Plumbing Repairs Done By You

You don’t have to be an expert plumber for simple plumbing repairs. Don't waste your money on small leaks when they could be fixed by a simply tightening pipes or replacing a simple o-ring. You will need to learn the components of drains and the basics of plumbing including rubber gaskets, plumbers putty, and metal washers. As with any home project, having the correct tools will make your DIY project even easier.

1. Shut off hot and cold water valves (if valves don’t hold or there are none close the main water valve for the house and replace or install new valves and make sure they are in the off position)
2. Disconnect the water supplies from the faucet
3. Disconnect the drain pipe from the strainer by removing the slip nut
4. Remove the anchor clips from under the sink. On self- rimming sinks just cut the caulking with a razor knife.
5. Lift the sink to remove from countertop
6. Place faucet and strainer on the new sink and tighten nuts (use plumbers putty on strainer)
7. Place flex water supplies on the faucet and tighten
8. Place a bead of caulking on the countertop and set the sink (for sinks with anchor clips install and tighten from under the counter top.On self- rimming sinks just wipe off the caulking from around the sink) Tip: Use latex caulking for easy cleanup!
9. Connect flex water supplies to valves and tighten
10. Connect drain pipe to strainer with new tailpiece washer and tighten if drain line does not line up with strainer you will have to buy an offset.
11. Remove the aerator from the faucet and make sure the faucet is in the open position.
12. Open the main water valve if you closed it.
13. Open valves under the sink and let the water run to clean out the supplies and faucet
14. Place aerator on the faucet and check for leaks. Material: sink strainer,flex-supplies, caulking, plumbers putty (new faucet and valves if needed)-(offset for drain if needed)