GE Continuous Feed 3/4-HP Garbage Disposal In-depth Review
Overall Verdict
The GE Disposall 3/4-Horsepower Continuous Feed Garbage Disposal leaves a little to be desired, but it’s a perfectly capable machine. With a strong grinding chamber and a high-speed motor, it can comfortably handle your typical kitchen scraps in small or large amounts. The disposal can be loud when dealing with hard scraps such as bones, but it’s not the loudest we’ve tested.
All in all, if you find a deal for less than $150, it’s worth picking up.
Things We Like
- Noise reduction
- High speed
- Stainless steel grinding components
- Strengthened chamber layout
Things We Don’t Like
- Space-consuming design
- Can be loud
- No power cord
The garbage disposal looks like it could handle itself in most common kitchen settings. It comes in a thick protective casing that feels like it could stand up to some bangs. Compared to similar models, it’s slightly bigger and heavier. It also boasts a different grinder assembly, with a stronger pair of swivel impellers. There’s no power cord, pre-wired or included.
7.9 Performance: One of the Best
The Disposall GFC720N 3/4 HP from GE Appliances delivers what we expect from its configurations. It works quickly and effectively against most typical foods, including tough fruit pits and cooked bones. The only things that really give it trouble are fibrous and spongy tissues from uncooked animal scraps.
Overall, the GE GFC720N performed better than most of the kitchen scraps disposals in our collection. It did struggle in the Raw Chicken Scraps test; however, the disposal impressed us with how well it dealt with raw fish remains.
8.3 Scrap Mix
When dealing with 90 ounces of different types of scraps, the Disposall 3/4-Horsepower exhibited no signs of struggle. In under 2 minutes, everything from bones to pits to peels got ground down to essentially nothing. Only 0.15 ounces of leftovers remained in the chamber, which is less than 0.2% of the input. Most of the leftovers were pliable bits of fish backbone. These appeared to have been crushed and cut up to a certain extent, but not enough to flow through the grinding chamber.
Samples in both Layer 1 and Layer 2 appeared heavily broken down. With roughly 21.1 ounces (37% of the input) in these two layers, the in-sink disposer does a fair job at producing drain-safe grind, even with our mishmash of ingredients. A closer look at the samples reveals that the Disposall 3/4 HP shreds most of the scraps in our list except for the pin bones from the fish scraps.
8.4 Raw Fish Scraps
Similar to the other models we’ve tested, the Disposall struggles against uncooked fish scraps. After 3 minutes, 1.16 ounces of skin and a few large pieces of backbone remained in the machine’s chamber. That’s a little over 2% of the input load, which is still quite good.
The data we collected with the two-layer colander setup showed that the machine could handle raw fish scraps relatively well. However, we’re still concerned about the number of long pin bones and the fibrous material that the disposal released.
6.5 Raw Chicken Scraps
The GE Disposall 3/4 HP doesn’t do too well with raw chicken scraps, either. With a considerable amount of leftovers—up to 9% of the 7.4 ounces we put in—the machine clearly couldn’t pulverize everything. We were left with lots of cartilage in the chamber and soft tissues in the colanders. Models with similar grinding-chamber layouts gave us similar results.
That said, the majority of the bone tissues presented no trouble and came out well processed. Besides, scattered pieces of cartilage in the basin told us that the machine could break up spongy tissues if its grinding assembly manages to catch them.
9.0 Design
The GE Disposall 3/4 Horsepower has the typical appearance of a permanent-magnet food waste disposer. It wears a simple yet glossy plastic casing with a deep black tint that goes well with many kitchen styles. There’s a layer of soundproofing material between the casing and the machinery as well.
The disposal doesn’t offer any fancy features. Instead, designers seemingly aimed for a minimal build, with a lightweight frame, a fast-spinning motor, and quality components.
In the Box
- GE GFC720N 3/4 HP Continuous Feed Garbage Disposer
- EZ Mount assembly
- Removable splash guard
- Stopper
- Universal Mount adapter
- Discharge tube
- Rubber gasket
- Flange and bolts
- Wire nuts
- Documentation
Unboxing the GE Disposall 3/4 HP, you’ll find the standard accessories for garbage disposal. Aside from the grinder itself, there’s a mounting assembly and a discharge set with basic plumbing hardware. GE also offers a few more pieces that help with installation, like the 3-Bolt Mount adapter. Usually, these are sold separately.
Relevant documentation includes a user manual, a registration slip, and an instruction slip for the adapter. Text in the manual is available in English, French, and Spanish; the two slips are only in English.
Dimensions
For a 3/4-horsepower unit, this GE Disposall is relatively large; it’s as large as some of the 1-horsepower models we’ve worked with. It’s tall as well when fully installed, mostly because of the EZ assembly. Weight-wise, the disposal is not heavy for its power rating. In fact, it weighs 2 pounds less than the common InSinkErator Badger 1/2 HP.
Mount Assembly
- Support ring
- Mounting ring
- Cushion mount
- Fiber gasket
- Rubber gasket
- Sink flange
- Stopper
- Removable splash guard
Most garbage disposals from GE Appliances are fitted with the EZ Mount assembly. EZ Mount is known for its simple design that’s not hard to disassemble and reassemble. It doesn’t require any tools to install, and its low weight makes it easy to handle, unlike the heavier and more complex 3-Bolt Mount. EZ assemblies also contain removable splash guards and deep sink flanges that add to the grinding chamber’s overall depth.
Power Cord
The standard version of the GE GFC720N 3/4-hp food waste disposer doesn’t come with a power cord.
Accessories: Discharge Set
The included discharge set contains an elbow discharge pipe, a rubber gasket, and a flange and bolts kit. The pipe is the standard 1.5-inch and the bolts have slotted hex heads that are 3/8 inches. You can tighten those using either a flat-head screwdriver or a socket wrench.
Accessories: 3-Bolt Mount Adapter
For those who are looking to replace their old unit that uses the 3-Bolt Mount system, GE Appliances includes an adapter to make the transition much easier. Instead of removing the existing mount, owners can use the adapter to modify the Disposall so that it’ll attach to the 3-Bolt fitting.
Instructions are fairly straightforward and can be found in the included documentation. There are a few things to note: First, the adapter’s splash guard is fixed; second, using the adapter adds half an inch to the total height (compared to using the EZ Mount).
Accessories: Wire Caps
You’ll also find two wire caps that help with the electrical wire connections. The caps safely secure the electrical wire splices and insulate connections.
9.0 Grind Chamber
The GE Disposall 3/4-hp food disposer employs a chamber that is neither tight nor roomy, but it does the trick nicely. In our experience, it’s enough to handle many types of scraps of different sizes without hassle. It should only see trouble if the amounts are excessive or the materials too tough (like raw skin or raw cartilage).
This GE GFC720N has upgraded grinding components as compared to its lower-tier, 1/2-hp cousins. There is a two-level grater ring that enjoys added details and twice the number of cutters. The conventional impellers are also replaced with a thicker and more solid pair that enhances collision. To our knowledge, GE Appliances is the only brand* that builds improved impellers in their devices. Models from Waste King, Moen, and AmazonCommerical still have older-style impellers.
*InSinkErator garbage disposals follow a different design.
9.0 Motor
The GE 3/4 HP contains a permanent magnet motor capable of high speed. Official specifications place the motor’s rotational velocity at 2700 revolutions per minute (RPM). Our speed test, however, shows that when there are no scraps in the chamber, the flywheel spins at 4544 RPM.
Compared to GE’s weaker models, the 3/4-hp unit is faster in all respects. The higher speed allows the disposal to deal with bigger quantities of scraps with still a minimal risk of jamming.
Permanent magnet motors typically generate very little waste heat compared to induction motors. No permanent-magnet disposals have ever overheated through our testing procedure. We can’t say the same for disposals with induction motors.
9.0 Build Quality
The GE GFC720N has a somewhat solid construction, but its casing isn’t as impressive as we expected. After our performance tests, the casing seems to have loosened its grip on the core ever so slightly. It’s nothing too serious, considering the amount of handling it has endured, but is something we’ll keep an eye on.
The exterior of the disposal has not changed, save for a few near-invisible nicks in the tinted plastic. We’re fond of the fact that GE’s Disposall series doesn’t get a scratchable coat of decorative paint. The disposal is also insulated with a layer of acoustic foam to reduce noise, though this feature’s effectiveness is questionable.
7.8 Usability: Much Room for Improvement
The GE GFC720N 3/4-Horsepower Continuous Feed has its fair share of drawbacks. It takes up quite a lot of space under the sink and its noise-dampening feature is not as good as it should be. But it sure can grind stuff down and makes the whole process feel satisfying.
Our experience with the disposal can’t be described as excellent and there are a few more polished products. Still, the GFC720N is certainly one of the best we’ve tried.
8.0 Ease of Use
The disposal’s chamber is not the most spacious, but its depth partially compensates for what’s missing. We find that, if the scraps are small and simple, the disposal can chew up garbage as fast as you can shove it in. The convenience of a removable baffle is undeniable when you need access to the full length of the sink flange. It also helps when you need to speed up the process.
However, the sink flange of the EZ Mount is narrower than that of the 3-Bolt; so, if you’re switching, it might take some getting used to. Of course, if you prefer, you can use the included adapter and keep the old mounting assembly in place. Just remember that the baffle on the adapter is not removable.
8.5 Installation
For a 3/4-hp garbage disposal, this GE Disposall is not particularly heavy. Still, installing 10 pounds of machinery can be daunting if you don’t have the arm strength for it. Plus, at 8.4 inches in diameter, the disposal is not as easy to maneuver as you might like.
It doesn’t have a power cord, so you have to do the wiring yourself. If you’re not handy with electrical systems, we recommend finding some help. Also note that, if the cushion mount or the machine’s collar gets slippery, the machine may rotate on its own when it’s running. This is more likely to happen with stronger motors.
8.0 Smooth Operation
The biggest weakness of the disposal is the noise level. Though not the loudest we’ve tested, it’s not far behind. The acoustic foam presumably helps, but its effect is barely noticeable. Fortunately, the disposal works fast, so it should generally finish before it annoys you. If you don’t mind the typical noise of in-sink grinders, there’s nothing else to keep the GE 3/4 HP Disposer off your radar.
0.0 Unjam Mechanics
The GE GFC720N doesn’t let users rotate the motor from the outside. If the grinding assembly jams, you can turn off the machine (and preferably disengage the breaker) and use a stick to turn the flywheel. But since it runs on a permanent magnet motor, the risk of jamming is minimal.