Faucet Replacement in 4 Easy Steps

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Monday, December 29th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

One of the easiest and less costly ways for you to make a useful improvement in your home is to do faucet replacement, which is to replace an old faucet with a new one. Doing so will eliminate the occurrence of irritating leaks and drips, and it could make an amazing difference in improving the aesthetics of an older room.

The first step that you would have to take in faucet replacement is to consider what the right faucet is. Of course, nowadays, faucets come in all types, styles, sizes, and combinations. But other than that, what you should really be worrying about is whether the new faucet will fit the old sink.

Also bear in mind that there are different methods used for different supply connections. Find out what supply connection your faucet uses - whether it has a flexible copper supply inlet located in the center of unit, or located under hot and cold handles.

There is a list of to-do’s that is recommended before you start removing the old faucet. Make sure that you switch off the main water supply. It would also be better if you prepare all the necessary materials and tools beforehand, so that you wouldn’t waste time looking for it later on. Make sure you also keep penetrating oil handy, just in case the mounting nuts are stuck. It is also suggested that someone guide you when you work, especially in handing you tools. And last but not the least, plug the drain using rags to prevent small and important parts like screws from going down the drain.

- Remove the old fixture

First, remove the nuts that attach the hose to the faucet body and the spray head to the sink (if you’re using a faucet with sprayer). Remove supply lines and set them aside. Remove the mounting nuts that hold the faucet body to the sink. Use your wrench for this. If mounting nuts are difficult to pry loose, use penetrating oil.

Detach the faucet. Clean the sink top by scraping putty and mineral deposits away from it.

- Attach new faucet to the sink

Put plumber’s putty or gasket to the sink or the faucet. Install the new faucet and ascertain that it is in line with the backsplash. Crawl under the sink and have someone hold faucet for you while you work under. Then, proceed to screwing on a washer and mounting nut to each inlet, and tighten it with the use of a basin wrench.

- Connect supply lines

Apply pipe joint compound onto inlet threads or you can choose to wrap them with Teflon tape. Twist the supply line nut onto the inlet, tighten it using a hand at first, and then with a wrench. Join the other end of the supply line to the control or shutoff valve in the same method.

If your faucet uses flexible copper inlets for its water supply, make sure that the copper tubes are not twisted in any way. If they are, the faucet could become ruined.

- Connect and adjust the pop-up drain assembly

If installing a bathroom faucet, insert a ball rod into the opening located in the drain body. Secure it using the nut provided. Slip the rod through the clevis strap. Afterwards, secure it using spring clips. Lower the rod through the hole near the rear of the faucet spout, up until the holes at the upper end of clevis strap. Tighten the thumbscrew and adjust the rods.

And those are the steps to faucet replacement. It may look hard, but once you’re at it, everything will become much easier. So, give it a try!

Learn how to fix a leaky faucet yourself. Get your step-by-step guide to faucet replacement now!

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