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Had a plumber try to tell me dishwashers need a garbage disposal - that's just wrong
Last month my tenant in Cincinnati called about a backed-up kitchen sink. I get there and her dad had already called a plumber who quoted her $600 to install a garbage disposal. Said it was necessary for the dishwasher to drain right. That's complete nonsense. I've been running a plumbing crew for 12 years and half the houses I work on don't have disposals. The dishwasher just needs a proper high loop or air gap in the drain line. I showed her how the existing setup just had a clog in the p-trap from food scraps she should have scraped into the trash. Cleared it with a snake in 20 minutes. Charged her $85 for the service call. Why do people push expensive unnecessary upgrades when a simple fix does the job? Anyone else run into tradesmen trying to upsell you on stuff you don't need?
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stellachen10d ago
Laughs at that quote. $600 for a garbage disposal? Must have been made of gold and installed by a brain surgeon. I swear some of these guys see a lady homeowner and just start throwing numbers around like it's a casino. Good on you for showing her the real problem was just a clogged p-trap from scraps, not a missing appliance.
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And that $600 quote perfectly shows why you always get a second opinion. I've seen the exact same trick pulled on elderly folks who don't know better. A high loop costs nothing to do yourself and takes five minutes with zip ties. The garbage disposal is just a fancy chopping block that hides clogs until it backs up worse. The real fix is just teaching people to scrape plates into the trash instead of rinsing everything down the sink. If you want proof, pop off your sink's cleanout cap sometime and see what's been sitting in there for years.
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