Most good garbage disposal will recommend replacing a gate valve regardless of its condition. The time to discover if it will work is not during a flood in your bathroom. If you have it replaced with a ball valve then check your water heater and laundry valves, too. Have them replaced at the same time with premium ball valves. Ball valve laundry bibbs make it easy to shut off the water to the washer after each use which may help to prevent floods in the future.
To find a plumber, all one has to do is flip and run through the Yellow Pages or do a search on the Internet. From there you will see loads of plumber whom are advertising to get your job. The next thing you should do as a consumer is to take remember that there some plumbers whom advertise 2 different ads in the same place. Thus it is important to not water line repair make a rush decision. Look through the list of plumbers available and call a few (minimum of 3).
You don't want to be paying your plumber to clear the area before they start work particularly if you are paying an hourly rate. Empty cupboards and make sure there is nothing that may cost the plumber time and you money gaining access to the job.
Dirty waste water, after all, leaves your house following the law of gravity. Waste water goes downward to the sewer or septic tank, nice and easy. Behind this simple rule is the multitude of vents and traps to keep the process of waste removal possible. Vents allow air to fill drainpipes, precious air that allow waste water outflow. Traps are those curved S-shaped sections of the pipes under the sink drain. Traps perform a crucial role in forcing most of the water through the drainpipe, but leaving some to seal the area and prevent sewer gas from backing up.
As with anything, when you are not sure how to fix a plumbing issue and when you don't have the proper equipment, you should contact a professional. They can usually find out what the problem is and resolve it for you in a short period of time. They will also be able to tell you if you have any other problems and water line repair they can suggest resolutions.
And the way to know what's sufficient? Well, until the work is done an the bill paid you won't know for certain, but this is the best that can be suggested and normally works very well.
Is your garbage disposal clogged, but it is turning ok? This may be due to a blockage in the pipe. If you look at the pipe work under your sink you will see that the disposal is connected to a pipe that should join to a U bend and providing it was installed correctly it should have a connector that can be undone. If you undo this connector the pipe will pull away and generally this is where most blockages occur. Remove the blockage and reconnect the pipe.