I've been wanting to change the faucet in the master bedroom for quite some time. I finally took the plunge and bought a faucet. Actually I purchased two of the same kind, one for each bathroom since both bathrooms are in need of a refresh.
The cap came off the faucet in the master bathroom many years ago. I kept putting it back on and it would fall back off again so I gave up trying. Unfortunately the way the faucet is constructed it makes it very difficult to clean properly. The only way to properly clean it is to unscrew it and clean all around but that is too much work on a regular basis. Hopefully the new one will be easier to keep clean.
 |
| It's so difficult to make this faucet look clean. |
I decided to try and change the faucets myself; at least the one in the master bathroom and save myself the plumber expense. However I didn't bargain for it to be so very difficult to remove or unscrew the hoses under the sink. That should have been a relatively easy job, but the whole piece containing the hoses and nuts kept turning around and around. I couldn't get any leverage to apply the proper pressure. I also couldn't remove the nuts from the bottom end near the water shut off valves for the same reason. I was afraid if I applied too much pressure at the shut off valves, the plastic piping near the valves might snap and break and that would of course cost a lot to get a plumber to repair.
I finally managed to unscrew the 'silver' nuts (as in the photo below) almost to the end of the threads. I finally asked my dear husband (DH) to try and do the last bit. With my knee and muscle issues it's very difficult to maneuver into the small space in the master bathroom or lie under the sink and do what needs to be done. I could only do it for short periods and after 5 attempts at loosening the nuts, I'd had enough.
 |
| These nuts were very difficult to unscrew |
 |
| The rust looks terrible but thankfully the nuts came out easily |
I don't know why, but several women on You Tube have said that it's easy to change out the faucets. I guess they have a different set up under the sink. One of my blogger friends tried to encourage me by saying one of her granddaughters was able to change one too. I've heard plumbers on YT say that they've run into challenges removing faucets and have taken up to one hour to undo a corroded screw. Others have said that it is very difficult in tight spaces to get enough leverage to loosen certain nuts. I guess my situation falls into that category. I either had to get the job done, find a way to do it or call a plumber.
DH did what I asked but didn't have much patience. He noticed the same problem I had though I didn't tell him in advance about my experience. When he realized what was happening he found it useless to continue. Being a handyman is not his forte, nor frankly his interest.
So I called a friend who works in construction. I thought if he could at least loosen the nuts, I could do the actual installation and I wanted to do it. He came over and within 10 minutes or less he managed to to loosen the nuts. He used 2 wrenches to gain leverage. One to hold the moving pipes and one to loosen the nuts. Frankly, I thought he was genius. I know this strategy would take more strength than I have because one of my wrenches is rather heavy to hold especially while working upside down.
 |
| The old faucet |
 |
| The rusted parts |
 |
| The new faucet |
After the nuts were loosened, I told him I would finish the job but he didn't want me to get down on the floor again so he said he would do it and he did. Afterward, we tested the set up for leaks and all seemed to be working well. I had placed a yellow tub under the pipes and left it there after testing. Then I went to Home Depot and out for dinner. I was gone for several hours. When I returned there was quite a bit of water in the tub. Oh dear. There is a leak after all.
After a bit of investigating, not much because it was quite late, I think that I must have damaged the flexible hoses when I was trying to remove the nuts. I was thinking to buy new hoses but after discussions with my friend we agreed I should just reuse them.
I'll do more testing over the weekend to see if this is really the cause of the leak.
Oh yeah, when I went to Home Depot, I purchased a new tool but I realized I forgot to buy some clear silicone.
This tool by Rigid, is supposed to make the job of replacing faucets in tight spaces much easier. It also provides a mechanism for immobilizing pipes that go round and round while trying to unfasten tight nuts. Time will tell whether it works as well as I've heard.
I have another bathroom faucet to replace but I think I'll give it a bit of time before I attempt it again. There are lots of other things to get done. I also want to enjoy a bit of summer since it seems all I've been doing is working or dealing with major projects (patio renovation and master bedroom leak and repairs).
