Best Compact/Low Profile Garbage Disposals for Deep/Farmhouse Sinks

Garbage disposals are a necessity to pretty much any kitchen. They break food particles into smaller pieces so that water can wash them away, and they reduce odors by allowing you to dispose of food items rather than to have to dump them into the trash.

You are likely reading this article because you want to replace your current garbage disposal with a smaller one or because your current garbage disposal has broken down on you. This is completely normal, as most garbage disposals last about 15 years before they need to be replaced. But regardless of if your unit is broken or not, when you update your garbage disposal you will find that your unit will include more modern features like anti-jamming technology and will pack more of a punch in a more compact package.

Legal Considerations Before Buying a Garbage Disposal

Some places have restrictions against the installation and use of garbage disposals, so if there currently is not one in your home, we highly recommend that you check with your municipality. The main reasons for this is that some wastewater treatment plants are not equipped to handle certain types of waste. Also, certain municipalities may demand that kitchen sink garbage disposal units be up to a certain caliber, to grind the waste into small enough pieces that can be dealt with easily.

What to Look for in a Good Garbage Disposal

Beyond just the customer reviews, here are a few main factors that we look for when judging the best compact and low profile garbage disposals for deep sinks.

How Noisy They Are

Contrary to what some people may believe, louder does not always mean more powerful. In fact, many of the units on the market today are quieter than ever, while delivering more power than their older counterparts. Covers with soundproofing insulation and rubber gaskets are just some of the features that help reduce the sound that garbage disposals emit. Soundproof insulation is generally more expensive, but in our opinion, it is well worth it if noise is a major concern for you.

Horsepower and Size

How fast and efficiently disposal units grind food particles has to do with the horsepower and RPMs (number of turns per minute) of the unit. Most home garbage disposals come with 1/3, 1/2, 3/4, or 1 horsepower options. We typically recommend disposals with more horsepower because we usually find that they are also made up of higher quality materials that last for a longer period of time. That being said, units with higher horsepower usually also cost more and are larger than their more powerful counterparts, so they may not fit under your sink. The reason why higher horsepower units are larger is because the motors in those units are larger to help give the unit more power. If you are looking for a compact garbage disposal, we suggest that you measure the area available under your sink before buying a unit, and consider getting a unit that is small enough to fit under your sink, while being just large enough to easily serve your needs. This is especially the case if you prepare food often or have a household with more than 4 people in it.

How Often They Jam

A jammed garbage disposal can be inconvenient to deal with, especially if it happens often. To fix this issue, you will usually need to switch off the unit, manually clean the food out of the disposal, and then reset the disposal. This is why we highly recommend buying a unit that comes with anti-jamming functionality that can automatically sense a jam and attempt to dislodge it by reversing the blades.

Batch Feed vs Continuous Feed

As their names suggest, the major difference between these two types of garbage disposals is that continuous feed disposals permit food waste to be ground up on a continuous basis while batch feed disposals require you to grind food waste in batches. This happens because batch feed disposals require the drain cover to be removed and the disposal to not be on before they can work again. This gives batch feed disposals a slight safety edge over continuous feed disposals, but we generally recommend continuous feed disposals because they allow for faster and more efficient food grinding.

Hard-Wired vs Soft-Wired and Ease of Installation

Modern disposals are wired in 3 main ways and depending on the type of unit you have, they may need to be managed with a switch that is reachable from the sink. The three wiring options are a power cord and plug, a cord and plug that needs manual wiring, or cordless. Keep in mind that if you are putting a garbage disposal in a property that did not have one before, you will need to run power, install an outlet, and install a switch near the sink.

3 Top Short/Compact/Low Profile Garbage Disposals for Deep/Farmhouse Sinks

After comparing quite a few garbage disposals, we have compiled the following list of the best low profile garbage disposals for deep/farmhouse sinks based on the factors we listed above.

Best Bank for your Buck Pick: Waste King L-1001 Garbage Disposal with Power Cord, 1/2 HP

This is a great overall low profile garbage disposal and it comes at a great price! Here are some of the pros and cons that we discovered about this unit:

Pros:

1. It has a good size to power ratio. This disposal is highly compact at 5.25X5.25X12.75 in, but it still manages to have at least 1/2 horsepower and 2600 RPM, which should be enough for most households.
2. It is a continuous feed disposal.
3. It is a plugin unit that features Waste King’s EZ Mount technology so it does not require hard-wiring and it is easy to install. On top of that, it also comes with a video tutorial to help simplify the installation process.
4. It comes with anti-jam technology.
5. It is made of high quality stainless steel.
6. It is on the lower end of the pricing spectrum.

Cons:

1. It does not come with sound insulation technology.
2. While this is a great price for the 1/2 horsepower size, it may not be enough horsepower for some households, so you may want to opt for a slightly larger model if there is enough room underneath your sink and you need to use it often.

Best Overall Pick: Waste King L-3200 Garbage Disposal with Power Cord, 3/4 HP

It is no surprise that another Waste King disposal made it onto our list, as they make good quality products.

This unit features all of the great parts of the Waste King L-1001 with a slightly more powerful motor (3/4 horsepower and 2700 RPM) and sound insulation technology that helps keep it quiet. The great part about this product is that the price and size is still manageable for most people. Just keep in mind that this unit comes in at 7.5 x 7.5 x 13.75 in which is slightly larger than the Waste King L-1001, so you want to make sure that it fits in your cabinet.

Best Low Profile Garbage Disposal Conclusion

At the end of the day, getting a more compact unit does not mean you need to sacrifice power completely. Both the Waste King L-1001 and the Waste King L-3200 are great options for their respective prices and sizes, but we recommend going with the L-3200 model if your under sink space allows for it. It is still reasonably priced and you only buy a new disposal every 10–15 years, so in our opinion it is worth splurging a bit on the higher end model.

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