Heating, Cooling and HVAC

Introduction:
You can easily replace that grungy looking old sink in your kitchen with a nice new sink and do it yourself! There are two basic styles of sinks, self-rimming (or surface mounted or drop-in) and under-mount sinks. If you have a plastic laminate, tile or other countertop material that is not solid throughout, then your sink is a “self-rimming” or “drop-in” style of sink and sets on top of the countertop surface. The most typical of these installations is a stainless steel sink setting on a plastic laminate countertop.

Difficulty Level: Easy to Average

Needed Tools and Materials:
*A New Sink of Same Opening Size
*A Plumber’s Putty or Silicone Caulk
*An Adjustable Wrench
*A Phillips Head Screwdriver
*A Standard Slot Screwdriver
*Teflon Tape for Threaded Plumbing Connections
*New Plumbing / Drain Parts as Required

Emergency Repair for a Leaky Single Lever Ball Faucet:

Ball Faucet Quick Fix:-
What do you do if a leaky ball type single lever faucet needs repair and you don’t have a repair kit yet? Well follow these quick tips and you’ll probably be able to stop or at least reduce the leak until you can get to the hardware store.
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Ball Type Faucet Repair Kit

Why They Leak:
These faucets leak as the spring loaded rubber seals dry out, the springs weaken, the rotating ball acquires buildup or the rubber o-ring dries out.

Quick Fix:
To make a quick fix of your ball type faucet, proceed as follows:

1.Take the faucet apart and remove the ball assembly / lever;

2.Carefully remove the spring loaded rubber seals found in the concave bowl in the body of the faucet which held the ball assembly;

3.Remove the rubber O-Ring;

4.Clean the ball of any mineral deposits found on it so that it is smooth and clean;

5.Rub Vasoline® or other petroleum jelly into the O-Ring and the rubber seals to relieve their dryness and make them more supple;

Disconnect the Plumbing and Electrical Connections and Remove Sink:

OK, before you start disconnecting anything, please make sure to turn off the water supply. Nothing ruins a good home repair project like a flooded kitchen! There should be a water cutoff valve for the hot and cold water located under the sink. If not, then turn the water supply off at the main valve.

If you have a garbage disposal, then unplug it from the power outlet. Once the water is turned off and disposal unplugged (if you have one), disconnect the hot and cold water connections to the old faucet and the waste line from the sink waste drain or garbage disposal. You’ll need to disconnect the water supply lines that attach to the faucet tail pieces. Loosen the coupling nuts on the waste lines with a pair of large slip joint pliers.

Removing the Sink
The sink will be fastened to the counter top with a series of small clips that may be a variation of the photo above. Simply unscrew the clips to loosen and remove them. Then carefully lift out the sink with the faucet attached.

Prepare Sink Opening in Counter Top:-

Once the sink and faucet is lifted out, it will pretty much look like this. Just a big hole and none too pretty. Don’t worry, now is the time to ready the new sink for installation.

Make sure to clean the edges of the old sink opening of all old plumbers putty or caulk. Carefully scrape the residual putty or caulk with a putty knife if necessary. Clean the area with a household surface cleaner.

Install the Faucet and Hose Spray (if used) in the New Sink:

There is no easier time to install the faucet than when the sink is removed from the counter top. When the sink is removed you can easily reach the back of the sink, thread the faucet plumbing lines through the sink holes and tighten the faucet to sink. This is something a lot more difficult to do on your back and in cramped quarters if the sink is already installed.

Follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions for installing the faucet. Some manufacturers require you to assemble part of the faucet before installing it on the sink. The manufacturer will usually provide you a rubber seal to locate under the base plate of the faucet and the sink.

Place the New Sink Into the Countertop:-

Once the faucet assembly is attached to the sink, we turn our attention to preparing the sink itself.
With the sink still in an upside down position, place a bead of plumber’s putty or silicone caulk around the complete edge of the sink. Make sure to locate the putty or caulk near the outer edge of the sink so that it will make full contact with the countertop when installed.

Next you need to flip the sink and attached faucet assembly over so it is right side up. Be careful doing this as the sink may be heavy. Also make sure you don’t ruin the nice putty or caulk job you just completed at the sink’s edge.

Now carefully drop the sink into position. See, now you know how these sinks get their names as “drop-in” sinks.

Final Sink Attachment to the Countertop:-

Once the sink is set in place it will need to be tightened against the counter top. The sink is pulled tight against the countertop with special mounting clips described in Step #3. The spacing of these clips will vary by manufacturer so follow the manufacturer instructions. The clips are generally tightened with a screwdriver or socket. Tighten the clips a little at a time going around the sink perimeter a few times.
As the clips are tightened down they draw the sink tight against the countertop creating a self-rimming seal. “Self-rimming” is the other name for these types of sinks aside from “drop-in” sink.

Clean up any putty or caulk that squeezed out from the bottom of the sink edge as it was tightened down.

Final Plumbing and Electrical Connections:-

Once the sink is firmly fastened down, install the sink strainer or if you have a garbage disposal, install the garbage disposal sink flange and mounting ring. The sink strainer / basket assembly and the disposal sink flange will mount in a similar manner. You’ll seal the sink opening with a bead of plumber’s putty around the opening about 1/2″ in thickness. Place the new disposal sink flange or sink strainer assembly into the sink opening and press it into the plumber’s putty. Tighten from below until the putty squeezes out and the flange is tight against the sink.
Now hook up the waste drain lines and water supply lines. Make sure the threaded connections are tight and be sure to use teflon tape on all threaded connections to prevent leakage. Turn on the water supply and check for and correct any leaks.

Once the plumbing connections are made, plug the garbage disposal into the electrical outlet and test for proper operation.

That’s it, you’re all done. Now enjoy that beautiful new sink and faucet!

Sources:http://homerepair.about.com/od/plumbingrepair/