Nothing we replace more often could have lasted longer. Disposals rarely fail from age; they fail from what goes into them.
Run cold water, not hot
Cold water keeps fats solid so they are chopped and flushed away. Hot water melts them, and they set again further down the line where nothing can reach them. Run the water before you switch on, and keep it running for twenty seconds after the grinding stops.
Feed it slowly
Dropping a full bowl of scraps in at once is what causes most jams. A jam stalls the motor, the overload trips, and repeated overload cycles are what kill the windings.
Grind something hard occasionally
A tray of ice cubes once a month knocks the build-up off the impellers and the grinding ring. A few slices of lemon after that deals with the smell without the bleach that degrades the seals.
Never use chemical drain cleaner
It sits in the chamber, attacks the seals and corrodes the housing from the inside. When the body of a disposal leaks, the unit is finished, and drain cleaner is the fastest route there.
What still needs a technician
A hum with no rotation is a jam and often clears with the hex key underneath. A leak from the sink flange is a reseat. A leak from the body itself is corrosion, and no repair will hold.
