Learn replace your outdated bathroom sink fixtures.
If your bathroom faucets leak or you want to update the look of your sink, replace them yourself instead of hiring a plumber or contractor. As long as the plumbing connections for your home's cold and hot water are in place, changing the fixtures will take less than an hour. You need a basin wrench to reach the retaining nuts on the bottom of the fixtures. Basin wrenches can be purchased at any plumbing or hardware store or ordered online.
Instructions
1. Locate the water supply valves for your sink. Generally two valves are in the cabinet under the sink. One valve controls the cold water and the other controls the hot water. Close both valves to shut off the water supply to the sink. You can also shut off the water for the entire house at the main water valve.
2. Disconnect the water supply lines from the faucet. Use a basin wrench to unscrew the retaining nuts for the old spout and faucet handles from under the sink. Pull the fixtures out of the top of the sink and discard them or save them to be used again later.
3. Insert the spout of the new faucet into the hole in the center of the sink. Move to the cabinet under the sink and slide a washer onto the threads of the faucet. Ask someone to hold the spout steady while you tighten the retaining nut with your basin wrench.
4. Thread the long end of a three-way connector onto the bottom of the spout. Tighten it by hand so the two branches of the connector are facing out toward the hot and cold faucets. Move to the top of the sink and verify that the spout is still straight. Once you are satisfied with its position, tighten the set screw in the rear with an Allen wrench.
5. Move back to the bottom of the sink and insert the cold water valve through the appropriate hole. Have your assistant place an escutcheon on top of the valve. Tighten the mounting nut on the bottom of the valve to secure it in place. Repeat this process to install the hot water valve.
6. Attach one end of a water line to the cold water valve and the other end to one side of the three-way connector. Attach another water line to the hot water valve and three-way connector.
7. Place the faucets on top of the valves. Align the faucets according to the manufacturer's instructions. Some faucets may have a printed "C" or "H" that must face forward, while others have levers that must point in a certain direction when the faucet is turned off.
8. Connect the home's cold water supply line to the cold water faucet and the hot water supply line to the hot water faucet. Open the two supply valves to restore the water flow to the sink. Test the hot and cold water faucets to make sure they are working correctly. Look under the cabinet for any signs of water leaking from the plumbing connections.
Tags: cold water, water supply, water valve, , three-way connector