LEARNING CENTER KITCHEN
How Much Does It Cost to Replace a Garbage Disposal in Louisville?
The short answer
Replacing a garbage disposal in Louisville runs about $300 to $1,000. If you buy the unit yourself, install is $300–$400 (labor only). For us to supply and install, it’s $600–$700 for a 1/2 HP, $700–$800 for a 3/4 HP, and $800–$900 for a 1 HP. Flat pricing, and you’ll approve the exact number before we start.
What you’ll actually pay
Here’s the straight answer. If you buy your own disposal and we install it, you’re looking at $300–$400 for the labor. If you want us to supply the unit too, it’s $600–$700 for a 1/2 HP, $700–$800 for a 3/4 HP, and $800–$900 for a 1 HP. Those are flat prices off our pricebook. You’ll approve the exact number before we touch a wrench.
- You supply the unit, we install $300–$400. Labor only. Buy whatever disposal you like and we’ll put it in.
- 1/2 HP, supplied and installed $600–$700. Plenty of motor for most Louisville kitchens and everyday use.
- 3/4 HP, supplied and installed $700–$800. The middle of the ladder. A stronger grind for households that cook a lot.
- 1 HP, supplied and installed $800–$900. The most motor we install. For big households and kitchens that work the disposal hard.
What moves the price
Horsepower, mostly. The price climbs with the motor: $600–$700 for a 1/2 HP, $700–$800 for a 3/4 HP, and $800–$900 for a 1 HP. Bigger motors cost more to buy and they’re built heavier, so most of the gap is in the unit itself. Our labor doesn’t change much from size to size. For most Louisville kitchens a 1/2 HP is plenty. Step up if you’ve got a big household or you lean on the disposal every day.
Which disposal we install
We like the InSinkErator brand of garbage disposals. They’re solid units and parts are easy to get here in Louisville. But our install prices are set by the size and job type, not the brand. There’s no InSinkErator surcharge or discount baked into the numbers above. And if you already bought a different brand, we’ll still install it at the $300–$400 customer-supplied rate.
Repair or replace?
Most of the time a bad disposal is worth replacing, not repairing. The motors are sealed units, so once one hums without spinning, or starts leaking from the body itself, there’s not much to fix. And with Louisville’s moderately hard tap water (around 7 grains per gallon per Louisville Water Company’s 2023 report), mineral scale builds up in the drain plumbing under your sink over the years. If your unit’s getting up there in age and giving you trouble, a new one is usually the smarter spend.
We price these off a flat pricebook rate instead of averaging a stack of past tickets, so you get the same number every time, no matter when we last did one.
When this price is not for you
A few cases where our disposal number won’t be the right fit:
- You’re a committed DIYer If you’re comfortable swapping it yourself, a basic unit is cheap at the store and you won’t need us at all.
- The real problem is your drain line If the clog or leak is downstream of the disposal, that’s a different job at a different price. We’d figure out which it is first.
- You want the rock-bottom builder-grade unit We install units we’d put in our own homes. If you just want the cheapest thing on the shelf, buy it and we’ll install it at $300–$400.
Common questions we get
Can I buy my own garbage disposal and just have you install it?
Yes. That’s the $300–$400 customer-supplied rate, labor only. Buy whatever unit you like and we’ll put it in.
How much is a garbage disposal in Louisville, installed?
About $300 to $1,000. It’s $300–$400 if you supply the unit, $600–$700 for a 1/2 HP we supply, $700–$800 for a 3/4 HP, and $800–$900 for a 1 HP.
Why does the price jump between the 1/2 HP and the 1 HP?
It’s mostly the unit. Bigger motors cost more and are built heavier, so the price steps up with the horsepower: $600–$700, then $700–$800, then $800–$900. Our labor is about the same at each size.
Do you install InSinkErator disposals?
Yes, that’s the brand we like. Well built and easy to service here in Louisville. We can also install another brand you supply at the $300–$400 rate.
Is a more powerful disposal worth it?
For most kitchens a 1/2 HP handles daily use fine. Step up to a 3/4 or 1 HP if you run the disposal hard or have a bigger household. Each step up costs real money, so buy the motor you’ll actually use.
The next questions to ask
Not sure which disposal your kitchen needs?
Ask Goldie at goldenplumbingky.com/instant-estimate/