty, check out the L-2600 described below.
More features of the Waste King L-1001:
- Measures 12.68 inches tall by 5.18 inches wide; weighs 7.60 pounds
- Comes with sink stopper, ABS waste elbow, power cord, and mounting system parts
Waste King L-2600 Legend Series 1/2 HP Continuous Feed Operation Garbage Disposal
The Waste King L-2600’s motor, stainless steel grinding components, and grinding chamber are all very similar or the same as the L-1001. The main differences between these two models are their size and shape, and their warranty.
The L-2600 is a littler taller and a little heavier than the L-1001. You can see that the body of the L-2600 has a mushroom shape while the L-1001 has a tubular form. They both come with Waste King’s E-Z Mount system for simple installation. Both have removable splash guards. Both are pretty quiet for the speed at which they grind. Like the L-1001, the L-2600 can be hooked up to a dishwasher and it’s safe for septic systems. For more details on operation and installation, take a look at the description of the L-1001 above.
The most important difference between these disposals is the length of their warranties. If you would prefer a 5-year warranty with free in-home repair, get the L-2600. The little increase in cost pays off with peace of mind for longer.
More features of the Waste King L-2600:
- Measures 13.43 inches tall by 7.62 inches wide; weighs 8.2 pounds
- Comes with3-footpower cord and mounting system parts
Recommendation
Either one of these in-sink food disposals are a good investment for your kitchen.
If you plan to get heavy use out of your disposer, get the L-2600. It has a 5-year warranty with free in-home repairs.
If the length of the warranty isn’t important to you, check both disposers to get the best price, or simply purchase the L-1001.
Click here to purchase Waste King L-1001 on Amazon.com!
Click here to purchase Waste King L-2600 on Amazon.com!