Loose kitchen faucet

Hi,

We have a Delta kitchen faucet that is very loose.

It looks a lot like this one:

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When I try to swivel the faucet left to right the base is moving along with the faucet. The entire base if very loose.

I looked underneath the sink and was hard to get a look at the underside of the faucet from the cabinet so I took a photo with my iphone. I can see t hat there are some screws that may be loose.

Also the faucet doesn't move back and forth very easily now. It seems like the hose and the hot and cold water feeds are not sitting right and it is not moving freely.

Can a person with very little plumbing skills fix this? It's going to be h ard to get at those screws because there isn't much room to work with under that cabinet. I am reasonably handy and can snake drains and take traps a part and fix broken toilet bowl valves and easy things like that but I've n ever done any big plumbing jobs.

I would appreciate any suggestions on how to fix this and if I should just get a plumber in to do the job.

Thanks in advance.

Steve

Reply to
szeik
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I'm sure you can fix it yourself. why not post the photo you took with your iphone.

Reply to
philo 

Steve,

Delta has really good customer service. Installing these kitchen faucets is often an easy DIY job though sometimes space, under the sink, may be limiting. If you need small hands get one of the kids to do it.

If you need immediate assistance, call the Delta Help Line at

1-800-345-DELTA (3358).

The Delta Help Line is available: Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. EST Saturday 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. EST

It sounds to me as if you need the manual for your faucet, which is a "Debonair", I think. The manual will have the installation instructions.

Dave M.

Reply to
David L. Martel

th the faucet. The entire base if very loose.

of the faucet from the cabinet so I took a photo with my iphone. I can see that there are some screws that may be loose.

ke the hose and the hot and cold water feeds are not sitting right and it i s not moving freely.

hard to get at those screws because there isn't much room to work with und er that cabinet. I am reasonably handy and can snake drains and take traps apart and fix broken toilet bowl valves and easy things like that but I've never done any big plumbing jobs.

t get a plumber in to do the job.

Single hole faucets like that are held on by a large nut on the threaded shaft that goes into the sink. Never seen one held on by screws. If you look underneath and have someone wiggle it, what's going on should be obvious. Just tighten the nut with pliers.

Reply to
trader_4

Gotta disagree here , trader . Most every single lever faucet I've ever worked on had a pair of studs coming thru the sink holes where the supply lines would be on a 2 handle unit . Often all that is needed is a deep socket to fit the nuts and enough extensions on the ratchet handle to get below the sink bottom . OP may want to loosen them first and work some more plumbers putty under the faucet base , it's probably mostly been worked out by the movement . Not good to have water getting past the base , can cause real problems in the sink cabinet ... and damage to the countertop if it's formica-clad particle board .

Reply to
Terry Coombs

Instead of showing us what your faucet looks like, if you could post a picture of the underside of the faucet behind the sink, that would be better.

As was noted earlier, single hole faucets like that normally just have a bolt and nut that tightens up under the counter top to secure the faucet in place.

Generally, one would tighten that nut with a socket wrench with an extension bar on it.

Reply to
nestork

A "basin wrench" may do it but I don't think they close down enough for small nuts. It should be an item in every DIY tool box.

Harry K

Reply to
Harry K

If installed as in the photo, without the escutcheon plate, the faucet is attached underneath with a single nut that is hand tightened. Then, there are two Phillips locking screws to tighten. Link to the Delta faucet, page 3:

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This is a small job if you can get under the sink. Reach up to hand tighten then use a flashlight to find the screws.

Reply to
Ameri-Clean

It's not a hard job. Older faucets like mine had tiny nuts holding it on, I replaced it with a much easier large nylon nut. Those little ones always rust.

You need good light. I use a headlamp. And one of those bendy Nite-Eze gumbies.

Little tiny screws and bits of metal will fall out. They will land in your eye. Remain calm. Your natural reaction will be a reflexive jerk that will bash your face into the drain pipe.

Do not allow your children near by. You will say bad words that they will gleefully post on youtube.

Reply to
TimR

Yes they do. About 2 years ago I turned on (or tried to) the kitchen faucet and the whole thing came right off the sink. All the parts that held it down had rusted away.

Yes, I called a plumber. At my age I am past laying on my back under a sink :).

Harry K

Reply to
Harry K

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There's a big nut under the sink that holds the faucet in place. It has to be tightened, but first you have to loosen two lock screws that hold it in place. Retighten them after you tighten the big nut.

I noticed some photos of Moen faucets. They're good unless they leak because repair normally requires removing their cylindrical cartridge, and it often becomes stuck because of mineral build-up. Google "stuck Moen" to see how difficult it can be to remove and how the factory recommendations and usual removal tools are often completely useless. Because of this, I'd choose one of these Moen faucets only where the whole faucet can be replaced fairly easily, like a sink, and definitely not in a shower or bathtub, where the faucet is installed in a wall. However some of the newer Moen designs dispense with the cylindrical cartridge and use a much easier to remove ceramic cartridge.

Reply to
larrymoencurly

I guess it depends on your definition of "single hole". To me, that means a real single hole sink. There are no holes where traditional faucets would be. The whole purpose is for a clean look. What you're talking about are retrofit schemes where it has a wide base plate that covers the no longer used holes. In that case, I guess they do use the old holes to secure it. But you then could not use that faucet in a true one hole sink. I have a one hole sink, there is no base plate, just the faucet coming directly out of the one hole. I'd call the other type a "single hole look".

In any case, what's holding it, what's loose should be obvious by crawling underneath with a flashlight.

Reply to
trader_4

PS: After posting this, I went back and looked at the pic the OP posted of what he's talking about. That is indeed a one hole faucet, like I have, and there is no baseplate, holes, studs where the traditional faucets would go. It's held on by one big nut.

Reply to
trader_4

I expect every single lever faucet will come with a wide 8" C-C base as an accessory so that it can be retrofitted to counter tops or sinks with existing two handle faucets. Otherwise, people wouldn't buy that single lever faucet because it would leave two wide open gaping holes in their counter top or kitchen sink.

Terry, I expect what you've seen are those accessories for covering those 8" C-C holes, but the faucet can be installed without that base accessory.

Reply to
nestork

Makes sense. I also should correct something I said. I said the faucet the OP has is held on by a large nut on the faucet where it goes through the one hole. I'm not sure it's actually a large nut that larger than the hole itself. It's been a long time since I put mine in. And now I vaguely recall that maybe there is a piece that goes underneath and then a smaller nut tightens up against it to hold it. That would also be easier to deal with than a large nut.

But in any case, as I said before, if he crawls under with a flashlight and takes a look, it should be obvious what holds it and what needs to be tightened. Also, if the exact faucet can be indentified, there are likely install intructions and/or parts diagrams that show what's going on.

Reply to
trader_4

No, my sister's has a steel bracket that goes across a hole about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, and a small stainless steel nut (about a 9/16 inch nut IIRC) that clamps the bracket onto the counter top or sink.

That's because a smaller nut can be tightened with a socket wrench and enough extension bars to reach the nut, but a large nut would require using something like channel lock pliers in confined space of poor accessibility where using such a tool would be difficult. It's simply easier to install the faucet with a bracket and small nut.

Reply to
nestork

A 'basin wrench' deals with those large nuts quite easily.

Harry K

Reply to
Harry K

Two words "basin wrench"

Harry K

Reply to
Harry K

Harry: Two words: "Don't talk."

You can't use a basin wrench to tighten the 9/16" nut on my sister's faucet because the copper water supply pipes are in the way. You can't even get a basin wrench onto that nut.

You have to use a socket (with extensions). That's about the only practical way to do it. You don't even have room to turn a small box end wrench between the sink and the wall behind the sink.

Reply to
nestork

I replaced my kitchen faucet a couple of weeks ago. Before tackling the job, I looked online for advice, since everybody has ideas that I haven't thought of. The first suggestion was brilliant: make sure the local hardware store is open when you start the job, since you may have to run to the store for stuff. Good advice for any home DIY task.

It was also (correctly) pointed out that installing the new faucet is the easier part of the job; getting the old faucet out is often much more of a challenge.

Reply to
Moe DeLoughan

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