I purchased this to replace in Insinkerator garbage disposal that only lasted about six years. Since I only use my disposal a handful of times per week and don't put bigger or harder things down it like bones, it should last much longer. But the last one keep getting clogged and then started leaking bad from the bottom (hello mess) so I decided to go with a new brand. The one thing that attracted me to this were the reviews stating how easy it was to deal with Moen if you have a problem and need a replacement. That is a big deal to me so I decided to give this one a try. Besides, Moen has a good reputation with their faucets so they appear to know a bit about plumbing stuff.
On the installation, I had a friend who is my building manager and very skilled at plumbing put this in. He has installed hundreds of disposals over the years so I definitely trusted his installation skills over mine. The main thing I should point out is that if you don't have an outlet under your sink and instead need to hardwire this, you will need another part. I didn't know if I had an outlet so I wanted to get one that had both options (I was away from home for a few days when I ordered this so I couldn't look). The description makes it sound like it's easy to use either option. Yes, the cord comes out easy, but a piece that is needed to hardwire it (sorry, I don't know what it was -- some small metal bit) only cost about $2 at my local hardware store so it's really unfortunate that they didn't simply include it in the box as it would have cost them even less and made the installation much easier. And certainly saved a few swear words (apologies to my neighbor). Moen, please take note on that. There were a few other issues during installation -- like the connectors not hooking up in the same place as my old one -- but luckily my friend is good at this so he was able to use some pieces off the old one to make things work. So don't throw out your old disposal because you may need to reuse a few bits from it (the pipe fittings on the side). Also, be sure to measure under your sink because this disposal is a bit longer than my old one and that is where some of the issues arose. It's not tons bigger, but enough to make the installation a bit more difficult. My biggest recommendation is to have this installed by someone who knows what they are doing because there were enough difficulties with the installation to make me very happy I didn't try to put it in by myself. In other words, it's not a standard job. After we had the right electrical bit, I'd say the entire installation and removal of the old one took about an hour.
As for how well it works, on that I am happy. It's a lot quieter and doesn't have the loud grinding sound my old one had, but this one is a tad less powerful (1/3 vs 1/2 horsepower, I believe). But since I'm not grinding up bones or small animals, it works well for what I need and I like that it's not as loud. I mostly just use it for small bits of leftover food and produce scraps that are safe to go down the drain (my friend has repeatedly drilled me about onion skins, potato peelings, and such that will clog up pipes). It does great on things like apples, peppers, etc. Plus, I like that the drain cover leaves a smaller hole for things to do down so I'm less likely to drop something down and have to reach for it (usually very gross and a bit scary). And if that does happen, it's easier to get things out of this one than my old one because it appears to be flatter on the bottom so you aren't reaching around sharp edges and into dark corners where God knows what you will find and have to touch. I do have to kind of shove things down the hole more often, but I prefer that to things falling down there unexpectedly. So on that note, it's a definite improvement. It works perfectly for what I need.
One other nice thing is the tool to fix the disposal if it jams. I've always had one of the small tools that you use on the bottom of the disposal to dislodge it if it gets stuck. But it stinks getting down under it and trying to find the hold to put the little wrench in. This disposal uses a larger tool -- that is included -- that you insert into the top of the unit through the drain -- much easier on my back and knees. And it's flat so I simply put a screw on the inside of the cabinet under my sink to hold it. It's also bigger so it's much easier to use. Just know that if you lose it, you'll probably have to order a new one from Moen because I'm pretty sure it's proprietary and not available at your local hardware store.
I'll add some photos and a video shortly, showing how loud it is.
I've only had it installed for a short time so I'll update if anything changes, but so far I am very pleased with this disposal. It appears to be very well made and feels solid when I use it. I haven't noticed any leaking and it's a lot quieter than my old one.
Emmanuel
James M.
Kdb