Easy Steps for New Faucet Installation

I (Shelli, who by the way is the only family member who ever posts things on this site) just installed a new kitchen faucet to replace our old leaky one. I had previously changed out our bathroom faucet with little effort and seeing as I am now a professional I thought I would share my knowledge in this area. Simply follow the steps outlined below and you too can have a brand new kitchen faucet.

1. Pick out new faucet (I suggest ordering from here as I found the exact same faucet I ordered from this site at Lowe's for 4 times the price)

2. Wait 2&1/2 long weeks for it to be delivered from the far corners of Canada.

3. Remove everything from under your sink and compile supplies (towels, wrenches, hammer, and basin wrench *highly recommended*)

4. Turn off the water supply to the faucet. There are two handles under the sink 

(one for hot, one for cold) that you turn counterclockwise (righty-tighty, lefty-loosey). Turn on faucet to make sure water is off. If water comes out, you turned the wrong way! Try again.

5. Grab some towels and put down under the sink... those pipes/lines will still have water in them and it will need to go somewhere (hopefully not in your eye).

6. Wriggle yourself under the sink on your back looking up. At this point, if you weigh much more than 180, you may need to stop, loose some weight, then try again after you reach said weight. Keep in mind, I weigh a mere 115lbs (I know, I am a woman and I'm not supposed to share my weight- I'll note that for another time) and had VERY little wiggle room under there!

7. If you are smart, you have a basin wrench. If you aren't you will now have to attempt to find the right size wrench (most water line nuts attaching to stem are 1/2") and hope you have enough room to turn it (which you won't- I learned this during my bathroom faucet install, go get a basin wrench). Attempt to turn the nut to loosen. Remember- righty-tightey, lefty-loosey. At this point, you better have been lifting weights, if not you need to stop, start a work out regimen, and resume once your muscles look like The Hulk's.  Or call up Roger Clemens for a short-cut.

8. Get the cold water washer and nut off. Get the hot water washer off. Attempt to remove the hot water nut for, oh... lets say an hour. After an hour of unsuccessful attempts, a lot of cussing (I now have a greater appreciation for my dad's cussing while completing household repairs during my childhood) and really sore muscles from laying on your back with your arms up in the air, decide to consult the internet on how to remove the rogue nut.

9. In accord with the plumbing site on the internet, try to heat nut with hair dryer then use wrench. Won't budge. Try to heat again. Cuss some more. Then, as site suggests, apply WD40 and try wrench. Cuss some more as it doesn't even budge. Then, hit with hammer to attempt to loosen. Cuss again. Then, as a last ditch effort turn clockwise because, as the website says, any progress is good progress and maybe it will loosen up. It works, and nut moves, just the wrong direction. Yell at yourself for being so stupid because now the nut is on even tighter.

10. Abandon internet strategy and go at the old faucet from the top! Take apart the entire thing... this is sort of fun and you don't have to worry about ever putting it back together!

11. After half an hour, realize there is NO possible way the faucet will come off from the top. So, go get a hacksaw. (now, here is an important note: do not wait for someone -oh, lets say a slightly stronger husband- to come home to try it. You are an independent person and can do this on your own!)

12. Spend 20 minutes hacking through the metal tailpiece that is connected to the rusty nut you spent the previous 2 hours trying to remove.

13. Remove faucet from sink, finally.

14. Realize that although the faucet is now no longer attached to the sink, the nut and part of the tailpiece is still stuck to the water line and will need removed somehow.

15. Try to loosen nut again as now you can do it seated, and not crammed in a little space on our back. Husband gets home...Have several other slightly stronger male figures try to remove the nut from the water line.... HA! It doesn't budge! I told you not to wait for any males' help.

16. Take a break to go out to eat dinner (as the kitchen is a mess and you have no water) then go to bible study and repent for all the earlier cussing.

17. Come home and realize you will need to disconnect the water line at the shutoff valve, and buy a new water line to totally replace it.

18. Put kids to bed, then get in car to go to Lowes. Stop while still backing out of driveway and pull back into garage after you realize Lowes is closed. Call it the end of Day 1 of the Faucet Adventures.

19. Wake up and go to work, go pick kids up from childcare then go out to eat again for dinner as you still have no water in kitchen. Stop at Lowes on way home to buy two new faucet lines (might as well replace and upgrade both hot and cold lines). Stop to look at new front doors because that is the next project you will be doing, then realize what a stupid idea that was as your two year old and five year old play in them and the two year old shuts one on her hand and begins a 15 minute screaming rampage.

20. Stop at Walgreens and get Tylenol for your growing headache.

21. Get home, replace water lines (new, non-rusted lines go right on), seal new faucet with plumbers putty, connect new lines to new faucet and turn on water! You now have a new faucet! 

***** Whenever anyone tells you that installing a new faucet is easy... they aren't lying. It only takes about 30 minutes. It is taking off the old one that will get you!******

Total Project Tally:

Time: elapsed- 2 days 

           working- ~4 hours

Trips to Lowes- one (down from 3 with last faucet installation)

Cost: my sanity