Some of us prefer to get hands-on with our plumbing issues before deciding to call it in. Most times, we might not have a complete plumbing kit.
As time goes by, any kitchen faucet is bound to experience problems. A basin wrench is an essential tool that you require to remove your kitchen faucet. If you do not have the wrench as part of your plumbing kit, you need another solution.
Here is an easy and non-complicated workaround that you can follow to remove the faucet without a basin wrench.
List of Materials You Will Need
In the absence of a basin wrench, here are some of the tools you will need to get the job done.
- A socket wrench
- A screwdriver
- Grease or penetrating oil sprays
- A clean, dry towel or cloth
- Gauge of tape
- Channel-lock pliers or an adjustable wrench
- A bucket or basin
By now, you have figured out that you have no reason to freak out just because you do not have a basin wrench. It would help if you had a little patience and remained calm. You will have your kitchen faucet removed in a flash by following the steps given below;
Step 1: Assemble The Required Tools
If this is a DIY project, you would not want to delve into it half prepared or confused. To have a smooth workflow transition, it helps to have all the necessary tools.
Place them somewhere within reach and in an organized manner to make things easier for you. Once you have these items in an order, you may now go ahead and start working on your kitchen faucet.
Step 2: Switch Aff All Ahe Valves
This is the second step and the most overlooked step yet very important. You want to avoid creating a mess by filling your kitchen with a pool of water. Turning your valve off will ensure that there will be no water spillage as soon as you take the faucet off.
The valves are usually in most households found somewhere underneath your sink or the cabinet. If there are two valves, turn both the hot water and cold water valves off.
Just before starting the removal process, have a bucket or basin under the sink. The bucket or basin will help catch any water that might drip to the kitchen floor afterward. It will help to avoid any destruction of sorts in your kitchen area.
If it so happens that your valves are not functioning correctly or you do not have them shut off the main water supply. You can do this by switching off the main switch valve. It is typically found somewhere near your water meter.
Step 3: Remove The Pressure
Quite often, the faucet is full of air pressure since there is no water in it. I will highly advise you to remove any pressure found inside the faucet not to hamper your work.
To release the air pressure, open the faucet for about two to three minutes approximately. By that time, you will have cleared all the air pressure in the faucet. Once you remove the air pressure, you will find the faucet to be a bit lighter, making it easy to remove.
Step 4: Disconnect The Water Lines
At this point, you know that the first three steps were a walk in the park. This may not be the case for this step. Worry not; it is not a difficult task. It is simply just a bit tricky, but we are here to make it easy for you.
The water lines go directly to the faucet, and they are the connection between your kitchen faucet and the main valves. You will find two waterlines that will require disconnecting. One water line is for the cold water and the other for hot water.
This is where the channel lock pliers or an adjustable wrench will be put to use. Take your channel lock pliers and attach them lightly to one water line at a time. Avoid applying too much pressure on the water lines. Go ahead and pull them off carefully to avoid damage.
The water lines might feel a little rigid but do not think of applying pressure. Just pull at it carefully until it comes off. If you are not keen while disconnecting the waterline, you may end up destroying the faucet or the waterline.
Step 5: Remove The Mounting Nuts
Once the water lines are disconnected, you may go ahead and start unscrewing the mounting nuts. This is the major step that requires you to have a basin wrench. But seeing as we do not have one, it does not mean it is impossible to accomplish.
A faucet has quite a number of nuts attached to it to secure it to the sink. We need to take these mounting nuts out to pull out the facet. The socket wrench comes in handy in this step. Attach the socket wrench to the nuts and rotate anti-clockwise to remove them.
You also get to use the screwdriver here. If the faucet is mounted using screws, you should get a screwdriver to remove them. Just attach the screwdriver to the screw and rotate in a counterclockwise motion.
It is not uncommon that the nuts and screws might be tightly attached to the faucet. However, this situation usually occurs if there has been no maintenance taking place over a while. It would be a great idea to use grease or penetrating oil spray in these instances. Give the grease approximately 15 minutes to soak in the go-ahead and remove the nuts.
Step 6: Pull Out The Faucet
After successful removal of all the nuts, store them away together in a safe place.
For the last sand final step, disconnect the faucet from the sink. Get a clean, dry cloth and use it to wipe off the faucet and the areas around the sink. Simply look at the faucet and determine whether it is reusable or whether you need to get a new one. If you decide to reuse, check for any fixes that it may require before installing it back.
Conclusion
Unlike most unpopular opinions you might have come across, removing a kitchen faucet without a basin wrench is not tricky. You only require to follow the steps mentioned above and use the recommended tools to get the job done.