Garbage Disposal Installation and Repair in Oshawa and Durham Region
A new garburator, a unit that hums but will not grind, or water dripping in the sink cabinet. We install, repair and replace food waste disposers and connect them properly to your drain and dishwasher.
Garbage disposal installation, which Hayes Plumbing provides across Oshawa and Durham Region, is mounting a food waste disposer (a garburator, as many Canadians call it) under the kitchen sink and connecting it to the drain, the trap, the dishwasher hose and a power supply. We also repair disposers that jam, trip or leak, and replace units that are past repair. Before a unit goes in, we check the sink opening, the space in the cabinet and the height of the drain, and when a dishwasher drains through the disposer we remove the inlet's knockout plug so it can drain. A disposer either plugs into an outlet under the sink or is wired directly; if a new outlet or circuit is needed, that part is electrical work for a Licensed Electrical Contractor. Every job ends with a water test of each joint.
What this service includes
New garbage disposal and garburator installation
Replacement of leaking, worn-out or tripping units
Repair of jammed and humming disposers
Dishwasher drain connection with the knockout plug removed
Sink flange, mounting and trap connections sealed and leak-tested
Continuous-feed and batch-feed models
Advice for homes on septic systems before a unit goes in
Kitchen drain clearing when the clog is past the disposer
Signs you need garbage disposal installation & repair
01The disposer hums but the grinding plate will not turn.
02The red reset button on the bottom of the unit keeps tripping.
03Water drips from the sink flange, the dishwasher hose connection or the disposer itself.
04The sink drains slowly or backs up when the disposer runs.
05A dishwasher connected to the disposer leaves water in the tub or will not drain.
06You are replacing the sink or renovating the kitchen and want a disposer added.
Our garbage disposal installation & repair process
01
Check the fit
We look at the sink opening, the cabinet space, the drain height, any dishwasher connection and the power supply before recommending a unit or a repair.
02
Written price
The in-home estimate is free, and you get the price in writing before work starts, including any trap or drain changes the job needs.
03
Install or repair
We seal the flange, hang the unit on its mounting ring, line the discharge tube up with the trap and, where a dishwasher drains through it, remove the knockout plug and route the hose with a high loop or air gap.
04
Test
We run water through the disposer, run a dishwasher drain cycle where there is one, and check the sink flange, mounting, tailpipe and dishwasher inlet for leaks.
Trusted for garbage disposal installation & repair across Durham Region.
Licensed plumbers, WSIB certified, BBB accredited and members of the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce.
Written pricing
Free in-home estimates and the price in writing before any work starts.
Local since 1961
Founded in Oshawa by Brian Hayes in 1961, with seven fully stocked service vehicles across Durham Region.
24/7 live operator
A real person answers emergency calls around the clock and dispatches from Oshawa.
What does garbage disposal installation & repair cost in Durham Region?
Our 2026 cost guide does not list a set price for garbage disposals, because the total depends on the unit, whether the sink flange, trap or drain height has to change, whether a dishwasher connects to the disposer and whether an electrician must add an outlet first. We provide a free in-home estimate and a written quote before any work begins. If the real problem is a clogged kitchen drain line past the disposer, our cost guide puts drain cleaning at $150 to $400, depending on the severity and location of the blockage.
Common questions about garbage disposal installation & repair in Oshawa and Durham Region.
Yes. Garburator is the common Canadian name for a garbage disposal, also called a food waste disposer: a unit under the kitchen sink that grinds food scraps so they can be rinsed into the drain.
Yes. The Region of Durham's Sewer Use By-law (No. 55-2013) has no rule against household disposers. It does prohibit discharges that could obstruct a sanitary sewer, naming bones and garbage among its examples, and it lists oil and grease among prohibited discharges. The Region asks residents to soak up fat, oil and grease with paper towel and put it in the green bin instead of the sink, because hot water and detergent do not stop grease from hardening in the sewer.
Check with your septic designer or installer first. The SepticSmart! homeowner guide, which the Durham Region Health Department links to, advises against using a garburator unless the septic system was designed for one. The Health Department approves private septic systems across Durham Region, except in Oshawa, where the City handles septic permits.
Not necessarily. A humming disposer that will not grind is often jammed. With the switch off, most units can be freed by working the hex wrench supplied with the disposer back and forth in the socket at the centre of the bottom, then pressing the red reset button. If it jams again, keeps tripping or leaks from the body, call us to repair or replace it.
It needs power under the sink: either an outlet the unit plugs into, controlled by a wall switch or a sink-top switch, or a hard-wired connection. If your kitchen has no outlet there, adding an outlet, switch or circuit is electrical work, and in Ontario anyone you hire for electrical work in your home must be a Licensed Electrical Contractor. We handle the plumbing and connect the unit to an existing outlet.
It depends on the unit, the drain and the electrical set-up, so we do not publish a flat price. The in-home estimate is free, and you get the price in writing before we start.
Sources
Local rules, programs and figures on this page come from these sources.
Learn why grease causes recurring kitchen sink clogs, which warning signs matter, and how professional drain cleaning helps restore flow in Oshawa homes.
