Faucet replacement is a very easy task that anyone can
do. It is one of those household repairs that don’t
really need any professional assistance. You can replace your faucet by simply shutting off the water valves and replacing the old faucet with a new faucet that fits. Here are the basics that you should know about faucet replacement.
Being Prepared And Choosing Your Faucet
Before you go off with the replacement, you should have your new replacement faucet ready.
You can drop by your local hardware store and
pick out a faucet that you want.
Having it on hand
before removing the old one would make things easier
and faster for you.
With the numerous modern designs now on the market,
you have a variety of faucet designs that you can
choose from.
What Faucet Should I get For Bathtubs?
For your bathtubs and sinks, you can get
a single or double-handled faucet.
Generally, faucets
have a standard size regarding their hook-ups,
depending on their use.
For kitchen faucets, you can
usually find units with an 8-inch hookup.
Bathroom
vanity faucets usually come in 4 inches, while
bathtubs come in 8 inches.
Faucet Measurements
To know which kind of faucet to get from the
store, first, you have to take some measurements.
Have
your tape measure in hand for this task.
If you will
be using a double-handled faucet, what you need to do
is take the measurement from the center of the handle to
the center of the handle is your faucet’s size.
If you will
be using a single-handled faucet, you would have to
measure starting from the distance in between your
water hook-up lines placed on your faucet’s bottom.
As soon as you know the style and size of your faucet,
then you’re already to take out the old one and
install your new unit.
Here are some of my favorite kitchen faucet brands.
Tools That You Need
Basically, you do not need a lot of tools for this
task.
All you need to have are wrenches so that you
can hold the shut-off valve and take out the supply
the line that is going to your faucet.
Also, you would
need to have channel lock pliers or a basin wrench.
You’ll be using this to take out the large nuts, which
attach the faucet to your sink.
It would be better
if you use a basin wrench, due to its special design
that is intended for working in tight spaces, just
like where your faucet is mounted to your sink.
Steps To A New Faucet
First, you should turn off all water supply that is
linked to your faucet.
Then, you should remove the
supply lines coming from both sides of your faucet.
After that, you should remove the large retainer nuts
that are holding your faucet to the sink.
When you are
done with this, remove the old faucet from the sink.
Try to clean up your sink and where the old unit was
installed.
Once you are done cleaning up, get your new unit and
place it in the holes.
You can ask someone to help you
with this so that keeping it centered while
installing the retainer nuts below would be easier.
When you get the faucet in place and retaining nuts
tightly screwed, then you can now get your water
supply lines hooked up again.
Turn on your water.
supply and do some tests for leaks and other defects.
If you have some leaks, try reinstalling it again and
make sure that you tightly place each part where it
should be.
Also, if you want you can use plumbers
putty or thread tape to prevent leaks or dripping on
the joints, specifically in between the faucet and
sink, or the supply line and the faucet.
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