Are you indeed in a bid to replace kitchen faucet cartridge? If you are new to this, you need to understand that the problem can be easily solved in a short spell. But why do you want to replace kitchen faucet cartridge?
Most probably, your current kitchen faucet cartridge is worn out and thus malfunctioning. It is no longer effective and water is dripping from the faucet’s handle or spout. This should be really annoying to you!
The good thing about the situation is that you don’t need to buy the entire kitchen faucet. Even if you bought the best quality kitchen faucet, at some point, the faucet cartridge was bound to develop some issues.
It is not a problem that will occur uniquely to you because that is always the case. A faucet cartridge will get worn out before the other parts of the faucets.
If you know how to replace kitchen faucet cartridge, the problem is half-way solved. On the flip side, if you don’t know how to replace kitchen faucet cartridge, don’t panic because I will walk you through the basic procedure.
Today, you will learn how to work on this type of DIY project; hopefully, you will learn something interesting. Even if you don’t have any plumbing experience, don’t worry because the procedure is quite easy to comprehend and implement. So, what do you require to get started?
Contents
Requirements To Replace Kitchen Faucet Cartridge
Before you get started, ensure you have the following tools for the DIY project to be successful.
- Groove joint pliers
- Flat-head screwdriver
- Phillips head screwdriver
- Needle-nose pliers
- Set of Allen Wrenches
- Adjustable wrench
Also, make sure you have the following materials
- Plumbers putty
- Replacement faucet cartridge
- Coat silicone plumber’s grease
Procedure: Replace Kitchen Faucet Cartridge
When working around the faucet area, always ensure that the water supply lines are turned off. To achieve this, turn the supply valves in the clockwise direction until they are tight.
Removing The Old Kitchen Faucet Cartridge
- In this case, you start with removing the faucet handle. The handle is secured into the faucet’s stem by use of a screw. The screw is not visible because it is covered by a cap. Locate the position of the cap on the faucet and pry it off using a flat-head screwdriver. You can securely store the cap.
- Remove the screw with the help of a Phillips head screwdriver or an Allen wrench of the appropriate size.
- After you have removed the screw, the faucet handle becomes lose and can be easily pulled out.
- You still need to remove some more components of the faucet before you reach the cartridge.
- In some cases, it is possible that the retainer nut is visible soon after removing the handle. However, this is not always the case. If the retaining nut is visible to you, use pliers to unscrew and remove it.
- Decorative collars are common if the retainer nut is not what you see after removing the handle. If this is the case, unscrew the decorative collar and remove it.
- The next thing that you are bound to see is a bracket that is connected to the cartridge. You need to unscrew the nut holding the bracket in place using Phillips head screwdriver. Take and set aside the bracket. Remove and set aside the white plastic ring that is visible to you. Also, remove the stem washer.
- You can lastly find the retainer nut in which you should use an adjustable wrench to unscrew and remove it.
- You can now see a U-shaped brass clip that keeps the faucet cartridge in place. Use a flat-head screwdriver to remove the clip.
- Finally, remove the faucet cartridge using an adjustable wrench. Due to water mineral deposits that collect around the area, this might be the most difficult aspect of this task. The cartridge might be firmly held. If this is the case, use Cartridge Puller and the work will be easy.
Installing the New Faucet Cartridge
- To all the rubber parts of the newly bought faucet cartridge, smear coat silicone plumber’s grease.
- Into the cartridge housing, place the newly bought faucet cartridge and ensure that it aligns appropriately. In this case, the cartridge tabs should align in the clip notch. Make adjustments until this result is achieved.
- The next step will involve re-installing the retaining clip in its position. The cartridge should align correctly with this retainer clip.
- After the cartridge rests in its place, reassemble the faucet handle and while doing this, ensure that it mirrors the initial arrangements.
- Test how the replacement activity has panned out by turning on the water supply valves and consequently the faucet handle.
- If there are no leaks, the work was correctly done. If there are leaks, you need to tighten some parts more.
Conclusion
In summary, you have learned how to replace kitchen faucet cartridge. At this point, you can try to implement what you have learned. As you work on the DIY project, you will realize that it is not as difficult as you had thought. You don’t need to call and pay a professional for this task. You only need to follow this procedure and have everything running right. If you like this post, share it with your friends.