Faucet Replacement in 4 Easy Steps | Home

By KayeFretz
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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 keep in mind that for supply connections, there are two possibilities. Your faucet could either have flexible copper supply inlets found in the center of the unit, or the inlets could be located under the 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

If your faucet contains a sprayer, first remove the nuts that secure the hose to the faucet body and also the spray head to the sink. Unhook the supply lines and set them aside. Using your wrench, loosen and remove the mounting nuts that hold the faucet body to the sink. If it is hard to pry loose, you can 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

You can use a rope of plumber's putty or install a gasket either to the sink or to the faucet. Put the new faucet in place, making sure that it is parallel to the backsplash. Move under the sink and ask someone to hold the faucet for you while you work. Screw on a washer and mounting nut on every inlet, and tighten using 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!

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Discover how to fix a leaky faucet yourself. Read the step-by-step guide to faucet replacement now!

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