Garbage Disposal Slushee Margarita Maker

How do you make a margarita machine using a garbage disposal and a cooler?
1- Obtain a suitable water cooler. Ours was 5 gallons, which is a bit big. Smaller would be better, but you do need room for the plumbing on the bottom.

2- Purchase a garbage disposal. We used 3/4 horsepower, but I feel our improved plumbing configuration would allow lower power (and cheaper) disposals.

3- Tools. Yikes, this may be difficult. You will need access to a drill press with a drum sander, a circle cutter, some large bar clamps, and a hacksaw. To make a stand either a table saw or radial arm saw. A circular saw could be used as well.

4- Misc plumbing. A 1" PVC ball valve, four 90 degree elbows, one 45 degree elbow, a T connection, a 1" to 3/4" reducing plug, about 4 feet of 1" PVC pipe, and pipe glue. A flexible coupling made out of soft rubber with two hose clamps, is used to join the diposal outlet pipe to the remaining 1" PVC. We used RTV silicon intended for aquariums so it would be non-toxic to seal the inside pipes and glue down the cooler to the base.

5- 3/8" CDX plywood, some 1"x2" stock, a couple handles, and some steel plumbers tape.

CONSTRUCTION

First use the circle cutter in the drill press to cut a snug hole for the disposal mounting flange. I recommend doing a dry fit before applying the silicon sealeant, as we had to struggle to get the retaining clip on the flange, We actually had to use two large bar clamps to compress the inside of the flange hard enough due to the cooler bottom thickness. Once you are satisfied you can get everything seated, do it all again, but apply generous amounts of silicon sealant. Once the clip is set, wipe the excess from the inside and the outside of the cooler.

Next, the PVC plumbing is rigged. The tailpipe coming out of the disposal does not fit the rest of the PVC, here is where you use the flexible coupling (not shown). We chose to route the return line back up through the bottom for better thermal insulation. Other designs return the blended mixture through a pipe external to the cooler and dump back in the top, but this will make your margaritas melt quicker. If you have the means to drill an exact size hole then through the bottom is best. Seal the hole and pibe with RTV silicon where it passes through the base. Leave a bead on the inside of the cooler to help seal the hole. Run the pipe 2/3 of the way up into the cooler, then use one right angle elbow and one 45 degree elbow to jet the return stream gently in a spiral down the side. This helps create a vortex and minimizes foaming. The right angle nozzle after the valve has a reducing plug in it to reduce the flow to a more acceptable level.

Now it's time to build a suitable base. On the prototype we went for a "Crate" look, which is easy, strong and light. The low profile crate allows the whole unit to be put on a counter top. The two handles on each side provide convenient and sturdy lifting points. Provide a removable plate on the bottom of the stand which is flush with the base of the diposal. Our disposal had two extra mounting holes on the bottom; screws into these secured the motor to the base. We also used a bead of silicone around the cooler to further reinforce the unit. We cut out the rubber flange in the throat of the disposal to make the unit work faster.

Well, let the whole thing cure for a day or two. Run some ice and water through the unit to help break loose any PVC scraps. Perhaps some low-cost sweetened drink mix will help dislodge any residual construction flavors, although we did not notice any.