New Garbage Disposer

[sudsmaster]

Well, my Waste King has been having occasional jamming issues - it can't tolerate some things like bits of plastic wrap or a single rubber band, so I thought I'd shop around for a replacement. I've had my eye on the top-of-the-line Inskinerator Pro Excel, which my local appliance parts store carries. Never did find out the price...

Then tonite whilst picking up coupon items at Costco, saw that they had a 3/4 HP disposer for the rather low price of $70. "What the heck", I thought. "If it's a POS, then I can just return it any time for a full refund".

Only thing now, is, not sure if it's worth the effort to uninstall the old disposer and install this new one.

The new disposer is a "Titan T-960 Deluxe" from "Joneca Corp." Made in China, of course, but from "USA Design and Technology" ;-). What isn't?

Anyway, it's an attractive enough unit, with a nice silver finish. First thing I noticed out of the box was that the "through" of the drain is plastic, not stainless like the Waste King. This might be quieter but I wonder how durable it will be.

On the box, the following featurs are touted:

Removable splash guard (duh)

Speed mounting system (Insinkerator has it too)

Insulated sound shell - quiet running

"Torque Master grinding system" (whatever that is), "no failure due to rust"...

Laser sharp cutting ring (took a peek and didn't see any lasers, though), "Quick work of food waste".

Balanced turntable, "smooth, vibration free", (the Waste King never seems to vibrate much at all unless it's overloaded).

Stainless steel swivel impellers and cutting components (again, "no failure due to rust"). The Waste King has stainless swivel impellers as well, albeit a bit worn by now.

High rpm, high torque, permanent magnet motor, "fast grinding". Not sure what the Waste King has. Probably a perm magnet motor as well, since it doesn't appear to have brushes.

10 year limited warranty. (Insinkerator is max of 7 years).

I guess I call the local parts dealer and see how much the Insinkerator Pro Excel runs. It's probably a much better machine, with jam sensor, auto-reverse, a third stage of cutting ("undercutter disk") that will reduce drain clogging issues.

 

[sudsmaster]

Oops, meant to say the "throat" of the disposer, not the "through", is plastic.

 

[sudsmaster]

Oh, left out the

"Stainless steel armature shaft [on motor portion], no failure due to rust [again!]".

I also tried plugging the thing in by my desk (after removing all the accessories from the grind chamber . Wow, the thing really it torquey. Wanted to rip out of my hand and start grinding the office. Well enough of that. Not the quietest motor I've ever heard, though, but most of that sound will be muffled under the sink. Noticed that the sound insulation is open cell foam, whereas that on the ISE model is closed cell foam, which is probably much more effective.

 

[hoover1060]

Titan...

Is made in China?
I have seen the Titan models here and there on Ebay, its basically an Anaheim unit, but I guess made in China.
(I don't know if Anaheim models are made in China or not.

What you have is a decent enough made disposer, it will eat whatever you can give it, but it will not be all that quiet, certainly louder than your current WK or a new ISE.
The one part I hate about those disposers is the plastic mount. I would suggest using some kind of silicone sealer/caulk instead of plumbers putty because their mount is so thick.
Sounds like a deal at $70 too, give it a try and see how you like it!

 

[sudsmaster]

Thanks for the info! Well, yes, I believe this is an Anaheim model. The packaging and manual says it's made by Joneca Corp. I include a link to their website. Apparently Joneca is a "sister" company to Anaheim. I browsed through some of their pdf files for their disposers, and the features are very similar to the Titan, although for some reason they don't mention the Titan brand, or maybe I just haven't slogged through their slow pdf brochures to find it yet.

Anyway, they also have a nifty comparison chart between the Anaheim/Joneca line and Waste King and ISE models. The pros for the Titan is the perm magnet motor, which spins twice as fast as teh others, and achieves full torgue at startup, unlike induction motors (as in the WK and ISE lines) that only develop full torque after the secondary winding has taken over. So they say the Titan type of disposer will jam a lot less. We'll see about that!

I did find a single mention of Titan when searching their site - in the section about their Silver Guard option - which is apparently a pair of powerful magnets mounted external to the plastic throat, and which is supposed to trap metal utensils before then enter the disposer (although I'm not sure how they would trap real silver or non-magnetic stainless). Would probably work for bottle caps, though, which is sometimes an issue in my kitchen ;-).

The model that seems most similar to mine is the "Commodore Deluxe".

I also found a google hit on Titan, at Plumber's surplus.com. Here's their image of the same model, the Titan T-960.

And here's their description of the disposer:

Titan T-960 Deluxe 3/4 HP Food Waste Disposer by Joneca

Joneca Corporation is a sister company of Anaheim Marketing International, which has been a leader in the worldwide distribution of residential and commercial food waste disposers for over 22 years. Anaheim Marketing International has overseas offices in China, Japan, and the United Kingdom and markets disposers in over 50 different countries.

Joneca Corporation is the manufacturer and distributor of food waste disposers and water treatment products in the North American market.

The Titan Food Waste Disposers are one of the Bio Shield Series Disposers available for the North American market. These unique disposers contain Bio Shield, the anti-microbial agent incorporated in every engineered plastic component of the disposer that comes in contact with food waste. This anti-microbial property helps prevent bacteria from growing in the grinding chamber and therefore reduces bad odors. Titan also utilizes the TorqueMaster Balanced Grinding System whose balanced armature, turntable, and impellers helps deliver a smooth, quiet disposer operation. TorqueMaster provides the maximum torque necessary to grind your food waste quickly and efficiently. Another unique feature of the Deluxe Disposer is the included Silver Guard-magnetic protection against metal objects falling into the disposer. Septic Tank Safe.

Titan T-960 Deluxe 3/4 HP Food Waste Disposer by Joneca Features:
• Type of Feed: Continuous
• Types of On/Off Control Available: Wall Switch, Air Switch, Wireless Control Switch
• Motor: Single Phase
• HP: 3/4
• Volts: 120
• HZ: 60
• RPM: 2700
• Amp. (Avg. Load): 6.5 AMPS
• Power Cord Included
• Silver Guard-Magnetic Protection
• Cast Stainless Steel Impellers.
• Full Sound Insulation
• Comparable Units: Whirlaway 991, Waste Maid 458, Commodore 9100, Titan T-960, Waste King 3200, Waste King 3300, ISE Compact, ISE Essential, GE 720
Details and Features
Manufacturer and Model: Joneca Titan T-960
Color: Silver
Oversize: No

http://www.joneca.com/about_joneca.html

 

[sudsmaster]

A shot of the interior, showing the relatively slim permanent magnet motor of the Titan. I also am including a link to the Plumber's Surplus web site. Please note, they want $122 for what I got for $70 at Costco.

http://www.plumbersurplus.com/Prod/Titan-T-960-Deluxe-3-4-HP-Food-Waste-Disposer-by-Joneca/73429/Cat/544

 

[sudsmaster]

Also found the Anaheim Marketing website, which shows the full Titan line...

Much of the material is identical to that on the Joneco site.

I notice that Anaheim also makes the Waste King line... I wonder if this was by acquistion, because it's so unlike the Titan, Commodore, and Waste Maid lines...?

http://anaheimmarketing.com/titan_garbage_disposers.html

 

[hoover1060]

Anaheim acquired Waste KIng in 1994

Shortly thereafter ALL WK models were permanent magnet models. This Titan is almost identical to the Whirlaway PRO 984 which I have, the only difference is the mount. Whirlaway PRO and Waste King Custom Series use OLD WK's 3 bolt screw band mounting.

 

[toploader55]

Nothing...

Is made in this country anymore. How sad is that ???

 

[sudsmaster]

Nothing is made in this country any more...?

Hey, wait a minute. We still make anchor babies here!

;-)

 

[stevet]

Have you checked the Vikings?

As you probably have guessed, We had a Kitchenaid Disposer for many years even when disposers were illegal in NYC, and was very dismayed when Whirlpool stopped selling them. It seems that they either didnt want them or sold the line to Viking.
It looks like they still use the same designs as Hobart did with the solid brinding wheel(no swivelling impellers) with the double cutting shredding ring too. We always like the Kitchenaid and it lasted many years, In fact I left it in the basement kitchen in Valley Stream when we moved to Florida. Took the deluxe ISE with us from upstairs and left the KA downstairs.
Check the Viking Website for details. Pricey as always but still a good competitive choice

 

[sudsmaster]

I looked at the Vikings last night on-line. Nice, but can they match the $70 price of the Titan? LOL.

The Waste King jammed again yesterday on startup... time to give it a rest. Might run some ice cubes through it first to see if it sharpens the anvils at all. Probably not. Have to say, though, that the Titan seems flimsy and lightly constructed in comparison to the old original style Waste King.

I am thinking of putting a garbage disposer out in the yard to grind up things like bones for the compost pile. Will probably have to find an old discarded sink and stand to mount it on.

 

[johnb300m]

those look like the same internals and grinding wheel as our GE disposer at home. 2700 rpm too. but different grinding ring.

 

[hoover1060]

current Viking disposers

are now made by ISE, the disk and ring are very similar to the old Hobart KA design.

Suds you are right, that Titan is very flimsy compared to the Waste King you'll be replacing...

 

[sudsmaster]

Installed Titan this evening

While the DVD was recording "Jeeves and Wooster", I decided I had nothing better to do than to replace the Waste King. The deciding moment was after I sent a whole bin full of ice cubes down the Waste King, but it still took forever to grind one chicken bone - and never really finished the job. When it jammed on a bit of chicken cartilage, I sent a small lemon down it to freshen it up and then set about removing it.

The rest is perhaps predictable:

1) The 40 year old P-trap promptly split at the base of the curve, dumping its water into the under sink cabinet. Fortunately I'd stocked up on a lot of cheap terry towels and was able to mop it up before it hit any wood (the undersink cabinet floor is lined with spare vinyl sheeting that matches the rest of the kitchen floor).

2) The Waste King did not reliquish its grip on the sink willingly. But with some well placed knocks with a block of wood the insert came out of the hole intact (shaddup tog). I noticed a lot of old plumber's putty around the hole - which was funnel shaped. It's an old cast iron sink. I didn't like the look of the putty and thought that the rubber gasket belonged there instead. But the one supplied with the Titan was very thin, too thin to seal.

3) At the hardware store I found some heavy duty P trap components and some extra seals, and then spent some time looking for a thicker gasket. But the helpful middle eastern hardware guy educated me that I should only put putty between the flange and the sink. I got a fresh tub of plumber's putty but also a couple of thicker gaskets (packaged to sink drain fixtures).

4) Back at the sink, things went well enough. I re-read the installation manual and realized the thin rubber gasket was for stainless steel sinks only, so I abandoned that idea. The extra drain fittings will be going back to OSH tomorrow.

5) Kudos to Titan for selling a powerful disposer for so little. Brickbats to Titan for lousy quality control: one of the threaded inserts for attaching the metric screws that hold the drain fitting in place was partially blocked by extra bakelite/resin. I almost stripped out the threads trying to get the bolt in there, and then of course it dropped into the casing of the disposer and couldn't be shaken loose. I had to remove the outer covering - not easy since the power cord is sort of in the way - but after about 20 minutes got it off and found the bolt securely attached to the outside of the motor - no doubt enjoying the bonding with Titan's fabled permanent magnets. Then I had to take a dental pick to the clogged threads of the Titan, but eventually got the drain fitting attached. I'm very glad I decided to do this BEFORE I got the disposer attached under the sink.

6) The cast iron sink is so thick, and with the conical nature of its drain hole, the result was that the Titan's plastic drain fitting didn't have quite enough threads to hold the plastic tension ring. It would turn, turn, turn, and then pop loose. But I realized that I'd added a surplus of putty and resolved the issue by squeezing out as much as possible by hand, and then gradually inceasing tension on the threaded ring. I did this about 10 times until I was satisfied it wasn't going anywhere.

7) After some fussing with the dishwasher air gap (ancient but copper piping so I'm keeping it), and a major leak because I put a seal on the wrong side of a P-trap flange, I got the mightly Titan installed.

8) The Titan is definitely louder than the old Waste King. It's got a louder hum and vibration. However, the Titan grinds garbage MUCH MUCH FASTER and BETTER than the Old King. It would appear that the Waste King's cutters are all worn out, and the difference in speed and efficacy is night and day. So I can live with the increased noise just fine, esp since I can run the thing for much shorter times than I had to with the Waste King. Additionally, the Titan doesn't do all that ineffective clattering that the Waste King would do even with no load.

9) I'll look into seeing if I can rebuild the cutters on the Waste King. Meanwhile I'm thinking I might get another Titan for the patio kitchen sink, which has never had a disposer (but could use one).

10) Mission accomplished. All that remains is to clean up the disaster area on the kitchen floor ;-).

 

[tolivac]

The next acid test for your new Titan disposer is the test of time-How long did the old WK machine last?the new disposer will save both water and power since its new shredders are more efficient than the older WK worn ones.And the food particles should be smaller as well-the wider spaces between the older worn cutter would let larger peices fall thru.As disposers wear-the sizing slots get bigger or dull and the space between the rotating shedder wheel and shred ring get larger.

 

[sudsmaster]

Not sure of its exact age, but I believe the old Waste King is at least 28 years old.

Are the cutters rebuildable?

 

[hoover1060]

Waste King

The date of the Waste King was made will be in the serial number.

Congrats on the Titan install, they are decent disposers, if a bit on the loud side.
As to rebuilding the WK, Its not the cutter thats worn, probably a seal, with some water seeping into the top bearing.
Let us know how the Titan fares with some use.

 

[sudsmaster]

Well, what do I know

The Waste King is a Hushmaster Model SS5000, s/n 860707259. Made in Los Angeles. I'm guessing it was made in 1986, is that correct? That would make it 21 years old.

Not thinking that the bearing is bad, since the cutter plate turns easily by hand when the disposer is not jammed. I checked the leading edge of the stainless swivel cutters - it's quite worn and rounded. The circumferential cutting ring looks like it's cast iron, which is good, but the little projections on it appear to be worn as well. There appear to be undercutters but I didn't get a good look at them.

If I could disassemble the Waste King, I could put a new edge on the swivel cutters on a grinding wheel. That would be simple enough. The cutting ring would probably require replacement - I don't see a good way to sharpen that without reducing the profile of the projections, which are already fairly subtle.

The Titan is doing just fine. I tighted up on the quick connect fitting and that quieted it down a bit. I also invested in a $2 plastic strainer insert, which will help to keep flatware etc from getting into the disposer during normal sink use. Anaheim sells something called a "Silver Guard" which is a pair of semi-circular magnets placed under the sink outside the throat of the sink fitting, but since my flatware is 18-8 stainless and not at all attracted to a magnet, I doubt that it will prevent them from entering the disposer. It might help keep bottle caps out, but the plastic strainer will do that as well as keep non-magnetic stuff out.