Innovative Products: Keeney Plumber’s Third Hand

Gravity is not a remodeler’s friend, and sometimes it means the difference between needing one person for a job or two. Removing or installing a garbage disposal is a great example—or at least was, until we came across the Plumber’s Third Hand, an innovation from Keeney Manufacturing Company. 

“If you’ve ever installed a disposal, you know how tricky it is without an extra pair of hands,” says Matt Siena, Keeney’s director of product development. The challenge is simple on paper, but a nightmare in person, as it requires a strong hand to hold the strainer flange in place while also holding the disposal off the ground. A normal-sized person would have difficulty making the stretch while also completing the work. “Some guys will use an assistant, others might try to use a cinder block or some other heavy object in the sink to keep the flange down during the install.” 

The Third Hand is designed by a plumber, for plumbers. “It makes the installation 10 times quicker,” Siena says. “Saving on labor is our catalyst for launching the product.” 

The design features a threaded shaft with a spin-down locking wingnut that secures against the strainer opening and uses the disposal’s own weight to keep the flange down (i.e., tricks gravity into helping). “It turns it into a virtually hands-free job, so the mounting hardware can be installed easily by one person.”

Siena says that the tool is designed to work with all standard garbage disposal configurations.