How To Change Or Replace A Faucet Yourself?

[christan76 1]

Besides wear and tear, faucets, like seemingly everything else in life, can go out of style. Even if your old faucet is working just fine, you might come under some pressure to change faucets just so your kitchen or bathroom can reflect the latest fashion. Lucky for you, replacing a faucet is not difficult at all and here is a useful article I find to show you how you can go about it.

Things you'll need:

New faucet

Locking pliers, adjustable wrench

Slip joint or water pump pliers

Basin wrench (possibly)

Utility knife

Plumber's putty or silicon caulk

Flashlight (so you can see under the sink)

Water supply lines and Teflon tape

Step 1: Remove the Old Faucet

A bottom-mounted faucet handle with the decorative cap removed, revealing the screw holding it in place. Your first job is to get rid of your existing faucet. Start by turning off the water supply, either by shutting off the main water supply to your house (probably located close to your water meter), or by closing the shutoff valves on the water supply lines to your faucet. Then, open the tap to allow the water to drain out of the lines and remove any water pressure.

Next, use your adjustable wrench and disconnect the hot and cold water supply lines running to the faucet. If you're going to replace the lines, disconnect them at the shutoff valve, but if you're going to reuse the existing lines, do your disconnects at the base of the faucet itself.

Now it's time to actually remove that old faucet. Faucets are attached in one of two ways. Bottom mounted faucets are removed from the top of the sink. To remove a bottom mount faucet, you need to take off the faucet handles and escutcheon to get to the nuts holding the faucet. Once the nuts are exposed, use your wrench to take them off.

Top mounted faucets, unfortunately, are held in place by nuts located on the underside of the sink. You'll need to get under the sink to remove them, and space may be at a premium. If you're lucky, you'll be able to use your slip joint or locking pliers to loosen the nuts. However, if pipes are in the way, you'll need to use a basin wrench (a wrench specially designed to work in tight spaces where you don't have room to use an ordinary wrench or pliers).

Once you've removed the nuts holding the faucet, just lift it up off the sink. If there is some caulking holding the base to the sink, slide the blade of a utility knife carefully around the faucet base to cut it loose. You'll need to remove any old caulking or "grunge" that may have built up around the old faucet. You can get silicon remover at your home store, and a mixture of vinegar and water or an orange cleaner will remove the grunge.

Step 2: Install the New Faucet

If you're installing a bottom mounted faucet, put the faucet in place and put on the washers and mounting nuts, then hand tighten. Line up the faucet with the back of the sink and tighten them with a wrench. Run a bead of silicon caulking (or plumber's putty) around the base of the faucet, then install the escutcheon and the faucet handles.

Installing a top mounted faucet follows a similar process, with a couple of small differences. Lay down your bead of plumber's putty or silicon caulk before you place the faucet into the sink openings. Since you'll be working underneath the sink, it's easier if you have someone working up top to align the faucet and hold it, while you use a wrench to tighten the mounting nuts.

Once the faucet is firmly attached to the sink, reinstall your water feed lines, and turn the water back on and check for leaks. Clean up any plumber's putty or silicon caulk around the faucet itself before it has a chance to set up.

One final job before you're finished. Take off the aerator from your new faucet, turn on the tap and let water run for a couple of minutes. This will flush out anything that might be inside the faucet left over from the manufacturing process and ensure your new faucet runs clean.

That's all there is to it - you've just installed your brand new faucet. If you want to be spare of the hassle and want to find a plumber in singapore, you can always look for me.

[kenlohwh 0]

Christen,

You mentioned the "basin wrench" which I think must look like in http://goo.gl/6ZskHU.

Do you know where I can get one locally?

[w7_lee 11]

I bought the basin wrench you posted, totally useless.

Then I went to the neighborhood hardware shop, spoke to the owner and he recommended this (http://www.amazon.com/Shower-Valve-Socket-Wrench-Removing/dp/B000BQ8DC0). Much useful but you need a some ratchet set accessories to use it easily.

[Guest Kenneth Hong]

Hi Lee,

Two questions:

1) Where did you buy the basin wrench from?

2) The wrench that you used as substitute, did you first ensure that one end of the pipe is disconnected so that you can insert the pipe you tightened through the hollow wrench?

[w7_lee 11]

I bought mine at Chai Chee Road, block 26A. There is 1 hardware shop there (and still there). But I saw it at many hardware shop around Singapore afterwards, probably because I knew what I was looking at. Self-Fix & Home-Fix sells them too. Actually, I think Giant too.

To the second question, you are correct. Although what I insert thru' was the steel braided flexible house (in hokkien called: nieng au) instead of steel pipe. This is what is commonly used below sink faucet to connect to the pipes. Link below for your reference.

http://www.amazon.com/Bathroom-Flexible-Stainless-Braided-Shower/dp/B008SDGCSK/ref=sr_1_11?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1423656357&sr=1-11&keywords=flexible+steel+hose

The substitute I used (let's called it socket) comes in 2 different size at both ends. 1 end is large and should fit the but for the faucet. Install the faucet first using that side. Maybe it is my sink too deep, so I had some problem tightening the nut. So I use rachet extension to tighten. The other end will fix the steel braided hose. But if I recall correctly, the hardware shop owner told me that the socket comes in different size too, so it depends on your faucet nut size.

[MrKangTeo 54]

Looks very well done