I had to back off from a job yesterday and it’s bugging me. The customer wanted to replace her old Rrice-Pfister sink faucet with a new one and I couldn’t figure out how to remove the old one.
The old fixture has the pull out sprayer in the center swivel section and there wasn’t enough clearance to get my trusty basin wrench on the hold down nut under the sink. I’m certain that it was installed before the sink was put in.
Does anyone have some special tool or technique to get the old nuts loosened?
Replies
Could you cut the sprayer hose and use a deep socket? I've never found one I couldn't get at with a basin wrench :S
take out the sink first?
This is the first one I've seen that I couldn't get my basin wrench on. The sink is deeper than usual and there's very little clearance between the bowl and the wall.
Cutting lines, etc might work but I would also need a deep socket around 2" or so. Today, I started a big job in another town so I didn't want to get balled up with the sink project. That's why I told the HO that she needed a "real" plumber who may have the tools to get it out.
Taking the sink out wasn't an option.................it's flush mounted and tiled in - lol
I had one that was a delta. I could not get the the sprayer nut off which only had two sides. Whats with that? There was no room but a basin wrench didnt budge it as it actually tore it up. I thought for well over an hour and came up with two options;
1; Remove the sink.[as already discussed]
2; taking a dremel with a small cutting wheel and cutting it off . I actually used a small die grinder as it was much smaller with a cutting wheel. It wasnt as wide as a basin wrench. Problem arose after I got set up there was no room for my hand ! I went after my boy with his very small hands.
Tim
Have the same exact situation in my own house. Deep undermount (glued to granite) sink and very little room. Took me a couple of hours to make a slotted socket and a couple of modified wrenches. Took faucet out and put back in with no damage. In the end it's always doable, just not always easily.
DG/Builder
could you post a picture of your modified tools please?Thanks
could you post a picture of your modified tools please?
Kirk, I don't have the tools here but they are easy to describe. One was a deep, six-point socket that I modified by cutting a slot length-wise so that it could be slipped on a nut while the tube was still attached. The other was a flare nut wrench that I bent into a Z shape similar to the old distributor wrenches. I made 2 of these (different sizes).
That's the general idea. Your particular space, fitting sizes, type of faucet, etc. may require something different. You have to get in there and visualize what kind of tool will do what you need.
DG/Builder
DG/builder,Thank you for the clear description. I got it. I will file that away for future use.Thanks again.
pull the sink...
work on it and change the faucets...
attach supplies...
replace sink....
hook up supplies...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
pull the sink...
That's the problem. A lot of deep undermount SS sinks are glued to the granite top.
DG/Builder
Have you thought about using a crow's foot wrench? A flare nut crow's foot wrench might work especially well. You will obviously need a long driver extension to reach behind the sink.
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I thought about that but didn't have one - nor did I know where to get one. That job was a little "filler" I was doing as a favor. When I saw that I wouldn't be able to do it without it becoming a major PITA, I told the HO that she needed a "real" plumber since they would probably have the right tool(s). I put everything back together and she was going to call a plumber the next day.
Just happened to see a multipurpose wrench in the hardware store today...basically a deep socket w/several different slots and hexes, for different basin nuts....a slot in the side, and an offset 1/4 drive extension....I'll go back tomorrow & check out the brand, maybe take a photo to post...cost was about $22...if I didn't alrady own so many tools I would have bought it...I might just do that anyway!!
I just installed a faucet today,it had a small nut with a retaining ring that you would have a hard time on with a basin wrench.The new faucet came with a tool that is equal to a deep socket with a philps/socket end on it. That would do the trick