Waste King L-8000 Legend Series 1.0-Horsepower Continuous Feed Waste Disposer
by Waste King
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Waste King L-8000 Legend Series 1.0-Horsepower Continuous Feed Waste Disposer
Customer Review: Former Badger owners considering the Waste King
Summary: 5 Stars
Our Waste King 8000 replaced an Insinkerator Badger 5 that cracked and began leaking. This review is for people in the same situation, and it's written to help you get your do-it-yourself installation right the first time. I'll refer to your old Badger as the "ISE."
*** SUMMARY: Either buy the 3101, then throw it out the next day and do it all over again when you're dissatisfied with the appearance, or don't buy the 3101 and do it right the first time. ***
Your ISE was probably mounted with a 3-bolt mounting system. You'll be able to tell by looking at the point where the ISE meets the sink. If you see three long bolts pointing straight up and down, spread out evenly around the cylinder, then that's what you have. This Waste King model is an EZ-mount, which is a different kind of mount. So you have two choices.
First choice: order the "3101 ISE Adapter Kit," which allows an EZ-mount Waste King to attach to an existing 3-bolt mount. This is definitely the easiest solution. HOWEVER, a couple things to consider. One, in the process of removing the ISE, you'll probably twist the mount enough to cause the old plumber's putty to begin disintegrating. If you have any sort of perfectionist streak in you or personal pride about your handyman abilities, you'll want to go to the hardware store to get new plumber's putty (about $2), disassemble the mount, clean it, and then put it all back together with a new layer of putty. This is almost exactly the same amount of work as if you'd just removed the 3-bolt mount, thrown it away, and freshly mounted the Waste King. Two, if you use the existing 3-bolt system, then your sink drain's rim will continue to say "IN-SINK-ERATOR" even though you probably now hate that brand for manufacturing a Badger that failed after only a few years. Toss it all out and you'll have a brand-new rim that proudly proclaims your new allegiance to Waste King.
Second choice: Skip the 3101 and switch to EZ-mount. I recommend this. It's not as hard as it might sound. You'll need to unscrew three bolts, then carefully pry out the metal ring that holds the whole thing in place. Toss it all out and you should be left with a sink drain hole that you can scrub clean (but resist the urge to turn on the faucet at this point!). Follow the easy instructions that came with the Waste King, and you'll be done in about 30 minutes.
As for the disposal itself compared to the Badger, a few things to consider:
- The sink opening is narrower. This means you'll need to chop that brown apple in half first.
- The Waste King makes a very brief, scary sound when you start it up. You'll think for a moment you dropped a spoon down the drain. But it's literally about a tenth of a second long, and the owner's manual says it's normal. Ours seems to have loosened up after a few days, and now it's barely noticeable.
- The new disposal is slightly quieter. I got used to a certain sound change that told me everything was (or all too often wasn't) ground up in the ISE. I'll need to retrain my ear.
- The disposal is a few inches longer than the Badger. But the connections are all at the same height (unless you do the 3101 method, which moves the connections about a half-inch lower). You might want to save the black L-shaped drain pipe from the Badger, because it has already been cut to the right size for the connection to your drain system.
All in all, we're very happy we took the time to investigate alternatives rather than reflexively ordering another Badger. The Waste King is a good product.
Customer Review: 3-bolt hardware versus EZ mount hardware = no problem...
Summary: 5 Stars
Couldn't be happier with the purchase.
Here are some facts:
1. This unit replaced a Badger-1 disposal which had come with our house when we bought it new in 2004. I didn't even know what type we had until I took it out. We had been happy with the Badger but it eventually stopped working. Doing some research after-the-fact, I learn the Badger-1 only has a 1/3 hp motor and 1 year warranty. The Waste King L-8000 has a full 1 hp motor and a lifetime (non-transferable) warranty.
2. Though the Badger-1 only had 1/3 of the power of the L-8000, the Waste King was actually quieter. We didn't think either of them was loud, but the Waste King was even quieter.
3. There are basically two types of disposal mounts nowadays. If you have an existing disposal, the odds are nearly 100% that it's installed utilizing either a 3-bolt mount system or the EZ mount system. If you are planning to replace a disposal that required a 3-bolt mount system (such as the Badger-1) with a disposal that requires the EZ mount system (such as the Waste King) you will also need to purchase the following adapter kit: Anaheim Mfg Co 3 Bolt Mount Adapter Kit 3101.
* The above adapter kit is sold here on Amazon for less than $10 and is very easy to install. All you do is swap out two pieces that came with your EZ mount disposal with the two pieces in the kit. You will then be able to connect your new EZ mount disposal to a sink that contains 3-bolt mount hardware. On a scale of 1-10, I would say that the difficulty factor was a 1 or 2. Easy! Additionally, Anaheim Mfg Co (the company that makes the adapter kit) is the same company that manufactures Waste King disposals. So, everything fit perfectly and effortlessly.
4. I had never done any plumbing but I was able to do this myself. Total time was around 2 hours... but I took my time and also (as the instructions recommended) took time to disassemble most of the plastic plumbing from underneath the sink and cleaned them out real well. I was surprised how much gunk had accumulated.
5. The instructions list nine items or tools it thinks you might need to get the job done... but you will likely need much less. I only needed two tools myself: a screwdriver and a hacksaw. The screwdriver was used to tighten the three screws of the 3-bolt mount system while the hacksaw was used to slightly shorten a couple plastic pieces (the horizontal sink pipe leading from main sink line to disposal & the discharge elbow coming off the disposal).
6. Another concern I had was whether the different lengths of the Badger disposal versus my Waste King disposal might cause plumbing alignment problems when I tried to put everything back together. It was not an issue. I'm now guessing the actual plumbing location within the different brands of disposals are standard. In other words, if one disposal is 16 inches deep while the other is 20 deep inches deep, both would have plumbing entering the disposal at 9 inches down from the top.
7. I bought this unit after seeing Consumer Reports (Aug 2009 issue) rate it highest out of six disposals they tested. They also showed the price as $230, so seeing it on Amazon for much less and reading all the positive reviews made it a no brainer.
Hope this helps!
Customer Review: Easy to install....no leaks...quiet
Summary: 5 Stars
This was an easy choice after reading all the good reviews.
It replaced an Insikerator Badger that was probably only about 6-7 years old, and which, when it broke, leaked and did damage to the cabinet under the sink before I discovered the leak. So I was very bitter about the Insikerator. I think one of the reviewers below said that that's why you'll want to remove the three bolt mount for your previous disposal and replace it with the EZ mount with the WASTE KING drain, all the parts for which are included in the box -- you'll never want to see the insikerator name in your kitchen again. Very true.
Full installation, with new mount/drain, was very easy. The only thing you'll have to buy in preparation for installation is plumbers putty if you're replacing the mount/drain (and maybe a few other parts for the electrical connection -- see below). I took the old disposal out while waiting for delivery of this one. So the whole process was maybe 20 minutes one day and an hour the next day.
I disagree with the few bad reviews about noise (it's very quiet) and size of the drain opening (yes, you can't fit your hand in when the guard is in place, but the the guard is easily removable and even the biggest man hand can fit in once it's removed).
Four pieces of advice:
- Don't put the guard in until the very end -- I don't mean the cap, I mean the little thing with the rubber flaps that keeps big things from falling into the disposal. I put mine in before I installed the disposal and when I installed the disposal under the sink the top of the disposal tore the tips of two of the flaps. So, for aesthetic reasons I'll have to replace the guard one of these days.
- Be generous with the plumbers putty -- the first time I wasn't, and there was a leak and I had to do it again (definitely test the drain for leaks before finishing).
- Although I *thought* I'd read every word of the instructions, I missed the part about knocking out the plastic cover to the dishwasher intake. I took me a little while to figure out why my dishwasher wasn't draining into the disposal. Fortunately, the little cap is made with material which can be chewed up by the disposal, so it was easy to solve once I realized the problem -- hammer and screwdriver, knock the cap into the disposal and run the disposal.
- I had to salvage some of the parts from old disposal's electrical connection. If you're not plugging this into an outlet and your old disposal wasn't connected properly, you might need a trip to the hardware store to get the pieces you need to safely connect the wiring.
It has been a couple weeks since installation and I've had no problems at all, so I'm very happy.
Customer Review: Easy Breezy Install
Summary: 4 Stars
I am far from being a plumber, but I am reasonably handy. My Waste King came on a Friday, and I had planned on spending a good part of Saturday getting it installed. After I knocked off of work for the day on Friday, I figured that I might as well get a head start and get some of the work done. Well.... After 1 hour, the new disposal was installed and ready to go. The hardest part was removing the 3 bolt collar from the old Insinkerator. Once I got that done, it was just a matter of installing the Waste King collar, mounting the disposal, and plugging it in. Everything worked fine, and no leaks. And best of all, it doesn't require a lot of tools to do the job. Others have posted to get the 3 bolt adaptor. You don't need it if you plan to use the Waste King collar that comes with the unit.
Tools/Items Needed:
Pliers, flat screwdriver, punch (for the plug in the dishwasher drain), hammer (to knock out the dishwasher plug), and plumbers putty if installing in a porcelain sink.
Keep in mind, I didn't have to do any electrical work.
The Waste King replaced a Insinkerator Badger 1 1/3 hp unit. Your typical budget builder special to say that there is a disposal included. It is a night and day difference between the two. While the Waste King is not silent, it is quite a bit more quiet than the Badger unit. Plus you can tell a difference in power that you get from adding 2/3 hp.
So, where did Waste King loose a star? Well, the case is plastic and looks a little cheap. While not a huge deal since it is under the sink, and I don't have to look at it. My expectations were a little out of line in that since this is such a highly rated unit both here and with Consumer Reports, I expected it to have a solid and not plastic shell. Plus, the other unit I was looking at was one of the top of line Insinkerators that had a $300 price tag on it that had a metal casing. But was the casing on the Insinkerator worth almost $200? I don't think so in this case.
I picked up my unit from Amazon since I have Prime. I could have saved just a dollar or two with another vendor on Amazon even though I would have to pay for shipping. However, I just thought it would be easier to use my Prime shipping benefits and deal with Amazon direct, plus I would know exactly when it would arrive.
While I don't have long term use results to post since this is a fresh install, I will update this review should I run into any problems with the unit. Since the unit was so easy to install, I thought it important to go ahead and share that along with what is needed for the install.
Customer Review: Back to the grind
Summary: 5 Stars
I replaced a piece of ISE Badger junk with this unit. When the ISE seized, the shaft seal went out, and it leaked internally. So I had no dishwasher unless I wanted to do the bucket brigade from below the disposer to the other side of the sink. Galvanized wetted parts plainly aren't the way to go for this service.
I had pretty well decided on the WK 3300 while researching / looking locally and then tried Amazon, finding it much cheaper. Since the WK 8000 was even cheaper, at the top of the Consumers Reports list, and Aneheim Mfg. offers a lifetime warranty (original purchaser), it was an obvious choice.
So I went the WK Direct / Cantex Trading route, with no problems. I ordered early on a Sunday morning; it arrived Wed. afternoon; and was running that nite. The paperwork says it came from Austin, TX. Included are both handwritten and printed notes that urge you to leave feedback at Amazon and contact them directly if you can't give 5 stars in every category; their staff receives bonus based on the feedback. Maybe when they shipped that customer the defective unit in early Sept., somebody at Cantex noticed the review, and has taken action to avoid a repeat.
EZ-mount: I was sure to get this, because I wanted the removable rubber baffle. (How else do you get the grunge off that thing?) It should be a simpler install for most people. Only concern is that the vibration will loosen the plastic locknut, but I guess the mfr. has looked at this. Anyway, it's accessible to tighten if it happens. Rubber gasket under the sink flange instead of messing with the plumber's putty - yea! Two-position locking ring (hold the unit up but let it swivel / locked in place) - yea!. The instructions implore you many times to be sure to get the lower cushion mount in right. If the locking ring would slide higher - up over the flange threads - it would really help with this feat.
Plumbing: Since this WK is larger in both height and diameter, this just required hack sawing the plastic pipe and outlet nozzle for a fit.
Electrical: Didn't have to disconnect the old unit; just cut the romex and installed a plug. No telling how many 2-prong female plugs there are in my house, but had to make the dash to the local hardware for a grounded one. Mounted the plugs high on the rear sink compartment wall with a zip tie to help avoid them seeing water.
Noise: Can't understand other comments; my unit is much quieter than the Badger 5, even without the detergent trick. It's a ss sink.