Replacing a sink faucet is fairly
easy. Start by turning off the water at the supplies under the
sink. Open the hot and cold taps on the faucet to relieve the
pressure. Use a cup to collect the water from the supply lines
as you disconnect them. If you are replacing the water supply
lines too, then disconnect them from the supply valves. Otherwise,
disconnect the supply lines from the faucet beneath the sink.
If you have enough room to work, you can use slip joint pliers,
but a basin wrench may make the job a lot easier.
With the basin wrench remove the
mounting nuts that secure the faucet body to the sink. If they
will not loosen, spray them with penetrating oil and give the
oil a chance to work.
If replacing a bathroom sink, disconnect
the drain lift rod from the drain pop-up assembly. The two most
common styles require loosening a thumbscrew or squeezing a metal
tension band to release the lift rod.
You should now be able to remove
the faucet body, although the old putty may have a hold on it.
If so, carefully run a putty knife around and under the faucet
to break the bond. Lift off the old faucet and clean the surface
of the sink before mounting the new faucet.
