Leaking mixers in the kitchen or in the bathroom can be very dangerous. If such a device even just started to get a little wet, soon a flood will most likely happen in the apartment. And this, in turn, can lead to damage to property not only of the property owners themselves, but also of the neighboring one.
The fallen out mixer should be changed immediately. In this case, it is best to entrust such work to a specialist. But, of course, often property owners are interested in including how to remove the faucet from the sink on their own. Of course, you can try to do this procedure yourself. However, in this case, all the necessary technologies must be followed exactly.
How to choose a new mixer
Having decided to replace the faucet in the kitchen or in the bathroom yourself, first of all, of course, you need to worry about buying a new faucet. At the same time, choosing a model should, of course, be correct.
Acquire for a bath or kitchen, subject to self-replacement, including experts advise taps as simple as possible. Mounting such a mixer, and subsequently, if necessary, and removing it, will be less difficult.
Also, when choosing a crane, you should definitely pay attention to the brand of the manufacturer. Best if she will be famous and popular. To such a mixer, later, if necessary, it will be easier to pick up spare parts.
The most durable types of faucets for the sink are brass. Such models are relatively inexpensive. However, for self-installation, experienced masters do not recommend purchasing them. Brass - the material is quite soft. And therefore, it is very simple to break the thread in any assembly made from it with improper actions. For self-installation, it is better to choose a stainless steel faucet. Such models, although they are more expensive than brass ones, have an increased margin of safety.
Quite often, bronze mixers are also installed in houses and apartments. Such models are even more expensive than steel and have the longest service life. It is quite difficult to damage the threads in the bronze mixer. Therefore, for self-installation, you can choose such a model if you wish. Most often, apartment owners purchase cranes, of course, separately. However, in our time, you can buy immediately a whole set of faucets for the sink. Most often, in such sets there are taps of the same design, designed for bathtubs and sinks. Also, such kits may include models for the shower.
The main types of construction
We’ll talk about how to remove the mixer from the sink with your own hands a little lower. To begin with, we will figure out what kind of plumbing equipment actually can have a design.
According to the method of operation, the following types of mixers are currently distinguished:
- with valve taps;
- with lever ball;
- with cartridge lever.
Valve models are considered the easiest to install. However, in terms of ease of use lever they are inferior. Faucets with valves are best suited for self-assembly. But if you want to do it yourself, you can try a crane with a lever.
Faucets can be mounted on the sink in two ways:
- directly to the pipes;
- through flexible hoses.
How to remove the mixer from the sink: preparatory measures
Before proceeding with the dismantling of the faucet in the kitchen or bathroom, it is necessary to shut off the total water supply. Of course, it is impossible to begin dismantling without performing such a procedure. Otherwise, a flood will simply happen in the apartment. In the combined bathrooms of old houses, the general taps of hot water and cold water are usually located nearby - on the corresponding pipes at the entrance to the apartment. Also, the HV tap can be in the bathroom, and the GV tap can be in the toilet (for separate bathrooms).
In very old houses, common taps directly in the apartments are often not provided at all. In this case, before performing the mixer replacement procedure, you will have to call the housing and communal services and ask to send a master so that he shuts off the valves of the common risers in the basement. Before that, it will be necessary to warn all neighbors that due to a malfunction they will have to remain without HV and HV for some time.
After the common taps are closed, you need to unscrew the valve of the old mixer and drain the remaining water in the pipes. Then you can proceed with the actual dismantling of the crane itself.
What materials and tools will be required
In order to clean the old faucet in the kitchen or in the bathroom and put a new one, you need to prepare:
- plumbing adjustable spanner and several spanners;
- a screwdriver;
- sealing tape.
In the joints of the old mixers, parts due to rust often strongly stick to each other. Therefore, liquid for softening the scale will also be a necessary purchase for those who are thinking about how to remove the mixer from the sink. The necessary tools and materials must be prepared in advance in full. This will subsequently facilitate the work and make it more productive.
Water pipes: what you need to know
Water can be supplied to the sanitary equipment through pipes made of different materials. Most often, steel or polypropylene pipes stretch for water supply in multi-story and low-rise buildings. In the latter case, the replacement of the faucet in the sink in the bathroom or in the kitchen should be done as carefully as possible. Unfortunately, polypropylene pipes do not have too much resistance to mechanical stress and pressure. When loosening / tightening the valve nuts, these pipes must be held with the key for the adapter. In any case, it is impossible to twist polypropylene during work.
Steel, as a much more durable material, can be handled less carefully. But still too much effort when tightening / loosening the nuts in this case also should not be applied.
Crane dismantling
So, let's see how to remove the mixer from the sink. Once all the necessary materials have been prepared, you can proceed with the actual procedure for replacing the crane. The dismantling of the old mixer, both ball and lever, is usually done as follows:
- substitute some container under the sink or put a dry rag (a little water remains in the taps even after it is drained from the pipes);
- synchronously loosen the mounting nuts on the eccentrics of the valves GV and HV;
- unscrew the nuts to the end and remove the old mixer from the sink.
Very often, as already mentioned, the nuts in the water taps are attached to the eccentrics. Too much effort in unscrewing them in this case, of course, is not necessary. If the nuts are stuck, you should:
- moisten a cloth with plenty of liquid to soften the rust;
- wrap a nut with a rag;
- wait a while;
- remove the rag from the mounting point of the crane.
Next, try again to unscrew the nuts.
According to the technology described above, you can dismantle any valves that are directly attached to the pipes. It can be a basin mixer (long spout or short), model with shower, valve, with lever. The main difficulty in dismantling such taps from the sink is precisely the need to unscrew the attached nuts. The rest of the procedure for removing faucets attached to the pipes, as you can see, is extremely simple.
How to install new equipment
So, we figured out how to remove the mixer from the sink. The procedure for dismantling such plumbing equipment is thus simple. The home foreman just needs to unscrew the nuts by disconnecting the mixer from the pipes. How to install a new mixer on the sink? Such an operation is also a fairly simple set of actions. Before performing such work, the purchased crane may need to be pre-assembled following the instructions from the manufacturer.
So let's see how to install the mixer on the sink correctly? Installation of such equipment is usually carried out as follows:
- wrapped with teflon tape the ends of the adapters on the pipes;
- install the crane in place and synchronously bait the nuts on the cam eccentricity of HV and HV;
- wrap the nuts with electrical tape in order not to scratch their surface;
- tighten the nuts as tight as possible.
At the final stage of installation, open common taps and check the operation of the mixer.
How to unscrew the faucet with hoses from the sink
Such models of taps are also quite often installed in kitchens or in bathroom sinks. Dismantling them is a somewhat more complicated procedure than removing mixers simply fixed to the pipes from the sink. To remove such a crane, you need:
- turn off the common valves and drain the water from the pipes;
- disconnect the sewer pipes and siphon;
- substitute a basin under the sink or put a rag;
- unscrew the flexible wiring from the pipes HV and HV using a plumbing adjustable wrench;
- clean the fittings of the supply pipes from the old sealant.
Next, you can begin to untwist the lower fixture of the crane. This step in the procedure for dismantling the mixer with hoses can be considered the most difficult. In this case, unwinding is usually performed as follows:
- lubricate the threads of the pins with nuts screwed onto them to soften the rust fluid;
- after a while, completely unscrew the nuts.
In the next step:
- pulling the tap out of the sink as far as possible;
- in the lower part of the mixer body unscrew the flexible connections from the outlet using pliers;
- pull up the entire crane;
- clean the deposits under the mixer from both the bottom and the top of the sink.
It is better not to throw out the crane dismantled in this way, but to disassemble it for spare parts. Perhaps the details of the old mixer will come in handy in the future. Installing a new tap with hoses or an old one after repair is in place simply by performing the steps in the reverse order. The threads, of course, are laid with sealing tape.
Dismantling the shower faucet
Such a procedure can also be considered relatively simple and completely do-it-yourself. Shower faucets consist of several basic structural elements:
- a metal housing coated with a plating composition;
- a cartridge responsible for actually supplying water;
- holder - a fastening element connecting the body of the tap with the facade of the shower cabin;
- handwheels;
- a diverter, which is an intermediate element between the tap and the main cartridge.
Before dismantling such a mixer, as in all other cases, the water supply to the apartment is previously shut off. Next, the water is drained from the pipes and the crane itself is disassembled:
- the decorative plug located at the bottom of the crane body is removed;
- unscrew the screw-holder with a screwdriver;
- remove the tap handle;
- remove decorative overlays from the mixer;
- below, under the mixer, the plates are pulled in a direction toward themselves and laid aside;
- gently unscrew the fasteners holding the panel;
- on the back of the shower, unscrew the nut and remove the tap along with the sealing cuff.
In the next step, the vacated space is cleaned, dried and treated with silicone sealant. Installation of a new faucet or a refurbished old one in the shower cabin is carried out as follows:
- insert the cartridge into special grooves;
- fix the device on the wall of the cab.
After installing the crane, it must be checked for operability and the absence of leaks.
How to disassemble a single lever mixer
Taps are removed in the kitchen or in the bathroom, usually in order to replace them with new ones. But it often happens that the mixer has to be unscrewed just to be repaired. Difficulties for a beginner in this case can be caused mainly by disassembling the ball mixer. How to repair such models?
To remove the handle of a single lever tap on the sink, as in the case of a shower cabin, you just need to first pry a decorative cap on the body with a screwdriver and pull it out. Next, unscrew the screw in the hole that opens. After the flywheel is removed, you need to remove the cartridge from the tap.
How to disassemble a valve mixer
Repairing such a kitchen faucet yourself also may not be difficult. Disassemble valve mixers most often in the following order:
- they shut off the water supply to the apartment and plug the sink drain with a rag;
- with the help of a screwdriver, decorative caps on the valves (red and blue circles) are pulled out and pulled out;
- unscrew the opened screws.
At the final stage, when disassembling the valve model, the crane axles are carefully turned out using an adjustable wrench. Next, the remaining parts of the double-lever basin mixer are disassembled and checked for blockages, breakdowns, plaque, etc.
Ways to unscrew the water nuts
Such a procedure, as already mentioned, should be done as carefully as possible so as not to damage the pipes. The easiest way to unscrew the rusted nuts, of course, is to use a special fluid. But what to do if such a tool is not at hand?
If necessary, replace the purchased scale softening fluid with:
- kerosene;
- vinegar and soda.
When using such tools, you first need to thoroughly clean the problematic joint with a metal brush, trying to remove all rust and dirt. Next, type vinegar or kerosene into the syringe and inject it under the nut on all sides.
The next step is to wait two hours, leaving the kitchen faucet alone. During this time, the selected home remedy will corrode the rust and soften it. The nut, due to this, most likely, subsequently loosens quite easily. If the problem area was treated with vinegar, all details at the final stage should be wiped with a soda solution.
How to remove a sink
How to change the faucet without removing the sink, we thus found out. The procedure is relatively simple. But sometimes in the kitchen or in the bathroom, in addition to the faucet itself, it is necessary to replace the sink itself. To remove the sink and put in its place a new one with your own hands for the home master is also, most likely, not difficult.
They begin to dismantle such plumbing equipment, usually as follows:
- turn off the water in the apartment and prepare a bucket and dry rags to remove residual water from the pipes;
- holding a siphon glass, unscrew the nut under the sink counterclockwise;
- disconnect the drain pipe from the siphon by loosening the upper nut;
- remove the wedge-shaped washer and nuts on both sides of the drain pipe;
- remove the pipe itself.
After performing these manipulations, they simply pull the siphon out of the sewer socket. Further, according to the technology described above, the mixer is removed from the sink. To dismantle the sink itself, either unscrew the fastening holding it, or simply remove the bowl from the stand.