I have had many disposals in the 45 years we have been married, and most of them were bottom of the line models that came with apartments or tract homes. I would assume you have a bottom of the line unit unless you know you have one of the maker's deluxe models. With the bottom of the line models, you have to be careful with what you put in them. Nothing stringy like celery, banana peels, broccoli peels, gristle. Nothing requiring strength like bones or corn cobs. A few years ago, we replaced ours with a kitchen remodel, and this time we have a mid or top of the line disposal. Now I can put more things in it to grind up, but I still stay away from bones. I remember when my aunt got her fancy one installed in the 1960s, the installer told her to drop a glass Coke bottle down it every now and then to sharpen it. I have certainly never done that either!

My husband and I were just discussing this the other day, if we had it to do over again, we wouldn't. I don't really cook the kind of meals that need a lot of "disposing" and my garbage is picked up twice a week. I don't think it is worth the sometimes smelly unpleasantness. It probably is more likely to smell if you hardly ever use it, as in our case. I only got it because I replaced the one that went on the fritz after 16 years. I should have just ditched it then and could have gotten a different kind of sink but that's a whole other story. I also don't like how much room it takes up under the sink.

Oh yes, I have a disposal with my 30" inch Shaw sink. I don't know anything about a risk of cracking, but I do know you have to get an extra long sink flange to accomodate the extra depth of the sink. Don't forget that. My plumber had grabbed the regular flange that came with the disposal, and then I remembered I had the extra long one stashed in a bedroom (out of kitchen remodel harm's way) and ran to get it. Thank goodness I thought of it! FYI, I got an Insinkerator Excel disposal from Lowe's.

As someone with a cracked fireclay sink, DEFINITELY support the disposal. I have a double bowl sink with an unsupported Insinkerator attached to one drain. Both drains are cracked so it wasn't the weight of the disposal that caused it, but the plumber over tightening the drains. I have read that the disposal can do the same thing. Better to be safe than sorry in my opinion and I plan to support the disposal when the sink is replaced.