How to Replace a Kitchen Faucet

Is your old kitchen faucet stuck and makes your kitchen work difficult? Then the one and only solution to this problem is replacing the kitchen faucet. Though the plumbing job may give you jitters, replacement of a kitchen faucet is quite simple and can be done by yourself. Just that, you need to follow certain instructions to make sure you replace the faucet correctly and avoid any further damages or complications. So if you are all set to give your kitchen a face lift by replacing your old faucet with a new one, here are ways for replacing it.

Tips for Kitchen Faucet Replacement

The first step is to turn off the water supply. If you skip this or ignore this, your next step would be to clean up the entire kitchen, which would be in a mess once the old faucet is removed!
Now, you need to remove the old faucet. A faucet is mounted in two ways - bottom and the top. A faucet that is mounted from the bottom is removed from above. The handles and the escutcheons are removed in order to get the nuts, which keep the faucet in place. The faucets that are mounted from the top are kept in place by nuts under the sink. To remove the nuts, you may need pliers or special basin wrench. A wrench may be used if the pliers are unable to reach the nuts.
Loosen up the nuts and keep them with aside safely. Now remove the faucet. Usually, the place where the faucet was secured has a build up. Clean it up and rub a bit of penetrating oil. If the nuts are corroded or rusted, consider replacing them with new ones. Clean the sink and get rid off the particles and build up that may have fallen.
Take the new faucet and assemble it carefully. The package of the faucet usually has instructions on how to assemble it. Follow it properly and do as it says.
Take some plumber’s putty and apply it around the faucet base, taking care to apply it as a thin coat and leave no gaps in it. Many faucets may already have rubber or plastic gaskets. Then, this step is not required.
Lay down the gasket over the pre-drilled holes for the faucet on top of the sink and press firmly. Now, you need to replace the faucet tubes going through the holes in the gasket in sync with the sink at the same time. Hold it firmly in place.
The metal nuts with threads must be tightened over the ends of the faucet on the underside. Don’t use pliers before you tighten them with your hand first. Then use the pliers and snug them down. Make sure you don’t end up breaking them by applying too much force.
Reattach or reopen the water valve and start the water supply. Turn on the tap for sometime and turn it off. Check for any leaks or loose ends and fix them if you notice any.

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