Always Something :)

So I decided to install the garbage disposal today. Funny how the disposal and the cutting/mounting the piping were no trouble... Having to remove the basket/drain on the sink next to the disposal (we have a double sink) ends up needing a hack saw and the plug below the sink needs to be rewired due to the shape of the dishwasher plug. You can stop reading now if you just want to know that everything eventually turned out great after a few "Really!?!"s and ""Oh Come On?!?!" s, not to mention a few laughs. Or keep reading to see how I became a more experienced plumber and electrician today.

To explain, at least in regards to the electricity. Everything gets finished, I check for leaks... no leaks. I plug in the disposal and it runs. I then turn off the switch and it still runs! The black plug is the disposal and the grey plug is the dishwasher. At first I think the switch had been bypassed but then think about how the bottom of the outlet is probably full power all the time and the top plug of the outlet is wired to the switch.

It seemed to be a simple fix at first... just move the grey dishwasher switch to the bottom outlet and plug the black disposal cord into the top. But, if you look closely you will see that due to the shape of the grey dishwasher cord, and the way that the 3 prong plug must be inserted - it blocks the top plug! And, as mentioned, moving it to the top plug would put the dishwasher on a switch and the disposal on constant power. I seriously contemplated just ripping out that 3rd ground prong on the dishwasher plug so I could turn it upside down and insert it on the bottom... but went with my better judgment of safety (after talking with my knowledgable father-in-law and watching people who have done it in electricity internet forums get chastised by other forum members "that's the dumbest thing you could ever do!"). So with that said, I turned off the breaker and moved the wires that needed to be moved. As mentioned in one of those forums as advice to some novice - Much better to fix the problem than to put a band-aid on it.

The picture shows everything after it was done... of course the plug still had to be put back on the wall.