Faucet Installation: What You Should Know | Home

By KayeFretz
Total views: 3
Word Count: 529

Faucet installation is not as hard as you think. In fact, many home improvement sites and resources simply recommend that you do it yourself. Do remember though that every DIY project requires some basic knowledge. You also need to have the ability to follow instruction to the letter. Here are some things you should know about installing faucets.

Bottom or Top

Faucets are not uniformly made. There are many different faucet types for you to choose from before you can install. You would have to determine for example if you would prefer disc, compression, cartridge or a ball type faucet. One other crucial installation related concern is choosing between a top or bottom mounted faucet.

Bottom Mount

Bottom mounted types are held in position from under the sink. From there, you only have to manually thread the mounting nuts to the tailpiece and install the washers. Next, put the escutcheons in place with a little plumber's putty. You can then position the handles on top.

Top Mounted Faucet

Many home owners prefer top mounted faucet installation. To make it even more less of a chore, you can get a top mounted faucet with a gasket of its own. A gasket will be all the security you will need to ensure that a faucet is tightly in place. An alternative to a gasket would be to use plumber's putty. After smearing the putty, you just have to put the faucet in after which you can go on with washer and mounting nut installation.

Supply Lines

Your faucet is now in place. All that is left to do is to connect the faucet to the water supply lines. Connect the appropriate hot and cold lines to the right shut off valves. You can use pipe tape to make sure that you have a tight connection. Check all the connections again before you give a go signal to turn on the water supply.

In case you hadn't noticed yet, all you really need is to follow instructions. You also need to understand them correctly. You would be lucky if you were able to buy a faucet with free installation instructions. There are however, also several instruction sites online that could help you.

Faucet Tips

There seems to be no big deal to installing your own faucet. Sometimes the real challenge is in going through the pre installation concerns. You have to consider for example your faucet design based on whether you will be placing it on your kitchen sink or in the bathroom. Some designs are simply meant for one or the other.

You also have to consider the space where the faucets will be located. A tight sink area for instance will always do better with a wall mounted faucet to make pot water filling easier. Smaller bathrooms too could make do with wall faucets or small faucet designs.

Another concern would be your handle preferences. Double handles can help you mix hot and cold water more accurately. Those who are always in a hurry though would do better with single handle faucets that function with a single twist or flick.

Faucet installation can be the easiest project you can do. Do make sure though that all your pre installation concerns have been properly addressed.

About the Author

Find out how to repair or fix a leaky faucet by yourself. Find your faucet installation instruction online.

You are here Articles > Home