Never cut into your walls or start working while there’s still power to the circuit, or else you could get electrocuted. If you aren’t sure what breakers control which room, contact an electrician to help you label them.
Typically, you would place outlets for garbage disposals underneath the sink or in a cabinet.
You can get electrical boxes from your local hardware store. The electrical boxes will hold the wires so they don’t get tangled or caught inside your walls. If you have an outlet for a dishwasher underneath your sink, you can also use it for your garbage disposal and don’t need to buy a new box.
If you can’t position the switch box right above the sink, try to keep it between the studs on either side of the sink since you’ll still be able to run wires down easily.
Keep the outlet and the switch between the same studs so you can run wires straight down. Otherwise, you may have to drill holes horizontally through the studs when you start wiring.
If you’re unable to cut through your wall with a drywall saw, you may need to contact a professional or use a reciprocating saw.
A 12/2 cord contains 1 black hot wire, 1 white neutral wire, and 1 green or bare ground wire. If you have a dishwasher, the electrician may connect the garbage disposal wiring to the same circuit.
You can buy 12/3 cord and wire fish tape from your local hardware store. A 12/3 cord has 1 black hot wire, 1 red hot wire, 1 white neutral wire, and 1 green or bare ground wire.
If you don’t see any holes on the back of the electrical boxes, you may need to punch them out with a screwdriver.
As you tighten the screws, the winged hinges on your electrical boxes will clamp to the drywall so the box doesn’t fall out.
You can splice a jumper wire onto another hot wire to provide electricity to another input.
Be careful not to cut through the interior wires, or else they will be too short to work with properly.
Avoid stripping off more than 1⁄2 inch (1. 3 cm) of insulation since you could increase the risk of an electrical short or fire.
You can use any kind of switch for your garbage disposal as long as it has set On and Off positions. The red wire powers the garbage disposal’s outlet when you turn the switch on.
The ground wires will carry electricity away from the disposal in case there’s an electrical surge.
The black wire will always carry power between the switch and the outlet.
Wire caps are small plastic pieces that hide exposed wiring and ensure the splice has a tight connection. You can buy them from your local hardware store. The splice now allows power to travel from the circuit to the switch and outlet.
The white wires do not attach to the switch at all. Instead, they will attach to the outlet to complete the circuit.
You do not have to attach a switch cover until you’re sure the wiring works properly.
If you damage the internal wires, cut them with wire cutters just below the damaged section. Avoid removing more insulation from the 12/3 cord since you could tangle the wires easier.
Don’t remove any more insulation from the wires since you could risk electrical problems or sparks later on.
You can buy a grounded outlet from your local hardware store. Avoid using outlets that don’t have grounding bars on them since they could short more easily and possibly cause shock or fire. You do not need to use a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlet, which shuts off power if there’s too much of an electrical load, for a garbage disposal.
The bottom receptacle on the outlet will always have power, so avoid plugging the garbage disposal into it. You can use the bottom outlet for a dishwasher if you have one.
The top outlet will only work when you turn on the switch. Since you broke off the tab between the brass screws, the top outlet will lose power when you turn off the switch.
The white wire is neutral and completes the circuit so power can flow through the outlet safely.
The grounding screw prevents you from getting any electrical injury by directing the current back to the circuit breaker.
Leave the outlet exposed for now so you can adjust the wiring if you need to.
Never put your hands inside a garbage disposal when it’s connected to power since you could seriously hurt yourself. If the garbage disposal doesn’t work, check the wire connections again. If you still can’t find a problem, turn off the circuit and contact an electrician.
