Best Homeware & Living

How to remove kitchen faucet without basin wrench

How to remove kitchen faucet without basin wrench
BHL | 11 Aug

Kitchen faucets can cause problems and we may not have a basin wrench at our hand. Do we still let the problem persist? Of course not! You are here because you have the same kind of problem right?


You searched the internet for this solution and came to this article! So, it is a common problem that can happen to anyone at any time. In this blog we will tell you how to remove a kitchen faucet without  basin wrench.

What is a kitchen faucet

Before we talk about the ‘how’, let us talk about the ‘whats’ in this article about how to remove kitchen faucet without basin wrench. First, we will have to look at the term faucet. The term may seem to refer to something complex but faucet is another term for ‘tap’.


So, a tap and a faucet are the same thing. Wherever you have a sink, you must have a sink without a faucet. It is not easy to install it if you are not a professional. They know exactly how to handle a faucet - they know how to install and remove a faucet. Faucets can come in various colors, sizes, shapes, and finishes. They can also vary depending on the material they are made from. 


If you do not use a professional plumber, the installation can be botched, and leaks can appear suddenly when everyone in your house is sleeping soundly. In the morning you will find yourself with a flooded household! That will not be convenient, will it? 

Why is it important?

Why do we need a sink in the kitchen? For washing and cleaning for sure! However, cleaning or washing cannot be done without water in a kitchen, right? So, how do we get water from the supply line? Via the faucet of course! The faucet brings water to your work area and lets you control how much water you want to use and at what rate or force.

What is a basin wrench?

Now, we will talk about the basin wrench. It is a very important plumbing tool or a tool without which plumbing work will not be done properly. There is hardly any plumbing work that does not involve a basin wrench. 


To remove nuts of various shapes and sizes from various pipe joints you need to use basin wrenches. The wrenches are designed to reach narrow places and act like levers to unscrew nuts from their places. There are wrenches with particular serious numbers. Their length and size get bigger or smaller with their serial number. 


If you are a professional or an enthusiast who loves ‘Do it yourself’ activities, this tool is a must have in your collection. This is the tool that you will definitely need to remove and install a faucet in the kitchen.

Why do you need to remove the kitchen faucet?

There can be a lot of reasons why you will need to change or replace your faucet. We will list some reasons one by one.

Design 

The first reason why someone would want to change or replace the kitchen faucet could be design. When you use the same faucet for a long time it becomes really boring. Looking at the same faucet months after months can be visually tiring.


To bring a freshness into the kitchen we can change to a faucet of different designs. Besides, when you renovate the whole kitchen you have to change the faucet too, because everything else is changing. When everything changes in a kitchen based on the current trend, you cannot overlook the faucet.

Damage

The second reason why you may need to change the faucet in the kitchen is because of damage. When you use a faucet day after day, month after month, damage will occur one day. So, if something like that happens to your kitchen faucet too, you will have to remove the broken faucet and install a new one.

Blockage 

Sometimes, the rust can stop water from flowing by creating a blockage in your kitchen faucet. There can be a few reasons such as mineral deposits. When the hardness of water is higher, it can cause minerals to deposit in the stem of the faucet. It pares down the water pressure or flow of water. 

Corrosion

Corrosion is another reason for which you need to change the faucet. Corrosion is the state of oxidation caused by water in a metal. Sometimes, due to corrosion faucets suffer corrosion. If that happens you will need to change your faucet.

How to maintain your kitchen faucet


Usually, faucets in houses do not get the care and maintenance they need. Only when they are broken do we realize that we should have done something about it. In this section let us talk about the maintenance of faucets.  


Daily maintenance

Instead of removing a faucet after it is broken, you can clean the part you can reach from outside with soap, water and brush. With daily care your faucet will last longer and will serve you better.

Remove deposits

If you do daily maintenance, you will notice any deposits building up in the inside of the faucet due to hardness of water. All you need to do is to clean it up before it becomes bigger. Use sandpaper and softly clean the dirt with the use of a cleaning solution. Do not use too much force as you may damage the finish of the faucet.

Replacing/ Cleaning Aerator

One of the most important parts of your faucet is the aerator. According to history, aerators people started using this as part of their regular faucet system late in the 1940’s.


This device part helps to suppress the splashing from the faucet's water flow. As the name suggested it aerates the water to mix more oxygen into the water, and as a result it tastes better than the water from a faucet without an aerator. Aerators can come pre installed into a faucet or you can buy a seperate aerator and install it in your faucet.


Aerators cannot clean themselves and they accumulate dirt just like the inner part of a faucet. So it is very important to clean the aerator at a regular interval. If you feel like the water flow has become really uneven, then open up the aerator and check. if it is broken then replace it, and if it needs a cleaning then clean it.

Kitchen faucet removal tool

When it is the time to replace your kitchen faucet it is important to know what tool to use for the job. Usually, a basin wrench is used to disconnect the kitchen faucet from the system. However, you may not always have a basin wrench ready when you need one. In this article we will tell you how to remove kitchen faucet without a basin wrench. 



Cable fastener

If you do not have a basin wrench then you can use a cable fastener to do the job as effectively. We often see this fine little thing. In movies we see the police or detectives tying up the hands and feet of the perp with these fasteners.


They are strong and literally unbreakable by normal force. A fastener will just cut into your flesh if you try breaking it with force. So, you can use it to unscrew the faucet from the joint.

Duct tape

The next item you can use to unscrew a faucet is duct tape. You can use this to unscrew any bolt. 

Two coins

You will have to use your physical strength to do the job. You can use two coins to remove the faucet. Place the coins on both sides of the nut. Hold them tightly between your knuckles. Now, twist as if your hand is the lever of the basin wrench. 

The method

  1. The first step is to find the hot and cold water lines below the sink. Turn the water valves to make sure the water supply is completely cut off. Take a bucket and place it beneath the sink to catch any water droppings during the work.

  2. The second step is to make sure there is no air pressure inside after making sure the water supply is completely turned off. So, use the spigot to release any air pressure built up inside. Leave it like that for a few minutes, and the pressure will be gone. This will help you during the faucet removal.

  3. Now that you have stopped the water supply, the next step is to remove the water lines from the faucet. For this, you will need a water pump plier to detach the lines from the faucet. Some other tool may work, but for the safety of your appliance use a proper tool like a water pump plier. Gently, pull the water lines off with utmost care. You do not want to damage the lines.

  4. After detaching the water lines, you will need to remove the mounting nuts of the faucet. These screws hold the faucet in its place. Use a socket wrench to loosen the nuts. Use grease if they are too tight. For nuts use a socket wrench and for screws you will need a screwdriver.

  5. After that, you will have to detach the hose from the basin or sink. Clean the faucet and the sink. Check the faucet if you can clean and reuse it. If it is not reusable, then replace it with a new one. Now, slowly follow the steps to connect the faucet in its place. You should start from step 5 and go upwards undoing the things you have done so far.


We hope that you avoid missing any steps. This is how to remove kitchen faucet without basin wrench in the easiest manner. Good luck!


Write Your Comment About This DIY & Idea


BHL