Garbage disposal flange too short for farmhouse sink

[gadolphus32]

I am trying to install a Waste King garbage disposal below a farmhouse sink. It is not working because the flange that came with the disposal is too short. The part at the top of the disposal that is supposed to screw onto the flange can't screw on because the threaded part of the flange does not stick out far enough below the sink.

I assume the problem is that my sink, being a farmhouse sink, is somewhat thicker than ordinary sinks. The Waste King advertisements and instructions don't have any warnings about the thing not being compatible with farmhouse sinks, but that seems to be the case.

Waste King manufactures extended flanges, but they are advertised as being compatible only with Waste King's 3-bolt mount disposals. Mine is the "EZ" mount model (there are no mounting bolts -- the disposal just kind of loops into the piece that is attached to the sink flange). I can't find any Waste King extended flanges that are advertised as compatible with the EZ mount disposals.

Any advice on solving this situation? Would a flange extender from another manufacturer work? Would the 3-bolt kind work even though it does not seem to be advertised as such? I don't have a sense of how generic disposal flanges are in practice.

 

[Terry]

What model number is it? I'm sorry you bought Waste King.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[gadolphus32]

What model number is it? I'm sorry you bought Waste King.

Ha, I guess I did not know any better.

The one I have is "Waste King Legend Series 1.0-Horsepower Continuous-Feed Garbage Disposal - (L-8000)."

 

[PorcelainVacation]

I have an Insinkerator and a farmhouse sink... I had no installation issues and plenty of thread. My sink is about 5/8" thick at the drain holes.

 

[FullySprinklered]

I'll defer to Donald Trump for the proper terminology for Waste King disposers.

 

[gadolphus32]

I'll defer to Donald Trump for the proper terminology for Waste King disposers.

I'm not sure how much his very stable genius qualities extend to the world of plumbing.

Any practical advice? Is there anything that you can typically do in this type of situation other than buying a flange extender?

Unfortunately, I can't return the Waste King.

 

[Stuff]

You could install the normal Insinkerator style 3-bolt mount, then the extender, and then use an adapter: total cost of $80 in parts. Maybe you won't need the extender as that is the pricey part.

https://www.amazon.com/InSinkErator-QLM-00-QuickLock-Mounting-Flange/dp/B000BQYBSU
https://www.amazon.com/InSinkErator-FLG-SSLG-Stainless-Flange-Polished/dp/B00084W5O2
https://www.amazon.com/Waste-King-Garbage-Disposal-Adapter/dp/B000HE6ECM

 

[Reach4]

Any practical advice? Is there anything that you can typically do in this type of situation other than buying a flange extender?

I would
1. Measure the thickness of your sink.
2. Call Waste King.

 

[Stuff]

A different issue to watch for: Verify that the trap arm coming out of the GD with an extender will be high enough to still match up with your plumbing.

 

[Michael Young]

I am trying to install a Waste King garbage disposal below a farmhouse sink. It is not working because the flange that came with the disposal is too short. The part at the top of the disposal that is supposed to screw onto the flange can't screw on because the threaded part of the flange does not stick out far enough below the sink.

I assume the problem is that my sink, being a farmhouse sink, is somewhat thicker than ordinary sinks. The Waste King advertisements and instructions don't have any warnings about the thing not being compatible with farmhouse sinks, but that seems to be the case.

Waste King manufactures extended flanges, but they are advertised as being compatible only with Waste King's 3-bolt mount disposals. Mine is the "EZ" mount model (there are no mounting bolts -- the disposal just kind of loops into the piece that is attached to the sink flange). I can't find any Waste King extended flanges that are advertised as compatible with the EZ mount disposals.

Any advice on solving this situation? Would a flange extender from another manufacturer work? Would the 3-bolt kind work even though it does not seem to be advertised as such? I don't have a sense of how generic disposal flanges are in practice.

#1: return the waste king to whoever you bought it from. #2: buy an insinkerator (I like the badger 5). on a thicker sink, you may have to use a grinder to make the three screws a little shorter so the screws don't prevent you from locking in the disposal.

 

[Terry]

The models above the Insinkerator Badger come with the standard and the short screws as an option for thick sinks.

 

[gadolphus32]

I would
1. Measure the thickness of your sink.
2. Call Waste King.

Seems like the most practical next step at this point. I'll call them on Monday and see if they have any solutions.

After some experimentation, I've discovered that if I install one of the pieces backwards, I can get the thing to fit. The piece that needs to be installed backwards is what they call the "support ring" on page 3 of this installation manual. If I try to install it the right way, it doesn't work because the threads (which are on the bottom of the support ring) don't come into contact with the threads on the flange. But turned upside-down, there is just enough contact to be able to thread it on. (It seems to screw on without issue even though the threads would be reversed in this case.)

Unless I really crank the hell out of the piece when screwing it onto the flange, though, water leaks from the bottom of the sink hole and down the side of the disposal. I suppose I could cover it in silicone and try to make it work that way, but I'd rather just do it the right way and not have to worry about water leaks.

Thanks all for the help so far.

 

[Reach4]

nless I really crank the hell out of the piece when screwing it onto the flange, though, water leaks from the bottom of the sink hole and down the side of the disposal. I suppose I could cover it in silicone and try to make it work that way, but I'd rather just do it the right way and not have to worry about water leaks.

Try to use putty and not silicone.

 

[Michael Young]

Try to use putty and not silicone.

I'm not a fan of plumber's putty. I definitely prefer 100% pure clear silicone. I'll put a bead of silicone (instead of plumber's putty). I've had near zero leaks using silicone. Not so with plumbers putty. Why do you guys prefer plumbers putty over silicone?

 

[Jadnashua]

Plumber's putty will allow things to be removed without cutting them away. There will be a time when you want to replace the garbage disposer. Depending on the material the sink is made of, you may need to be careful about the type of plumber's putty you choose...some use oil, that can stain a porous material, some don't.

 

[bobjones]

Can't help with the farmhouse sink problem, but thought i might mention that i used to share the disdain here for wasteking until i kept noticing (as a plumber) that i never have had to remove one of their plastic bodied models, to replace it. Ever. one of my customers has the cheap baseline plastic model from mid 90s, still works perfectly. I see plenty that are 10+ years old. so, for what it's worth, and even though they don't have an anti-jam wrench feature, IMHO the plastic-bodied stainless-stainless steel component Wasteking (which is most of their line) is superior to the Badger 5. wasteking also happens to have good customer service and longer warranties. I also like that, like the Insinkerator Evolution series, you can remove the baffle and get hand down in to clean; not the case with Badger 5. also, with Wasteking, don't have to install cord, which is helpful about 9o% of the time in my part of the US. Doesn't bother me if that's a minority opinion, but just thought i'd throw that out.

as to silicone versus putty, yes, putty very easy to remove and silicone a pain, but putty often leaks, especially on stainless steel, and silicone doesn't. i never use putty anymore on anything. most lav drains with putty, in my experience, will not hold water in the basin, because the opening is too large and will not hold the putty properly.

 

[Stuff]

Are those really old disposers still good at doing the actual grinding? I read somewhere that the blades get dull.

I got a Badger with a pre-installed cord a couple weeks ago from Home Depot and it was $15 less than the in store model without a cord. Doing this for a friend so trying to save her money and was willing to wait for it. It must have been a price glitch as it is now more expensive. Actually didn't notice it was the corded model until I opened the box so then made the decision not to remove the cord and had to install a receptacle.

I would think that better than putty or silicone would be a rubber gasket. Waste King uses them for their system but sticks with putty for the Insinkerator style mount. Maybe rubber only OK since the fitting is screwed on?

 

[bobjones]

i'll try the 25 year old wasteking next time i'm there. my guess is that it will grind perfectly fine because garbage disposals don't have blades, but impellers, and the impellers are not sharp, but completely dull and actually rounded. in my experience, until the impellers stop rotating, disposal will grind just fine. what causes the impeller to stop rotating is corrosion/rust. Badger 5's rust and eventually the impellers will stop rotating and eventually they will leak and eventually the deterioration of the metal will cause the disposal to jam on itself.

 

[Terry]

The last Waste King I tried to install leaked at the outlet, and the parts supplied wouldn't hold the fitting properly. We returned the disposer.
Maybe Bob could have installed it without water leaking all over. Maybe.