For the next easy project, I took inspiration not from the internet but from my personal needs. I did attempt to find what experts said were easy home projects, however, I found the projects that the experts recommended did not fit my needs.
For post two I will be focusing on installing a kitchen faucet. There are several reasons why a kitchen faucet could be a great upgrade and also is do-it-yourself friendly. Unlike the shower curtain rod installation, which requires a lot of guesswork, installing a kitchen faucet is much more straightforward.
The steps to removing a kitchen faucet are as follows:
- Shut off the water valve to both the hot and cold water.
2. Disconnect the hot and cold hoses to the faucet. Make note of which line connects to which hose. To help a person can use a permanent marker to indicate the cold water line.
3. Unscrew the two tension bolts which will allow the main washer and nut to be spun off.
4. Turn the metal nut counterclockwise to remove it from the faucet.
5. With everything disconnected, screws removed, and the nut taken off then the sink can be pulled out.
Why I liked the Project
There are no measuring or tricky-to-do steps like with the shower rod but that does not mean the process was without flaws. I will mention how to install the new faucet but before we get there let us talk about a few more reasons for the upgrade.
The next few reasons are more personal and might not relate to everyone. The first reason is the current faucet does not have a sprayer. Sure, a person could add a separate sprayer, but getting a faucet with a sprayer felt like the better option for me.
Some other less important reasons for upgrading include the finish no longer goes with the kitchen, the size of the faucet being too small or big, or there is some aspect of the kitchen faucet that impedes daily use.
For me, it was a combination of all those problems that made me think about upgrading. Now before I get into the kitchen sink installation, there are a few things that did or could have gone wrong with the kitchen faucet installation that should be mentioned first.
Precautions are Advised
An issue I ran into was the cold water shut-off valve failing and needing to be replaced. I skipped replacing the valve for the time being as I was able to complete the project but the valve will need to be replaced eventually, My water valve only leaked while closed but if your valve leaks while open then the valve will need to be replaced immediately.
Although replacing a water shut-off valve is not the most difficult task it would make the overall project far less beginner-friendly. My advice would be only to attempt a kitchen faucet upgrade if you are comfortable with the worst-case scenarios happening.
I was not sure where to include this bit of advice so I decided to stick it here. If the worst case occurs and a new shut-off valve needs to be installed make sure it is a quarter-turn shut-off valve. Not only are quarter turns up to code but they are also quicker to shut off and less likely to fail than the older multiturn shut-off valves.
Okay, Now Here is How to Install a Kitchen Faucet
Luckily the instructions on my new kitchen faucet were super clear but here is a run down if your instructions are not.
- Slide the faucet plate to where it aligns with the counter holes (if using the faucet plate). Then slide the hoses into the faucet and counter hole.
2. Slide the rubber gasket (not pictured) and metal washer onto the hot and cold (also the sprayer hose if applicable) hoses.
3. Next screw down the metal washer and then tighten the two screws on the washer.
4. Connect the cold and hot water lines. Make sure to pay attention to the cold water line indicated on the hose as blue and the hot indicated as red.
If there is a rubber washer do not use teflon tape. Snug the fitting and then add another quarter turn. Do not over-tighten or else a leak could form.
5. If installing a faucet with a sprayer attachment unclip the black weight and reclip it onto the hose where it is labeled to do so. Connect that same hose to the last remaining hose which will be the shortest one.
6. Turn on the water valves to both the hot and cold and then check for leaks.
To Summarize this Post
Water leaks can ruin a house and so this project is inherently more dangerous than the last one. However much like the toilet I would still say this is a better upgrade than the curved shower curtain rod. While a shower rod is something most people rarely think about a kitchen faucet is almost like a tool to clean dishes and is something that gets interacted with a lot.
I have cleaned several dishes with the new faucet and now with the sprayer head, I also was able to clean the sink. Overall I am super happy with the upgrade as it has made cleaning both the dishes and the sink much easier. If you are comfortable interacting with plumbing this project should be on the to-do list.
