Seekling solid, reliable and idiot proof way to "switch" Kitchen Disposal motor on and off

Hi - long story short but i installed a kitchen disposal unit and right now i am switching it with a manual rocker switch under the sink. This isn’t ideal and i was hoping to just “zwave” enable it using my old trusty GE Zwave appliance plug module. Tested from my phone, it turns the disposal on/off from ST hub v2 with only milliseconds of delay (can’t even notice). My other elegant option was to drill a hole in the marble counter (yikes) and put a air switch which i don’t want to do.

I searched high and low last night for a “reliable” simple button that anybody could press to turn it on and off. Amazing no such animal exists yet:) The Fibaro button looked awesome but reviews were horrific. Almost any battery powered simple button had numerous issues with response time, waking up etc. I need reliability as if there is an issue/jam with the motor i can’t have sub optimal wait times.

This led me to looking at the GoControl or the Leviton Zwave Plus wall switch to have it act like a remote for the GE module under sink. There is a outlet near the sink we never use so was going to install a zwave plus switch and wire no load - just have it act as a remote control.

What is my most reliable option? I can grab the Leviton zwave plus switch from local home depot and return it if it doesn’t work. Will this switch still control the GE module if the ST goes offline or does hub need to be online?

Many thanks all!!

I would have the switch that is under the sink moved (by electrician) to the wall behind the sink (or nearby). I would never, ever use a SmartSwitch to control a Garbage disposal. What if someone accidentally turned it on while someone had their hand in their. Or, also bad, turned it on without the water running and left it on for hours? Goodbye disposal. Plus, I don’t think that would even come close to meeting code. I would just have the switch moved to a more convenient place which is not really that hard to do.

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Not an option for me given the way kichen and backsplash is done. Easier for me to drill the marble and do an airswitch.

Still looking for opinions on below. Not if we are servicing the disposal, there will be a manual toggle switch under sink that will cut power to the GE module and disposal so i’m not too worried about safety from that perspective.

What about the front face of the counter facing out?

Not an option either… i don’t want to alter cabinets or marble:) Will the newer Leviton Zwave Plus paddle switch be a good reliable option (the one that Homedepot carries)?

I don’t think you’ll get anyone to recommend which switch is best here for the reasons already stated. There’s just no way to set this up safely…

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I can only echo. Any kind of smart switch on a disposal is simply not a good idea (and inherently unsafe). These devices can and do switch themselves on at random (search the forum for reports of devices turning themselves on at random).

My disposal is the only dumb switch left in my house. It will stay that way.

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'Nuff said. :wink:

The only solid, reliable, and (mostly) idiotproof way to switch the kitchen disposal motor on and off is manually.

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Garborator controls are supposed to be within reach of the sink. Under the counter doesn’t really count in my book.

The best option would be to fish a new wire to the unused outlet box from the garborator.

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SmartThings official product usage guidelines also say it should not be used for this type of use case:

In no case should SmartThings be used to control any devices that are explicitly marked with safety warnings or hazard warnings. For example, don’t install SmartThings to control your circular saw.

https://www.smartthings.com/guidelines

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Even when someone thinks up an idea of the many ways to automate things, it just amuses me that they don’t immediately let “common sense” take over and say, “not smart”, “cool but not safe”, “nah”, “what a horrible idea”.

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should!!!

Not a sound idea. It’s already bad enough that this type of accident happens with a dumb switch on the wall. Let’s introduce more ways for more accidents to potentially happen. No way to idiot proof this! JMO of course.

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This is worse than the SmartThings controlled motorized recliner I saw posted about a few weeks ago. :man_facepalming:

This tremendous idea isn’t listed in this article, but it should be at the top of the list!

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Not that I would recommend this, especially if you have children and/or pets, but being able to move your switch from under the sink and not being able to add a common wall switch, here is an alternative.

This may add convenience for you, but please drop the idea of automating it. Nothing good will come of that. Convenience isnt something to consider when it comes to safety :slight_smile:

https://www.insinkerator.com/us/en/garbage-disposal-accessories

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Ok ok lol I give up.

Going to drill the countertop and install an air switch. The articles about switches randomly coming on was enough of a scare.

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Yeah, I got it bad from the community when I automated my fireplace. I knew the dangers but still did it.

Saying that, there’s somethings that even I wouldn’t touch. A garbage disposal would be top of my list!

Next project. space heater? Maybe this was April Fools.

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Now this sounds like a great idea. :smirk:

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After you get that installed, you could get another device that uses the new authentication method so that only specific people can press the button.

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Seriously though, if you have a receptacle you are willing to remove, is there a reason you can’t run a new wire into it from below the counter? Maybe a picture of your sink and backsplash would help.

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