DIY bathroom faucet replacement tips. How to change a faucet in the kitchen: do it yourself

There are times when you urgently need to replace a faucet in the bathroom or kitchen, but there is no familiar specialist nearby. Besides, it’s night outside, and it’s not always possible to call a plumber into the house during the day. There is only one option left for the owner - to replace the faulty mixer yourself.

Peculiarities

If there is a new or working used faucet in stock, then replacing the defective fittings will not be difficult for those who have ever done a similar thing. But it will be difficult for people who do not distinguish open-end wrenches from socket wrenches to explain how they can do this themselves. But you will have to try, since such a need has arisen.

Before removing a faulty faucet, you should perform the following mandatory steps to protect your and other people’s property from flooding:

• Shut off the primary valves supplying hot and cold water to the apartment or house from the common risers. In old houses, it was often not possible to turn off the water to a specific apartment, since the pipeline layouts required the installation of only a common valve for the entire entrance. There were no separate fittings on the branches to each apartment. Modern housing construction has eliminated this inconvenience - now each apartment has its own shut-off devices on the cold and hot water pipelines.
• If the primary valve in an apartment in a modern building fails, then more work is required. You need to notify your neighbors at the entrance that there will be no hot and cold water for some time due to an accident in the apartment, and then turn off the riser in the basement.

• If the primary valve for the entire entrance in an old building does not hold (also a common incident), then it will be problematic to immediately resolve such an issue. You will have to call the emergency housing and communal services. Not all houses have a through passage in the basement, and the common valve for the house may not be in the basement of the house, but somewhere in the well in front of the building.
• Having finally turned off everything necessary and made sure that there is no water in the taps, you can begin replacing the mixer.

All the described actions should be performed first if inaction threatens flooding of your own and the apartments below. It does not matter whether other mixers or spare parts for them are available. Even if there is nothing in stock, you can endure it for one day or night.

When the threat of flooding has been eliminated, it is necessary to thoroughly understand the problem that has arisen. Examine the mixer, find out the cause of its malfunction and the possibility of repair.

How to replace?

Sometimes, in emergency situations, it is not necessary to have a new or working used faucet to temporarily resolve a difficult situation. The thrifty owner has separate serviceable parts of the mixer: “goosenecks” with elements for connecting to the mixer, gaskets, valve boxes assembled or disassembled. All this can be useful depending on the problem with the existing shut-off valves that have become unusable. With the help of spare parts, you can repair the mixer, even for the first time.

Both to replace the mixer and to repair it, you will need a running set of tools, which any person with the slightest understanding of life has in stock. This set includes various open-end wrenches from number 8 to number 32 for possible everyday problems with water supply and plumbing in the apartment. It's a good idea to have an adjustable wrench on hand for unexpected nut sizes in both plumbing and furniture assembly. A gas wrench is often in demand on the farm, which is needed not only for work on the gas pipeline, but also for the same plumbing work.

A gas wrench is always useful for plumbing and its fittings.

In addition to tools, the house always needs an assortment of spare parts and various consumables for repairing plumbing and water supply systems. The following elements are most in demand for repairing water taps and mixers:

1. rubber or plastic gaskets;
2. valves;
3. valve stems;
4. valve flywheels;
5. connecting and transition parts with the pipeline, including nipples (barrels), couplings, nuts;
6. material for sealing joints.

A nipple (aka barrel) is a connecting part of a pipe that has external threads on both sides of the same or different diameter and pitch. Can be used for joining two pipelines, a pipeline and a tap, as well as in other cases of installation or repair of a water supply system.

When a mixer malfunction can be easily eliminated by simply replacing the gaskets, and leaks at the connections to the pipelines can be easily tightened, then such an “accident” can be considered a slight misunderstanding. But if everything is more serious, and replacing the mixer cannot be avoided, then you will have to roll up your sleeves and drag tools and spare parts to the place of work.

How to replace it yourself?

In the bathroom of modern apartments there can be two options for installing mixing taps.

1. One faucet, operating both for drawing water into the bathroom and for the washbasin.
2. Two separate taps: one is only for showering and drawing water into the bath, the other is for washing in the sink.

These two separate mixing valves are completely different designs. For a sink, a single-lever faucet (or a regular two-valve) is usually used, and for a bathtub, a two-valve faucet with a shower switch is used. It would be better to first consider an example of replacing a valve for drawing water into a bathtub and shower.

There are models of single-lever (single-lever) bathtub faucets, but this does not matter when it comes to replacing them: the supply of hot and cold water is the same everywhere.

Valve mixer

Before you begin to dismantle the mixer and begin to unscrew its connections with the cold and hot water pipelines, you should pay attention to the material of the pipelines. If the supply pipes are steel and do not have any other connections, then you can safely unscrew the nuts. In the case of pipes made of metal-plastic or polypropylene, this must be done very carefully, lightly clamping the supply pipe with a suitable tool and at the same time unscrewing the mixer fastening nuts. Plastic pipes must not be allowed to twist, otherwise the problems will be even more serious.

It is better to clamp not the plastic pipe itself, but a metal eccentric adapter, which is usually installed by installation organizations when installing water mains and distribution lines in apartments. This adapter is also one of the types of nipples, having two threads at its ends. One of them is screwed in or soldered in after adjusting the distance between the pipelines to the faucet standard, and the other is intended for connecting the tap.

Step-by-step instructions for removing a faucet in a bathroom or kitchen with a standard type of supply pipelines consists of several points:

• Shut off the hot and cold water supply at the primary valve. Options for their location in a newly built apartment: cold water - in the toilet, hot water - in the bathroom. There are apartments in which each tap has its own shut-off valve. In older houses, the valves are located in the basement. But still, you should first carefully inspect the pipelines in the apartment.
• By opening the valves on the mixer that needs to be changed, drain the water from the pipeline and the device itself. It is advisable to open all the remaining taps in the apartment so as not to leave the system with water remaining in the pipes even at atmospheric pressure.

• Prepare tools, spare parts, consumables. Just in case, take care of a rag and a bucket so that there is somewhere to drain the water and something to wipe up puddles. Tools and consumables you will need: two adjustable wrenches (or one adjustable wrench and a set of open-end wrenches), pliers, special Teflon tape or thread for sealing threaded connections, masking or insulating tape, liquid for softening scale and rust. If something is not available, then the work will have to be postponed for a while. The last thing on the list may not be needed if the connections are in good condition
• Simultaneously loosen the mixer mounting nuts on both eccentric adapters. It is possible that not all of the water is coming out of the faucet or pipes, so before unscrewing the fastener, it is better to place a dry cloth under the eccentrics or place some dishes to keep the work area clean.

• You can expect that stuck threads on connections will not give in the first time. You shouldn’t tempt fate and make extreme efforts to achieve your goal. Plumbing and water supply in the household are the most unpredictable systems for a person’s comfortable life. At every opportunity, they try to win back and turn their heavenly life into a living hell. And with synthetic newfangled pipelines, no effort should be made.
• Try to unscrew the stuck joints, and if there is a liquid for this, then use it for its intended purpose, smearing it or placing a rag soaked in liquid on the problem area. Give time for the scale or rust to soften, and then try to unscrew the nuts. You can also use vinegar, heated oil, or kerosene instead of a special liquid. Nothing is impossible, so eventually the screws will come loose.

• After unscrewing the mixer nuts from the adapters, remove the faulty mixer. Prepare and assemble a new faucet if it has been disassembled.
• Usually new mixers have eccentric adapters in their kit. If it is possible to remove old eccentrics, then it is better to do it without hesitation. For example, in the case of plastic supply pipes, this operation is unlikely to succeed, but with a steel water supply there will be no problems. Remember the position and unscrew the old eccentrics from the supply pipes, and clean the connection area from dirt. Wrap the threads on the new adapters with 3-4 layers of Teflon tape and screw them into the water pipes with compression in the same position in which the old adapters were.

• Now wrap Teflon tape around the second end of the adapter to which the mixer will be attached. It is enough to wrap the entire threaded part of the eccentric with tape 3-4 times.
• Place the mixer mounting nuts onto the eccentrics of both pipelines, being careful not to distort or damage the threads either on the nuts themselves or on the eccentrics. Tighten both connections simultaneously until the nuts are tight.
• Wrap with masking or insulating tape to protect the chrome surfaces of the fastening nuts, tighten them with a wrench or pliers.
• Remove the masking tape. Adjust the tightness of all other fasteners on the mixer (gander, shower hose).
• Check the tightness and proper operation of the water supply taps from each pipeline in turn.

There is nothing complicated about replacing a valve mixer. Such work can be done independently in an hour if you have primary water fittings, tools and the necessary materials.

And the quality of work depends on the attentiveness and reasonable approach to the work of the owner.

Single lever tap

Single-lever (single-lever) kitchen and bath faucets are more convenient compared to their predecessors – valve taps:

1. Can only be operated with one hand. The valve taps for setting the water supply at the desired temperature can be controlled by holding and turning each knob simultaneously or alternately with both hands.
2. Setting the temperature using one lever is almost instantaneous and it remains stable, which cannot be said about two-valve taps.
3. Such taps now usually come with either a ball mechanism or a cartridge, consisting of a cassette with ceramic discs inside. These working elements of the mixer can be easily replaced yourself without calling a plumber. The parts themselves cannot be repaired at home.

Among the disadvantages of the described taps, their high demands on the quality of tap water are especially noteworthy. Being clogged with mechanical impurities contained in the water, over time they begin to work unsatisfactorily: they leak, jam in the hinges, the jet power and flow rate decrease, the taps become leaky and do not hold water when closed. To increase the service life of taps, the best solution is to install filters on the supply pipelines. The cost of one filter is cheap, but the effect of installing them is amazing: the taps will last many times longer than without filters.

Malfunctions of a single-lever faucet with a cartridge are explained by the failure of the following parts:

• ceramic cartridge;
• body cracks;
• breakage of metal sealing elements (or their corrosion);
• wear of rubber seals.

All these elements, except the housing, must be replaced. In case of cracks in the housing, the entire device must be replaced with a new one. Cracks can form due to careless installation or the manufacturer using low-quality materials.

Replacing a cartridge consists of the following sequential steps:

• The water supply to the primary valves on the hot and cold water pipelines to the apartment is turned off.
• The pressure in the pipelines is relieved by opening the taps, including those being repaired.
• The decorative plug is pulled out from the hole under the faucet lever, in which there is a screw that secures this lever. You can use a flathead screwdriver for this.
• Unscrew the fixing screw 1-2 turns and remove the handle. To unscrew the screw, you need either a screwdriver or a special hex key.
• Remove or unscrew the decorative half-ring from the faucet body by hand. The clamping nut, which fixes the position of the cartridge in the valve body, and the valve stem become accessible.

• Carefully unscrew the clamping nut using an appropriately sized open-end wrench or adjustable wrench.
• Remember the position of the cartridge in the seat and then pull it out of the body upward. The old element should be replaced with exactly the same one: with the appropriate diameter (30 or 40 mm) and cassette holes.
• Before replacing the cartridge, clean the seat from possible scale, rust and other debris. And also inspect the O-rings and replace them if they are worn out or deformed.
• Install a new element while maintaining the position of the old one. There is no other way to install the device; there are special grooves and bits for this, but careless installation can lead to damage to the product.

• Tighten the clamping nut, securely fixing the device in the body and seat.
• Replace the fake half-ring.
• Secure the valve lever with a screw.
• Check the results of the work by applying water.

It should be noted that the presented operating algorithm is quite suitable for valve mixers if there is a need to replace or repair the crown (faucet-axlebox) of one of the taps.

Almost the same operations.

Ball mixers are distinguished by their longevity compared to cassette mixers, they react less to water quality, but are practically irreparable. Any breakdown leads to a complete replacement of the tap. The only case when disassembling the faucet is required is due to a decrease in water flow through it due to a clogged mesh filter on the drain. The tap is disassembled and the filter is cleaned as follows:

• disconnect the “gander” from the mixer body;
• unscrew the nut with the filter from the drain chamber;
• clean the filter mesh by blowing and rinsing in the opposite direction from the working flow path;
• clean the “gander” itself and its fastening part from deposits;
• Reassemble the structure in the reverse order of disassembly.

Single lever taps are installed in both the bathroom and kitchen. They can be of different designs, both with and without shower switches. In the bathroom they are often installed in a separate sink - a “tulip”. They are also installed in regular wash basins.

An algorithm for completely replacing taps of any of these designs:

• Turn off the water and relieve pressure by opening the taps.
• Free the work area from unnecessary objects and sewer pipelines that may interfere with free access to the mixer fastening nuts.
• If the sink is a “tulip” type, then you need to remove the pedestal for ease of use. In other cases, when the fastening of the sink is not very reliable (for example, there is no bolt, the dowels are loose), you will have to remove the sink. At the same time you can start fixing it. But first, disconnect the flexible hoses from the pipelines to the mixer. They need to be disconnected from the pipes, not from the mixer.
• Unscrew the device fastening under the sink. There is a metal plate with a gasket, which is held in place by two fastening pins with nuts 10 (some 8). These nuts must be unscrewed using a suitable socket wrench set, made from a long tube. Socket wrenches will also work.

• After unscrewing the fastening nuts, partially pull the tap out and unscrew the flexible hoses. It will not be possible to completely remove the faucet from the sink hole; the mounting plate is in the way. After unscrewing the hoses, the faucet, plate and hoses become free spare parts.
• Prepare a new device with components (hoses, mounting plate with nuts and sealing gaskets).
• The device must be fully assembled with the top o-ring and gasket.
• Clean the hole under the device in the sink from dirt from below and above.
• First string a rubber seal onto the flexible wires, and then a fastening plate from the side connecting to the mixer and insert them into the hole from below.
• Screw the wires into the bottom of the faucet and tighten securely.

• Attach the gasket and plate with nuts to the mounting pins.
• Reinstall the tulip sink if it was removed and secure it.
• Connect the hoses to the pipelines.
• Secure the mixer with fastening nuts from below, correctly placing the upper seal around the circumference of the hole.
• Check the result with water pressure.

By doing this kind of work even once, you can gain good experience for many years.

Some useful tips for novice home craftsmen:

1. If water from the tap begins to spray, you need to clean the mesh filter on the “gander”.
2. Weak stream from the mixer - the holes on the water inlet valves into the mixing chamber are clogged or the filter on the spout of a single-lever faucet is clogged.
3. Poor water pressure - first clean the filter on the supply pipe. It may get hit by a stone.
4. Install check valves after meters and filters.

Periodic maintenance work will prolong the life of the devices. It is necessary to change the gaskets, clean the taps of scale and mechanical impurities, change flexible wiring every 2 years, regularly inspect the connections of pipelines, hoses and seals for leaks.

You will learn more about how to replace the faucet yourself in the following video.

A water mixer is a plumbing fixture that no bathroom can do without. Find out how to change it correctly from our article.

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Classmates

Sooner or later, the old device becomes unusable and the question arises of how to replace it. To do this, resort to the services of a specialist who will take a fairly decent amount of money, or keep it with you and do it yourself. Installation of this device does not require any special skills and is within the capabilities of every person. Therefore, you should not invite someone, but actually do this work yourself. This will save you money that could be better spent on other purposes.

Choosing a bath faucet

You should not buy a device from Chinese manufacturers, because it will serve you for six months, or even less. Choose an imported or Russian-made mixer. Domestic manufacturers make mixers based on our, let’s say, not very high-quality water. The device should be made of brass, or preferably stainless steel. It should be thick-walled, which means it should have a fairly decent weight. This is a fundamental difference from Chinese products. When buying a mixer, pay attention to the inlet union nuts; they must be thick-walled. Nowadays devices with ball valves and valve type are produced. The latter is much more convenient to regulate water than a ball one.

Choose a convenient mixer

Mixer equipment

Before changing the faucet in the bathroom, you must carefully check the faucet package. Its components:

• A rod or main block with taps or valves and union nuts.
• Shower head holder.
• Gander.
• Shower head.
• Eccentrics.
• Flexible shower hose.
• Rubber or silicone gaskets in the union nuts and rubber rings on the gander.

It is better to take gaskets in reserve. In case the kit contains low-quality nuts or is damaged during installation of the device.

Preparatory stage

Now we’ll tell you how to replace the faucet in the bathroom with your own hands without exposing yourself to financial losses and do it no worse than a professional. The work is not difficult, but it requires attentiveness from the master, so you need to approach it with full responsibility. Let's prepare the mixer and all the necessary tools and materials:

• Mixer. Please check the contents carefully before proceeding with replacement.
• Adjustable wrench up to 30 or gas wrench No. 1.
• Open-end wrench 13x14.
• Fum tape, or better yet Unilok linen thread.
• to set the device horizontally.

Removing the old mixer

We turn off the inlet taps or hot and cold water valves in the apartment. Use a gas wrench to loosen the union nuts of the flexible hose of the shower head from the mixer and unscrew it.

Using an adjustable wrench, loosen the union nuts of the mixer and remove it. Using a 14mm wrench, unscrew the eccentrics and move them to the side. We remove the remaining sealant from the threads of the sockets or fittings. We visually check the quality of the threads in the sockets installed on the bar and, if necessary, replace them with new ones. If this is not done, the threaded connection may “leak” and all the work will have to be done from the very beginning.

Remove the old faucet

Mixer connection types

There are two types of faucet connections, depending on the water supply to the bathroom.

The first is when indoors external water distribution and sockets for the mixer stand on a special strip.

Second - when hidden water supply and two fittings for cold and hot water come out of the wall. In both cases, the device can be placed on eccentrics, and with the second type of liner it can be connected directly to the pipes. In this case, the mixer must be taken with an internal connection.

Installing a new faucet

Now we’ll tell you how to change the faucet in the bathroom correctly, without problems. We wind the Unilok thread onto the new eccentrics and screw them into the sockets. Tighten with a 14 mm wrench. The external threads of both eccentrics should be horizontal. We control this visually or using a building level. We install decorative washers. We wind a sealing thread or tape onto the threads of the eccentrics, place the mixer and carefully screw on both union nuts with our hands, having first checked the presence of sealing gaskets inside the nuts. We screw them on evenly, without distortion, trying to fit the threads. We tighten them with an adjustable wrench.

An example of a modern mixer

Installation of mixer jib

When the mixer is installed, we proceed to the final installation - installing the gander and flexible hose. First we install the gander, there are some small nuances here. Rubber sealing rings are installed on the gander on the mixer side. We direct the gander evenly and carefully, so as not to damage them, and insert it into the mixer until it stops. Screw on the union nut and tighten it with a wrench. You can wrap sealing tape or thread around the threads for reliability, but, as a rule, this is not required. Now you can open the taps and check the quality of the connections. When opening the mixer taps, make sure that the mode switching flag is directed towards the gander.

Installing a shower head with a flexible hose

This is not the end of the instructions on how to replace a bathroom faucet. After you have made sure that all connections are of good quality and do not leak, you can begin installing the flexible shower hose. You should not install the watering can right away, for ease of installation. Place the union nut of the hose on top of the threaded outlet of the mixer, tighten it as tightly as possible with your hands so as not to scratch the decorative surface. And finally, attach the shower head to the union nut of the hose and tighten it with a wrench. For reliability, you can wrap fum tape or Unilok thread around the thread of the watering can.

Convenient mixer with shower switch

An eccentric is a fitting with threads on both sides and an offset center. It is designed for precise adjustment of the horizontal installation of the mixer.

A socket is a special corner fitting for water supply with a flat base with holes for mounting on a plank or directly on a wall.

Before assembling, make sure that the shower head holder is screwed to the mixer; then this may be difficult to do; the wall will get in the way.

Check the quality of the sealing gaskets in the union nuts. They should not have scratches, deformations or tears. Silicone gaskets hold up better than rubber.

How to change a bathroom faucet with a shower stand

If your faucet is equipped with a shower stand or panel, or you want to install a hydromassage or simple shower panel, then the replacement will have to be done differently. First, disconnect the stand from the mixer. Loosen with an adjustable wrench and unscrew the rack connecting nuts. If the stand is connected using a flexible hose, simply disconnect the hose. Unscrew the rack fasteners and remove it. Then we dismantle the mixer as described above. If the stand has a flexible connection and you do not plan to change it, then you do not need to remove it.

Shower stand

Installation of a shower stand

The stand must be installed after the mixer has been installed. Pressing the stand against the wall, controlling its verticality using a building level or plumb line, we mark the holes. If the stand has a rigid mount with a mixer, then the fastening nuts must be tightened and only then make markings. Drill the mounting holes. Having tightened the connecting nuts and previously wound flax thread or fum tape onto the threads, we fix the stand to the wall. We finally tighten the connecting nuts with a gas wrench and check by turning on the water supply to the rack.

How to change a bathroom faucet video:

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Everyone once faces the need to replace a faucet in the bathroom that cannot be repaired or does not fit the updated design of the bathroom. To figure out how to change a bathroom faucet, you don’t have to be a professional plumber. You can solve the problem yourself by studying the technology for performing the work and equipping yourself with the necessary tools.

The entire replacement process consists of two stages: dismantling the old one and installing the new one. Before dismantling the old device, you need to decide on a new model.

What you should pay attention to when choosing a mixer:

• Place of attachment. Bathroom faucets are divided into two types - wall-mounted and built into the side of the bathtub or wall.

Mortise model of the Zenta brand, built into the side of the bathtub

• Construction type. From a design point of view, modern mixers are divided into ball and valve.

Ball valves regulate the supply of hot and cold water with one handle. They are more practical, more convenient, more elegant. To prevent clogging of the ball mechanism with small particles, it is recommended to install a water purification filter.

Everyone has been familiar with valve valves for a long time. They are adapted for long-term use in conditions of hard chlorinated water.

Valve bathroom faucet

Harbingers of repair or replacement of the mixer

The most common breakdowns are the following:

• A closed tap is leaking.
• Humming sound when turning on the water.
• Less pressure than other taps.

It happens that repairing a failed mechanism is expensive or it is simply impractical to carry it out. The optimal solution in this case would be to replace the mixer. Changing a faucet in a bathroom is more difficult than changing a faucet in a kitchen. In addition to the usual elements for switching hot and cold water, it has a bath/shower water supply system and a shower head.

How to replace a wall faucet step by step instructions

• Turn off the hot and cold water at the main taps. Then you should prepare your tools. You will need an adjustable wrench, a screwdriver, pliers, a hammer, a chisel, flax and lubricant. A bucket and a rag may come in handy, especially if the water pipes are old and residual water flows out even with the valves closed.

Adjustable wrench for replacing faucet

• Unscrew the mixer nuts using an adjustable wrench.

Unscrew the tap nuts with a wrench

• Inspect the condition of the eccentrics. If they are rusty, they need to be replaced with new ones. As a rule, high-quality brass eccentrics do not require replacement.

Flax is wound counterclockwise around each thread, lubricated with plumbing paste and screwed into the pipe. If flax is not available, a special sealing tape will do.

We wind flax onto the threads of the eccentrics

Screw in both eccentrics by the same number of turns. Arrange them symmetrically.

The location of the eccentrics depends on the distance between the valve nuts

• Screw on the fake cups. There is no need to wrap a sealant under the threads of decorative elements.

Wrapped decorative cups

• Screw the mixer nuts by hand until they stop. Turn the key a quarter turn. If you squeeze, you can damage the rubber gaskets or fragile parts of the new faucet.

Attach the valve manually, tighten the nuts with a wrench

• Turn on the water and check. If a leak occurs, you should try tightening the nuts. If this does not help, you will have to redo the work again. The seal may not be wound sufficiently or the gasket may be too thin. After troubleshooting, the remaining elements are screwed on - the gander and the shower hose. The switching of water flow from bath to shower is checked.

Ready! You can admire the result of your work

In principle, replacing an old faucet is not a particularly labor-intensive process. If you wish, you can complete the task yourself. But there are times when it is better to entrust this matter to a specialist whose experience will allow him to cope with unforeseen situations. A professional can easily unscrew rusty eccentrics and remove their remains if they crack and remain in the opening. Many nuances that the installation technology requires will not go unnoticed. In any case, whether to do it yourself or call a worker is the owner’s decision.

Everyone at least once in their life is faced with the need to replace the plumbing in the bathroom. The most common reason for this is a broken faucet. A faulty device can cause a significant blow to your wallet. Drop by drop, several liters of water flow out of the tap per day, which at the end of the month will become a significant increase in the rent. In addition, a broken faucet cannot be used, and if you use it, rest assured that it will not last long. There is an urgent need for replacement. And here the question arises, how to change a non-working faucet in the bathroom without resorting to the services of specialists. It is quite possible to make the replacement yourself. Any man can do this work with his own hands.

Tools required for installation and dismantling

Often, owners who want to carry out plumbing work are faced with conflicting opinions of specialists and utility plumbers, according to whom actions carried out independently without complying with special requirements can lead to disastrous consequences. Of course, this fact occurs, but in order to avoid troubles, you must strictly follow the instructions, be patient and pay close attention to what is happening. To get started, you need to have the following tools on hand that you will need to remove the old faucet and install the new faucet.

Tools for dismantling the faucet

1. Adjustable wrench.
2. Tow or fum tape.
3. Insulating tape.
4. Screwdrivers (Phillips and flathead screwdrivers in different sizes).
5. Open-end wrenches.
6. Wrench.

All the tools are at hand, you can start dismantling the old mixer.

Dismantling the old structure

Before installing a new faucet, you need to get rid of the old one. To do this, it must be dismantled. Removal is carried out in a few simple steps.

Product VD-40

Attention! When purchasing a faucet, you focus on the quality of the product, customer reviews and company ratings. As a rule, a good faucet is expensive, but it comes with a manufacturer's warranty. Cheap analogues will not last long, and their quality corresponds to the price.

Installing a mixer: step-by-step instructions

The crane can be installed in the three most popular ways:

• installation on a vertical wall;
• installation in the bath body;
• installation as a separate rack.

Wall mounting

The convenience of the design is that the faucet installed in the wall can be used simultaneously above the bathtub and sink.

Advice. The faucet can be placed above the bathtub, sink or between them.

Installation in the bath body

An interesting option that can be used if you have flexible eyeliner. All faucet attributes will be located directly on the surface of the bath. It is important to choose the right location for the mixer. It must be accessible for plumbing and repair work.

Advice. Use gaskets to prevent leakage.

Faucets on a separate stand

A very stylish option for faucets. Perfect for. Faucets on a separate stand are also called floor-standing.

1. The main problem with the installation will be connecting the pipes to the floor. But if the repair is completely completed, then there is only one option left - running the pipes into a corner and masking them with drywall.
2. The subsequent installation steps are not much different from installing faucets on the wall.

Stand mixer - floor standing

It is worth noting that floor-standing faucets have a very high cost, but this is compensated by the originality of the design in the bathroom.

Installing a faucet is an easy job. The main thing in this matter is accuracy and attentiveness. The quality of the materials used and the selected faucet also play an important role. But if you strictly follow the instructions, the result will undoubtedly please you. After all, any homework done with your own hands looks much better and is valued higher than the help of specialists. And when the question arises, how to change the faucet in the bathroom with your own hands, answer: “Easy and simple!”

Replacing a faucet with your own hands: video

Installing a faucet in the bathroom: photo

How to change a bathroom faucet with your own hands? Mixers fall into disrepair quite often. There may be various reasons for this. Usually this is either low-quality water, from which the metal gradually rusts from the inside, or simply wear and tear due to long service. Moreover, due to the specific purpose of the bathroom, these faucets are more complex in design than kitchen faucets, and they also experience greater loads, because the bathtub is filled from time to time. For these reasons, faucets that were installed not in the kitchen, but in the bathroom, regularly become unusable.

1

First of all, don’t rush to do this. Most often, if any troubles arise, it will be cheaper to make repairs, but to do this, you first need to determine what the problem with the mixer is. In most cases it looks like this.

Usually people are faced with the fact that when the tap is closed, water still continues to drip. There may be several reasons for this, but most of them can be eliminated with the help of repairs, including those carried out independently. Often, simply replacing the gasket is enough to fix this problem. Another situation that often arises is when the faucet makes a loud noise when opening. There may be several explanations for this. One of the most common is air getting into the system.

Replacing the gasket in the tap

The third most common violation is a decrease in pressure level. In this situation, you must first make sure that the pressure on other taps in the apartment or house remains the same and that there are no leaks along the pipe path from the riser to the mixer.

We will not dwell in detail on the causes of breakdowns and ways to repair them yourself. We will assume that repair is impossible and the only solution to the problem is to replace the faucet in the bathroom with your own hands. So, how to do this and what is required?

2 Device features

First, let's figure out what exactly distinguishes a faucet in the bathroom from the one installed in your kitchen. They have similar features such as shut-off valves for hot and cold water. But there is also a difference: the faucet in the bathroom should have somewhat more functionality. Namely, it still supplies water to the shower. This means that such a mixer has a switch from the tap to the shower and the connection point itself. How the faucet and shower are connected depends on the type of system: it can be either a flexible hose or a rigid pipe.

3

To remove the old faucet and install a new one, you will need a set of tools. It’s better to prepare it in advance and put it somewhere in the bathroom so that you don’t have to waste time looking for it later. You will need an adjustable wrench, which will be used to perform a large number of operations during operation. You will also need tools such as pliers and a screwdriver. This is a simple set that can be found in almost any home.

In addition to tools, you will also need materials. First of all, this is the new bathroom faucet itself, which you can buy at any plumbing store. It’s better to choose a model similar to the one you already have installed, then the work will be easier for you.

New bathroom faucet

In addition to the mixer, you will need a special flax for plumbing purposes and the so-called lubricant. If you don’t understand this, ask the consultants in the store for help, they will help you choose. It would be a good idea to purchase additional rubber gaskets, which may still be useful.

Now let's move on to how to install a faucet in the bathroom with your own hands, namely step-by-step instructions. First, prepare a bucket and a rag just in case. Some water will be drained even after the shut-off valves are turned off. Also, if your system is old, even when you turn off the taps, a small amount of water may still leak out. This is where a bucket and rag come in handy.

4

First you need to turn off the water supply. This is usually done using stop valves on the riser, installed at the entrance of the pipes to the apartment. Unfortunately, in older houses, plumbing was installed a long time ago, and the apartment may not have such taps. In this case, you will have to turn off the entire riser. Try to warn your neighbors about this. But these days such a situation is still extremely rare. After you have turned off the water, open the taps on the mixer and allow the various liquids remaining in the apartment system to drain.

When it stops leaking, that means you can begin dismantling.

Removing the mixer is easy. To do this, you simply need to unscrew two nuts using an adjustable wrench. They are located where the faucet connects to the pipes, right under the faucet. After this, the mixer can be easily removed. Then you will need to unscrew the eccentrics - the adapters between the mixer and the pipe. They are screwed into the pipe. You can remove them using pliers. Grasp the edges and gently unscrew, turning counterclockwise.

Use a screwdriver to clear any dirt or other debris from the edge of the pipe. Now it's time to install new eccentrics, which should have come with the purchased mixer. But they first need to be prepared. The eccentrics are wrapped in plumbing linen, which is wetted and secured. Finally, be sure to use the lubricant directly on the flax. Next you need to install new eccentrics. Use an adjustable wrench for this.

Now you can install the faucet. Tighten the nuts with an adjustable wrench quite tightly, but do not apply too much force, especially if your pipes are old, because they may simply burst from this.

Tightening the mixer nut with an adjustable wrench

Now all that remains is to assemble the remaining parts. The tap itself is screwed to the mixer using a nut by hand. At the end, you can tighten it a little with a wrench to tighten it, but not too much, otherwise you may break the tap. Then insert the hose with the faceted end into the mixer and screw it on, and put a watering can on the other end. It's time to test run the water. Carefully inspect the joints to see if water is leaking. If this happens, turn off the water and tighten the nuts a little.

This was a step-by-step instruction on how to replace a bathroom faucet on your own. There are a few more recommendations. Be sure to use rubber washers, lay them at all joints - they will ensure tightness and prevent water from leaking. Purchase gaskets separately. Unfortunately, the ones that often come with the faucet are too thin to ensure proper operation. And as mentioned above, do not use too much force when tightening the nuts - the mixer is quite fragile and can be easily damaged.

Don't forget to get a warranty on your faucet. To do this, you need to buy it from a good plumbing store, which, if necessary, can replace a faucet that has become unusable ahead of time. In such stores, everything is usually a little more expensive, but it is better to pay a little extra for reliability than to buy a poor quality faucet that will break in just a few months.

Now you can imagine how to change the faucet. Replacing a bathroom faucet is a simple matter and accessible to anyone who has at least minimal skills. However, if you are not confident in your abilities, you can always call a professional.

Check for some time after installing the faucet to see if there is any water leaking somewhere, as it often happens that the problem occurs after 1-2 days. Then you just need to tighten the connection a little tighter or use additional flax.