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The disposal is brand new and I can't return it even though it was damaged in shipping, as I'm well outside the return window. I believe the inlet is ABS plastic, as it's stamped with a small number 2. The crack runs about as deep as the barbed end.
Can I just cut back the damaged area and weld/glue an ABS sleeve with a hose barb over the inlet?
My plumber was nervous about using it, but maybe he's being overly cautious.
With your inlet line cracked it might be possible to repair depending on how much of that inlet line exists.
as an FYI fro a better route: If you purchased that thing via HD or Lo - take it back for an exchange - they generally will do it. even if you are outside of 30 days. Damaged in shipping file a damage claim with the carrier.
Now on to the answer if the better route is not possible for you.
Repairing ABS plastic is not the easiest and I do not know if ABS is weldable like PVC pipe is.
What I would do is insert a small piece of Thin Wall copper pipe on the inside of the inlet for support and on the outer side maybe fit PVC or a tight fit Rubber Hose over the outer side with and connect my dishwasher outlet into it. You can use a high temp gasket sealant with this setup as well but don't use too much. Make sure you provide some strain/stress relief on the pipe as well.
See below for an example.
You could try opening the crack slightly with a screwdriver and putting ABS glue on the crack. If it's ABS it will be weldable with the same glue that is used for black plastic drain pipe.
You can test it by putting a small dot of glue on the plastic and see if it starts to soften and become sticky.
I have used a similar repair on the ABS case of a hand-held tool, and while it doesn't look spectacular it works just fine.
Pictures of the crack might help.
thanks for all your help here. I contacted amazon and they agreed to ship me a new one or allow me to return this one even though it was well past the return window - they were really great about it, and made it easy. Thanks to all.
