To install a new bathroom faucet, first ensure both hot and cold water valves are turned off. Use a basin wrench (or another basic adjustable wrench) to loosen any of the old waterline connections underneath your sink.
For whiter knuckles, use some WD-40 to loosen plastic nuts.
Remove the Faucet
Step one in replacing your bathroom faucet is to uninstall the old one. Shut off all water supply lines at their shutoff valves underneath the sink and keep a bucket or other container handy to catch any remaining water in the pipes. Mineral spirits may be necessary to loosen a nut that secures drain pipe clevis strap (see Photo 3).
New faucet assemblies typically include two threaded water supply lines that connect from the bottom of the faucet head and run under the sink to a P-trap. If your existing fixture does not come equipped with these supplies, they must be purchased and installed separately.
If your old faucet features handles, use a screwdriver to unscrew each handle before pulling them off with your hands. If its spout has become corroded over time, however, pliers or another tool may be required in order to loosen and unclip it from its mount on the wall.
Unscrew the nut that secures the drain pipe to the P-trap and lift up on it to disconnect it from the rest of the sink. Remove your old drain, clean away any silicone caulk or plumber’s putty around faucet holes, and scrub away silicone caulk or putty from silicone sealants before starting installation of your new drain and faucet.
Remove the Water Lines
Before disconnecting old water lines, double-check that all faucet valves have been fully turned off. Any leftover water may spill out when opening any valves if any was still present in the pipes – to be safe, place a bucket underneath each connection of line so as to catch any spillage that occurs.
Discovering your water supply tubes’ compression mounting nuts is key to unscrewing them safely without twisting your line, using either pliers or wrench to help hold down while loosening their nuts. Flexible supply tubes may be cut using tubing cutters while rigid chromed copper tubes will need a hacksaw splitter in order to divide.
Once the retaining nuts have been removed, your old faucet should fall out easily; otherwise you may need to gently tug at it until all its parts have come loose. Now, you can begin connecting your new water lines by screwing shorter lengths onto each side of the spout tee before tightening by hand and leaving a loop of braided lines free from kinking before turning on both hot and cold water valves for several minutes before making final adjustments and testing it all for any further leaks or blockages before turning them on permanently!
Unscrew the Mounting Screws
Once the water lines have been disconnected, you will need to loosen the nuts that hold your faucet in place. A basin wrench – an essential plumbing tool with jaws designed to hook over nuts – should do the trick; crawl underneath your sink cabinet while wearing a headlamp with jaws around each nut until they tighten and pull tight while also turning the wrench handle anticlockwise for unscrewing purposes.
Many faucets feature a thin pipe extending upward from the wall behind them – this is known as a stem and it controls your faucet. Sometimes this stem can prove difficult to install as its hex nut tends to be stubborn; in such instances a pass-through socket wrench might come in handy to fit over it and grip firmly (just like regular wrench).
If the hex nut won’t budge, try spraying mineral spirits over it to loosen any sealant residue that might be adhered to it. With any luck, this should allow you to loosen and then unbolt the hex nut so you can take steps towards disposing of your old faucet.