Higgs Boson wrote:
Latest visit, *to snake kitchen sink, cost $85.

and later:
I hardly used the disposal at all, and haven't for years..
decades!
[snip]
I HAVE always composted the stuff that's appropriate for compost, and
scraped meat, bones, etc
into garbage.So really don't need "teaching" thank you, though I know
the advice was well meant.

Given that you are looking for advice on snaking a sink and that
you've had it snaked and you are looking for a garbage disposal and
you didn't mention you compost most of your food waste, it's not
unreasonable to assume you're clogging your drain with food waste.

The question, then, is what IS constricting or blocking your sink
drain? Is it the disposal? If not, have you figured out what it is?
Seems to me that's a bigger concern than how to snake a drain or the
cost of an Insinkerator.

As to the cost question: my own practice is to find someone whose word
and work I trust, and pay them for that trust and work ethic. The
cheapest contractor in town may not be competent; then again, neither
may the most expensive one in town. If you don't trust what your Roto-
Rooter guy is telling you, get a second opinion - for peace of mind
alone it's money well-spent!