The kitchen faucet is straightforward. The space it lives in is
not.
You want a new kitchen faucet. Maybe the old one is leaking from the
base. Maybe the pull-down hose won’t retract. Maybe the handle is
dripping cold water onto the counter every morning. Maybe you’re
modernizing a kitchen and the faucet is the easiest visible upgrade.
The faucet itself is a 15-minute install. What makes kitchen faucet
replacement take an afternoon is everything it shares space with:
A garbage disposal hanging from the sink, competing
for under-sink cabinet space with your arms and tools.
A dishwasher drain hose connected to the disposal
or to an air gap.
A second sink bowl with its own tailpiece entering
the drain.
A hot-water dispenser or water filter — small
fixtures that share supply lines or sink holes.
The supply lines themselves, which may be in a
place you can’t reach with an adjustable wrench because the disposal is
in the way.
And because the kitchen sink is deeper than the bathroom sink, the
distance between the underside of the sink and the cabinet floor (where
you’ll lie on your back) is shorter. You’re working on your back, in a
tight space, behind a garbage disposal. That’s the job.
This book walks the sequence that makes it a 3-hour Saturday job
instead of a two-day mess.
A typical kitchen sink setup — faucet,
sprayer, disposal, filter, and the space you’ll work in.
What this book covers
Kitchen faucet configurations: single-hole, 3-hole, 4-hole, with and
without side sprayer.
Pull-down vs. pull-out vs. traditional spout faucets.
Removing the old faucet with the disposal still mounted.
Installing the new faucet, including the pull-down hose and
weight.
Connecting supply lines in the constrained space.
Handling the side sprayer (and when to remove it).
Testing and leak-checking.
What this book doesn’t cover
Garbage disposal replacement. Out of scope — see
Replace a Garbage Disposal.
Kitchen sink replacement. If the sink is being
replaced too, the sequence is different — install sink in countertop,
then faucet to sink, then drain and disposal.
Countertop replacement or major cabinet work.
Under-sink water filter installation from scratch.
Out of scope; a standalone project.
What you’ll be able to do
by the end
You’ll have installed the new faucet in about 3 hours, including
routing the pull-down hose, connecting supply lines around the disposal,
and leak-testing the full setup. Second time, 90 minutes.
