How to Change a Bathroom Sink Faucet
One way of dealing with an old, leaky faucet is to replace it with a new one. Bathroom sink faucets come in a wide variety of styles and price ranges, which make them a viable option no matter what your budget restraints. When changing a faucet, inspect the current one to ensure that you purchase a replacement that fits your sink. Some faucets come with levers on the back to operate pop-up drains. If your sink does not have a pop-up drain, choose a different faucet or be prepared to make additional changes. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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1
Go under the bathroom sink and turn off the water supply to the faucet at the shut-off valves. The valve handles turn clockwise to shut off the water. Turn on the faucet handles to drain any remaining water out of the supply lines.
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2
Disconnect the pop-up drain assembly if your sink has one. The lever arm that connects to the faucet connects to an arm coming from the sink drain either with a thumb screw or nut and bolt. Unscrew the thumb screw or remove the bolt with a wrench to disconnect the faucet from the pop-up drain assembly.
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3
Unscrew the water supply lines from the faucet with a faucet wrench. The supply lines connect to the faucet with a nut or screw fitting like that on a garden hose. Faucet wrenches looks like a pair of jaws on a swivel end. These are the best tool for getting into the tight space between the sink and wall to reach the hose connections.
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4
Loosen the nuts securing the faucet to the sink with a wrench. If necessary, use a faucet wrench to loosen the securing nuts. Go to the top of the sink and pull the existing faucet off the sink. Clean the area where the faucet was mounted to ensure a tight seal when installing the new faucet.
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5
Insert the new faucet into the holes in the sink. Most common bathroom sink faucets require no assembly or preparation. Go under the sink and thread the retaining nuts over the exposed threads under the faucet until you can no longer turn them by hand. Turn the nuts an additional three-quarters turn with the wrench or faucet wrench.
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6
Connect the new pop-up lever arm to the drain arm with the thumbscrew or nut and bolt, if you have a pop-up drain. Thread the water supply lines to the bottom of the faucet until they are hand tight. Turn the water supply connections another three-quarters turn with a wrench. Turn on the water supply and check for leaks around the connections. Tighten as necessary.
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Tips & Warnings
Refer to the manufacturer's instructions if you decide to change out the sink drain.
References
- Photo Credit detail of faucet and sink with running water image by nextrecord from Fotolia.com
