Garbage Disposal in San Diego
Under a San Diego sink, the age of the house decides whether this is a clean hour or a conversation about what else is going on down there.
No deposit. Pay when it's done. Or call John on (619) 928-6500.
San Diego specifics
What's different about Garbage Disposal here
In the pre-war bungalows of North Park, South Park and Kensington, the under-sink plumbing has usually been replaced at least once, but not always well, and it's common to find a mix of eras: an ABS trap joined to older galvanised, or a dishwasher line teed in somewhere unconventional. A disposal swap is a like-for-like replacement on the existing drain and existing outlet, and that's what I do. If I open the cabinet and find something that needs actual repair rather than reconnection, I'll show you and refer you to a plumber rather than quietly working around it.
These older kitchens also often have cast iron sinks, which are heavy and unforgiving about mounting-assembly alignment, and cabinets with less clearance than modern ones — a taller 3/4 horsepower unit doesn't always fit where a slim half-horse did. Clairemont, Bay Park and Mira Mesa kitchens are conventional and generally a clean swap. Downtown condos frequently have shared drain stacks and building rules about plumbing work; the swap itself is fine, but check whether your building wants notice.
Before you book, from San Diego
Clear the cabinet out and take a photo of what's under there before you buy — the trap, the dishwasher line, and whether the unit is plugged into an outlet or hardwired. In the older neighbourhoods that photo regularly changes what I'd recommend buying, because cabinet clearance is tighter than modern kitchens and a taller three-quarter horsepower unit doesn't always fit where a slim half-horse did. If you have a cast iron sink, mention it; the mounting assembly wants seating properly rather than forcing.
Getting to you
Parking is the variable that actually affects my schedule here. North Park, Hillcrest, and Ocean Beach are permit or metered street parking, and downtown buildings need a loading dock booking or a visitor spot arranged ahead. Tell me when you book and I'll build the time in rather than being late.
What's included
- Water and power shut off, old unit disconnected and removed
- New mounting assembly fitted and sealed to the sink flange
- Connected to the existing drain and dishwasher line
- Plugged into the existing outlet under the sink
- Run under water and checked for leaks at every joint
- Old unit hauled away
What I'll need from you
- The new disposal
- The cabinet under the sink cleared out
- To know where the shutoff is, if you have one
- How long it takes
- About an hour.
John
It's not jammed. It's finished. There's a difference.
Questions
Garbage Disposal in San Diego
Everything on the main garbage disposal page applies here too — same price, same inclusions.
Is this plumbing work?
It's a fixture replacement on the existing drain connection and existing outlet. No new plumbing runs, no repiping, no permit. If your under-sink plumbing turns out to need actual repair, I'll show you what I'm looking at and refer you to a plumber.
What if there's no outlet under my sink?
Then it's hardwired, and swapping a hardwired unit is still a like-for-like replacement I can do. What I can't do is add an outlet where there isn't one — that's permit work.
Which disposal should I buy?
For most kitchens, 1/2 to 3/4 horsepower is plenty. Text me a photo of what's under there now and I'll tell you what fits the space and the existing plumbing.
Do you take the old one away?
Yes, that's included.
Also in San Diego
Worth doing on the same trip
15–30 minutes to most neighborhoods each way. Adding a second job to one visit is the cheapest way to buy my time.
Garbage disposal replacement in San Diego
Across the city of San Diego the disposal call divides by kitchen age rather than by neighborhood. Anything remodelled in the last twenty years is a quick, predictable swap. Original kitchens in the pre-war central neighborhoods are the interesting ones, because a disposal there was almost always retrofitted long after the house was built — sometimes onto a drain arrangement that never anticipated one, and switched from wherever was convenient at the time. That history is invisible from above and obvious the moment the cabinet door opens. A photo taken inside with the doors open is enough for me to tell you which of the two you have before I come out.
San Diego? Send a photo and I'll confirm $169.
Same flat price as everywhere else I work. If the photo shows something that changes it, you'll know before I drive out.
Would rather type it out? Ask for a price here.