Common Kitchen Faucet Removal Problems

Everything you do while cooking revolves around your kitchen faucet. The kitchen faucet is the most used part of the kitchen. It fulfills the demand for water in the kitchen. If the kitchen faucet is not performing well, you should repair or replace it.

Maybe your kitchen faucet is leaking or its water pressure is dropped or its handle is loose or anything else, there may be any reason to remove the kitchen faucet. A lot of people prefer to remove the kitchen faucet by themselves.

But if you are new to plumbing then maybe you are not aware of kitchen faucet removal problems.

During the kitchen faucet removal process, you may face different issues. In this article, we are covering all problems you may face while removing kitchen faucets with their solutions.

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What Kitchen Faucet Removal Problems do People Face While Removing it?

Installing a new kitchen faucet is not a difficult task. If you don’t have any plumbing experience, still you can install it. You just need to follow the installation instructions that come with the kitchen faucet.

But if you are removing an old kitchen faucet to install a new one then maybe you have to deal with some unexpected problems such as a stuck handle, corrosion on the faucet, and mineral build-up. This article shows you how to deal with these unexpected kitchen faucet removal problems.

1. Stuck Nut

The stuck nut is a common problem people face when they remove kitchen faucets. Nowadays budget kitchen faucets are also durable and sturdy so they last for years in the kitchen.

After installing a kitchen faucet, you don’t think about removing it until it shows any problem. So, for many years, you don’t touch the faucet’s internal parts and the result is its nuts become stuck. To fix a leaky old faucet, you need to remove the handle nut. Let’s see how to remove the kitchen faucet whose nuts are stuck.

Tools You Need

Adjustable wrench
Screwdriver
Basin Wrench
Penetrating oil
A propane torch or hairdryer
Wire brush

Solution

Step 1 – Turn off the Water

Turn off the water supply to the faucet. This is the first and essential step. Without turning off the water supply, if you remove the faucet, water fills all over the kitchen.

Turn off the kitchen faucet water valve beneath the sink. Also, you can shut off the main water supply of the house. Turn the valve in the clockwise direction to close it. To make sure the water supply is off, turn on the faucet handle. Also, it will drain the remaining water from the faucet.

If water is continuously coming out then the valve is not closed properly.

Step 2 – Use Wire Brush

You haven’t touched the faucet nuts from its installation so unwanted materials are stuck around the nut. So, use a wire brush to remove these materials.

One by one scrape off all the nuts of the faucet. This will remove all the unwanted materials around the nuts and make screw movement easy because its joints will be free.

Step 3 – Use Flame

It is possible that all nuts don’t move even if you remove materials from around them. Use the flame to heat the faucet to loosen the nuts. Use a hairdryer, propane torch, or heat gun to heat the stuck section of the kitchen faucet.

Before heating the faucet parts, you should cover flammable parts of the faucet. Heat will make stuck nuts lose at high temperatures.

Step 4 – Use Penetrating Oil

If the use of heat is not suitable for you then you should use penetrating oil. The oil will help to loosen the nuts and make it easy to remove them.

Apply oil on all the corroded parts and joints of the faucet to lose grip. After applying the oil, leave the faucet for some hours. Now use a brush to remove the corroded area around the nuts.

Step 5 – Use Wrench

Now nuts are loosened so use a wrench to remove them.

To remove the nuts that hold the valve tailpieces into the sink, you need to go inside the cabinet and grip the nuts behind the sink.

Grip the wrench on the nut and turn it in the opposite direction. This process will break the mineral deposits on the nut so you can effectively remove the stuck faucet.

If a wrench is not able to make a proper grip use a hammer. Strike hammer on the nut.

Step 6 – Remove The Faucet

When all nuts are removed, pry the faucet body carefully from the sink deck. Remove other parts of the faucet carefully.

Check also – Best Selling Touch Kitchen Faucets

2. Mineral Build-up

When you see mineral build-up around the faucet then the reason is hard water. White cloudy stains on the faucet are the result of hard water.

In hard water, dissolved minerals are found such as magnesium and calcium. Water evaporates but these minerals are stuck on the faucet and create a mineral build-up layer.

Over time these layers accumulate as hard and scaly. So, when you remove the kitchen faucet, due to mineral build-up, you face problems. There are some special hard water faucets in the market which prevent buildup on the faucet.

Solution

Tools You Need

Paper Towel
Rags
Toothbrush
Rubber Band
Gloves
Safety eyewear
Spray bottle
Vinegar
Baking soda

Removing mineral build-up from the faucet is not a hard task and can be done quickly.

Use White Vinegar

Most homeowners have white vinegar in their kitchens. Apart from making your food tasty, white vinegar is good to remove hard water buildup.

Take a dry cloth and sink it into the white vinegar. Now wrap that cloth around the faucet. Cover all build-up parts of the faucet with the cloth. Leave the cloth there for some hours. White vinegar will do its work and build-up will be removed.

Remove the cloth and clean the faucet with water. Also, you can mix baking soda with vinegar to remove scrubbing mineral buildup.

Use Lemon Juice

Take some fresh lemons and squeeze their juice. Now take this juice into the spray bottle and spray it on the faucet surface. After spraying lemon juice, leave the faucet for some hours. Lemon juice will remove build-up.

Both these methods will remove mineral build-up from the faucet. After that, it will be easy to remove the kitchen faucet.

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3. Rust and Corrosion

Rust and corrosion are common problems in many areas. Most old faucets are victims of rust and corrosion.

Rust and corrosion make the nut tighten so it becomes difficult to remove the kitchen faucet. This kitchen faucet removal problem is not big. You just need to follow the below solution to remove rust and corrosion from the faucet.

Solution

If you regularly clean the faucet then the chances of rust and corrosion on the faucet are almost zero. Your little caring will increase the faucet’s life.

The best way to remove rust and corrosion from the faucet is to use vinegar with baking soda. Make a mixture of vinegar and baking soda. Apply this mixture to all rusty parts of the faucet.

Leave the faucet for some hours and then clean it with warm water. Now use a wrench and try to remove the nut. The nut will easily come out and then remove the faucet.

4. Screws are Not a Visible

Nowadays to maintain the style and look of the faucet, most faucets are coming with no visible screws. These hidden screws become a problem when you want to remove the faucet. You can’t see screws so can’t decide where to start.

Tools You Need

Screwdriver
Adjustable wrench

Solution

If screws are not visible on the kitchen faucet, it doesn’t mean that they are screwless. Without screws, the kitchen faucet can’t be installed. You just need to find out hidden screws.
To cover screws manufacturers usually use a cap on the faucet. Check the faucet handle and other parts to find out the cap.
When you see the cap, use a screwdriver to remove it. Use a flathead screwdriver to remove the cap.
Gently put a screwdriver into the gap between the cap and the handle. Don’t put much pressure on it otherwise, it may break the cap or damage the shine of the faucet.
Once the screw is visible, you can remove it easily. Use a wrench and screwdriver to remove all screws on the faucet, and then pull out the faucet to remove it.

Is It Hard To Change a Kitchen Faucet?

Changing a kitchen faucet is not a hard process. With proper tools and instructions, you can quickly change it. According to the type of faucet, the installation process difficulty may vary. Before changing the faucet, you should check that the new faucet doesn’t require any extra holes for installation. To make extra holes, you need to drill into the sink.

How To Remove a Rusted Nut From Kitchen Faucet?

Spray the penetrating oil on the rusted nut and leave it for 15-20 minutes. Penetration oil will help to loosen the rust.
Take a pipe wrench or adjustable wrench and make its grip on the nut and turn it in the counterclockwise direction to loosen it.
If still nut is not loosened, take a hammer and tap the wrench with the hammer to create more pressure on the nut.
Once the nut is loose, it will be removed easily.

Conclusion

Now you know what problems people faucet when they remove kitchen faucets. Our guide shows how to solve them. If you like to remove the kitchen faucet by itself. So, it would be better if you know all kitchen faucet removal problems before starting the process.

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