On Fri, 23 Apr 2010 08:58:50 -0700, SMS wrote:

On 22/04/10 4:33 AM, Mike wrote:

So what do you think? Is this fixable, or is a replacement disposal
the only viable way to go? If I do end up getting a plan to fix the
unit, it seems like pulling teh disposal from the sink will be the only
way to get down into the guts where the bolt meets the motor.

Almost certainly the "spinning bolt" is a threaded motor shaft.

Agreed. It's *just* possible that something could be done to fix it
(extending the broken shaft, moving the motor mounting points etc.) but
extremely unlikely - and if it broke once, it suggests there's something
wrong with the design (the shaft's of poor quality or just under-spec for
the job) and so it might just fail in the same way again.

And of course ignore all the people that tell you to forgo a disposal.
Disposals are keeping massive amounts of garbage out of landfills, and
they keep the kitchen much more sanitary. They also prevent clogs in
drain pipes which can be difficult and expensive to fix.

A composter is another way to reduce the amount of garbage you dump into
landfills.

Where I used to live, we had two garbage cans, one for landfill stuff and
one for compostable - each was picked up on alternate weeks. Maybe the OP
has such a scheme running locally...

cheers

Jules