Garbage disposal units are extremely common in the US but virtually unknown in Europe, mostly because of local regulations which ban them. What is the rationale behind this? Is there really a risk of damaging the local sewage if you install one despite the ban?
Why are sink-mounted garbage disposal units usually banned in Europe but allowed in the US
garbage-disposal
Related Solutions
The answer to your question depends completely on whether this node in the circuit is GFCI-protected. GFCI protection is an absolute must for your disposer; it's a high-amperage electric motor hooked up to your kitchen drain.
Since this J-box doesn't have a standard 3-prong outlet, you'll need to find another outlet on the same circuit; look for a countertop outlet nearby. Plug in an outlet tester (like the one below, available for $5-10 from your local big-box home improvement store), turn on the disposer, and hit the black button on the tester to short hot to ground, inducing a "ground fault".
If the disposer has GFCI protection, it will cut out, and you're golden as far as circuit safety. If not, you definitely need to rewire this J-box with a GFCI outlet.
Even if the disposer is GFCI protected, you have other problems. The outlet is in a "wet" place; you hope that the under-sink area never leaks, but there is always, always, a plumbing emergency at the kitchen sink at some point. To avoid a continuous ground fault through contact with standing water in the J-box (which would prevent you from resetting the GFCI until the whole area dried out), you should seal this area as best you can. A little adhesive spray foam to fill the gap between the wall and the back of the cabinet, followed by a layer of silicone adhesive caulk to waterproof the spray foam (people think spray foam is waterproof, but it really isn't), and a child-resistant outlet and plate with a rubber or neoprene gasket (and/or another dab of silicone) should keep the water out in any situation less than a full flood.
Have a look at the trap under your sink. Assuming it's PVC with large plastic nuts, all you should need is ChannelLock pliers:
Unscrew the trap from the wall and disposal, and clean the trap itself, or snake the drain going into the wall, depending on where your clog is. Be sure to have a bucket and towels handy since there will be water backed up before the clog and in the trap.
If you can't find the clog either in the trap or with the snake, and you know it's further down the drain (try running some water through the disposal and into the bucket with the trap out), then I have family that swear by these drain bladders that attach to a garden hose, get inserted into the drain (past the vent) and they swell up to seal your end of the pipe while sending water down until the clog is forced out:
Each one of these will cost around $20 give or take, well less than a visit from a plumber.
Related Topic
- How to fix garbage disposal leaking black sludge under sink
- Why does the garbage disposal blow “swamp gas” up the other sink
- Plumbing – How is garbage disposal installation different in a sink without an existing disposal
- Plumbing – Garbage disposal spins manually, but not on its own.
- Garbage Disposal – Fix Humming but Not Spinning Disposal
- Garbage disposal still works but the sink just does not drain
- Garbage disposal plugs up all the time
Best Answer
Part One: valid reasons
Different communities will have built different sewage treatment facilities, with different design load capacities. There are newer communities in various spots in the USA which actually require food waste to be Dispos-al-ed, as this cuts down on edible waste in dumps (reducing gas emission and vermin population). Their treatment facilities were built with capacity in mind. Other communities, or older regions, do not have such capacity and need to minimize the amount of solid waste in the sewer system.
Part Two actual reasons
Sadly, many laws and regulations get passed with the best of intentions, and 5or 10 or 50 years later the world has changed. Getting a legislature to review and fix old laws is almost as difficult as getting quarks to exist as solo particles.