How long is the InSinkErator warranty?

InSinkErator's Badger Series manual sets the in-home full-service limited warranty by model:

InSinkErator's support page says to check your own manual for the warranty term. It uses a 10-year term only as an example of how to count, so don't read that as a promise for any particular model. The gray tag near the bottom of the disposer carries the serial number, which you'll need for any claim.

On the in-home part, InSinkErator's support page says all of its models provide in-home limited warranties, which it calls We Come To You. That means InSinkErator sends service to your house during the warranty period whenever your garbage disposal or instant hot water dispenser needs it. Your manual sets how long that lasts for your specific model.

At the latest of three dates. The manual says the warranty period begins on the later of the date your product is originally installed, the date of purchase (or delivery, if later) or the date of manufacture shown by the serial number. You'll need written documentation for the install or purchase date. If you can't supply either, InSinkErator decides the start date in its sole discretion, based on the serial number.

That's why a unit that sat in a warehouse before it was sold still gets its full term, counted from the later date. It's also why an install receipt from your plumber is worth keeping, and why you should photograph the gray tag on the day of installation, while it's easy to reach.

### How do you read the serial number?

InSinkErator's support page explains how to date a unit. The serial number is on the gray tag near the bottom of a garbage disposal, or attached to the tubes of an instant hot water dispenser. For the older format, the first two digits are the year of manufacture, so 15 means 2015, and the next two digits are the month, so 03 means March. InSinkErator notes that serial numbers switched to a new 10-digit format of numbers and letters starting in the summer of 2024.

InSinkErator's own worked example: if a model has a 10-year term and the serial number shows manufacture in March 2015, the product is covered until March 2025. If you have a receipt showing a December 2015 purchase, the coverage runs to December 2025. Apply the same arithmetic to your model's term, using whichever date is later: the manufacture date from the serial number, or the date on your install or purchase receipt.

Defects in materials or workmanship, for residential use by a consumer, and the warranty includes all replacement parts and labor costs. That's the headline, and it's a real difference from Moen and Delta, whose faucet warranties leave installation labor to you. Our page on whether Moen has a lifetime faucet warranty shows how a faucet warranty handles labor.

The remedy is repair or replacement of the product, at InSinkErator's election. If InSinkErator decides neither is practical, it may give you a refund of the purchase price or a credit toward another InSinkErator product. Service is provided at your home by an authorized service representative. If a unit is replaced rather than repaired, the replacement is covered only for the unexpired term of the original warranty period.

The warranty is provided to the original consumer owner and any subsequent owner of the residence where the disposer was originally installed. So if you buy a house with a disposer still in its term, that language suggests the coverage stays with the home. Have the previous owner's install or purchase date, or the serial number, ready.

InSinkErator lists these exclusions:

• Accident, alteration, misuse, abuse and neglect. That also covers failure to install, maintain, assemble or mount the disposer according to the manufacturer's instructions or local electrical and plumbing codes.
• Normal wear and tear. The manual names cosmetic rust, scratches and dents.
• Commercial or industrial installations. The warranty doesn't apply to those.
• Work by anyone other than an authorized service representative. InSinkErator says it isn't responsible for claims arising from that work, and only an authorized service representative may provide warranty service.

InSinkErator's limitation of liability also excludes incidental, special, indirect or consequential damages, including economic loss, and caps its liability at the price the original owner paid for the product. Some states don't allow those limits, so they may not apply to you. Water damage from a disposer leak would likely fall under that clause, which is why the manual tells you to inspect the disposer and plumbing fittings regularly for leaks.

### Does clearing a jam void the warranty?

The manual says the limited warranty is void if you attempt to repair the product. It also gives owners a User Maintenance section that includes releasing a jam with the supplied wrenchette and pressing the red reset button after the motor cools for 3 to 5 minutes. So the manual itself treats those steps as normal use, not repair. The manual doesn't define "repair," though, so if you're thinking about opening the unit or replacing internal parts, call InSinkErator first. Our page on what a humming garbage disposal is telling you walks through the jam steps.

InSinkErator's manual gives a short process.

1. 1Call the AnswerLine at 1-800-558-5700 or visit insinkerator.com. You can also write to the InSinkErator Service Center in Racine, Wisconsin.
2. 2Have your details ready. Provide your name, address, phone number and the model and serial number. On request, provide written confirmation of your install receipt date or your purchase receipt date.
3. 3Let InSinkErator decide coverage. The manufacturer or its authorized service representative determines, in its sole discretion, whether the product is covered.
4. 4Contact the authorized service center you're given. InSinkErator says you'll receive contact information for your closest one, and that's who provides the in-home repair or replacement.

The FTC advises saving the warranty and the receipt together, since the receipt proves the purchase date and that you're the original owner. That's good advice for a disposer too.

### What if the warranty has expired?

Then it's a normal plumbing repair or replacement. A disposer that hums, smells or drains slowly often needs cleaning or a jam cleared, not a new unit. See why a garbage disposal smells bad and why one drains slowly. If you'd rather have a licensed plumber handle a replacement or the drain connection, HQ Plumbing & Air is licensed and insured, gives free estimates and quotes an upfront price. A home warranty plan is a separate thing, and our page on whether a home warranty covers plumbing explains the difference.