How to Tighten Kitchen Faucet Nut Under Sink?
Most of the time when you’re working with your kitchen sink, you’ll find a loose faucet. What may seem like a small problem becomes a huge one later ahead.
Instead of ignoring the problem from the start, we suggest you tighten your kitchen faucet by yourself. In this way, you won’t require a plumber at times of emergency and save resources.
If you’re wondering how to tighten kitchen faucet nut under sink, we have prepared just the right article for you. You can tighten your faucet by using a basin wrench, and a few other substitutes which we will be discussing. Hence, to know about it in-depth, keep reading our article further!
Things You’ll Need to Tighten Your Kitchen Faucet Nut
Most of the faucets you’ll buy will not come with an instruction manual on how you can tighten it all by yourself. Yes, sounds pretty ignorant. However, we have prepared the ultimate guide for you to skip on searching the net.
There are a couple of things you’ll need to do this. One of the most basic requirements is a faucet basin wrench. However, if you don’t have a wrench, we’ll be discussing some of the substitutes below as well. Some of the other things you’ll need are:
- Alterable pliers
- Bolts
- Basin wrench
- Headlamps
How to Tighten Kitchen Faucet Nut Under Sink | Step-By-Step
Sure, tightening a faucet under a sink can sound like a tedious job. But with the right tools, you’ll never need to call a plumber again. That’s why we have prepared a step by step procedure of how you get the job done.
Don’t worry about your faucet’s nut unscrewing under the sink. We prefer you to keep it that way and follow through. You can quickly fix your faucet under the sink if you follow our steps thoroughly. Without further ado, let’s begin.
Step 1: Make Workspace under the Sink
When we conducted our research, we saw that many people tend to keep many things under their sink. May it be cookeries or random utensils for their day to day life activities; the space under the sink is most of the time blocked.
In this case, you need to clear your work station. Since you’ll be physically under the sink working for your faucet, you need as much space as possible. Sometimes, there are outer tubes attached to the faucet as well. Make sure to unscrew those before you start working.
If you want to work with the sink by detaching the entire faucet from the wall, we suggest using adjustable pliers. Make use of those pliers while separating your faucet from the wall and positioning it on a table, or somewhere you can work with it.
Step 2: Position Your Faucet
If you’re not detaching your faucet from the wall, we suggest you have someone hold the sink steady for you. Get some headlamps, and get under your sink. Position the headlamp directly under the nut of your faucet.
If you plan on detaching the faucet from the wall when working, it’ll be easier to work with. Just hold your tap over a workspace and gather your equipment. Later, when you’re done working with the nut, you’ll have to align it with your wall perfectly (preferably with someone else).
Step 3: Use Your Basin Wrench
First of all, when using a basin wrench, you’ll need to rotate your wrench to fit the nut under the faucet. It must face the proper positioning, or else it will keep detaching itself from the screw.
Start rotating your wrench clockwise. There’s a critical tip that many people tend to forget. If you turn your screw anticlockwise, it will loosen itself. However, if you rotate your screw clockwise, it will tighten up.
Most importantly, this perspective applies when you’re working from under the sink. If you’ve detached the sink to fit your workspace, the unscrewing directions will be reversed. Careful there, you might feel a little dyslexic when working with it, but you’ll get the hang of it quickly.
In this way, you’re moving the nut in the opposite direction of the wrench and tightening it. You’ll notice your basin wrench has a claw on it, which will be the opening end for the nut to attach itself. Make sure the claw is positioned around the left. If the claw grips instantly, it’s set correctly.
Step 4: Finish It off
After tightening your kitchen faucet, you’ll have to make sure that the screw is completely tightened up. To do is, simply un-wrench your basin wrench. Just turn it in the opposite direction of your use, and it should come right off.
To check, use your mighty fingers. Screw it around tightly one last time to make sure there are no movements and voila! You’ll be done tightening your kitchen faucet in no time.
Tips for Using a Basin Wrench
If you’re a first-timer with your basin wrench, don’t worry. We have some fantastic tips for you, which will let you get the hang of it quickly enough.
If you have a deep sink, opt for using a telescoping wrench. The extended shaft of the telescoping wrench can prove to be highly beneficial while using a deep sink.
When using an old nut, spray it with some lubricant or oil for rusting. You won’t have to deal with the extra hassle if you prepare your rusty nut from the beginning of your procedure.
You don’t have to worry about which side of the claw in your basin wrench can grab onto the nut. You can get comfortable in whichever position you want, and simply let your claw hatch onto the nut.
What to Use When You Don’t Have a Basin Wrench
Indeed, a mighty basin wrench is the best expenditure you’ll make for this particular job. However, what to do if you don’t have one? Is it indispensable to call a plumber for the job? Nope, you can do it all by yourself with a few alternatives found around your house.
You can use duct tape to wrap around your nut in layers and pull on it to unscrew. As for another utensil found around the house, you can use a zip tie. It will grab onto the nut firmly and you can pull on it to unscrew it.
You can also position wrenches lying around your house to fit the nut by placing bolts on the side of the wrench. Doing this will make the typical wrench grab onto the faucet nut, and unscrew it really well.
Final Words
When you have a faucet, it’s very probable to become loose over time. Hence, it becomes one of your primary duties to know how to tighten kitchen faucet nut under sink.
When you have a loose and clumsy faucet, water can spill all around your kitchen. It can even make your water bill go high with the wastage of water. As lost as you were before about tightening a faucet, we hope we could change that for you with this article.
