Faucets Install and Replace

Have ready

Empty the cabinet below the sink, since the tech will be lying in it, and put a towel down for tools. Have the new faucet on site and unboxed, with the deck plate and any trim that came with it, plus the spec sheet showing how many holes it needs. Note whether the shutoffs turn, whether the sink has ever backed up, and whether the old faucet dripped at the base. The tech first works the shutoffs to see if they hold, then checks the sink hole spread and the deck condition, then looks at the supply lines and the drain fittings for corrosion before the old unit comes off.

• Shutoff replacement when seized
• Supply lines
• No-drip set
• Sink reset

The visit

The shutoff is tested before the old faucet comes off. If the stop does not hold, we replace it while the supply is down, instead of leaving you with a drip you have to hold a bucket under. New supply lines go on every time. The deck plate gets sealed to the sink.

Pull-down kitchen sprayers fail at the hose weight and the diverter. We set the weight so the head seats, and we check that the dishwasher tailpiece still lines up.

Permit

Replacing a faucet on an existing sink is a fixture swap and normally needs no permit in New Jersey. A permit is normally not required for that. Replacing a shutoff or a short section of supply piping is also routine plumbing maintenance in most towns. New drain lines, moving a supply, or adding a fixture where there was none is plumbing work that gets filed and inspected through the local construction office. The stop question gets answered before the water goes off.

On the Shore

Water quality and damp cabinets do the damage at the Shore. Supply stops in coastal homes seize from mineral scale and corrosion, so a stop that has not moved in years will often snap when it is forced. Salt air and a damp sink base rust the escutcheons, the drain assembly, and the faucet base. That is why the shutoffs, not just the faucet, are the parts worth replacing while the supply is already off.

When we leave

The tech runs hot and cold through both basins, then wipes every joint with a dry paper towel and checks it again after a minute, because a seep shows at the fitting before it shows on the cabinet floor. The drain gets filled and released to confirm the pop-up holds and drops, and a pull-down sprayer gets cycled to check that it retracts and seats. The tech dries the cabinet floor and shows you where to look for a drip over the next day.

Built with

The usual parts are the faucet itself with a ceramic cartridge, new braided stainless supply lines, a fresh tailpiece washer or gasket, and a deck plate or escutcheon matched to the hole spread. Shutoffs get replaced with quarter-turn ball valves rather than old multi-turn compression stops. The drain assembly and pop-up rod are swapped when they are corroded, and plumber's putty or a silicone gasket seals the deck. Every supply line is new.