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I have a faucet that leaks at the valve, and I would like to remove that faucet to replace it with a new one.

The trouble is that it is mounted tightly between the wall and the sink, so there is very little space to work with.

I would like to avoid having to get the entire sink removed.

How would I remove this faucet?

The view from below:

enter image description here

The view from top:

enter image description here

It is unclear to me what I should be twisting.

Do I twist that large open ring? Against what? Faucet-base? Faucet-body?

And in which direction do I turn it?

Do I need a special tool?

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2 Answers 2

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37

No, you don't need to remove the sink to remove the faucet.

Follow this sequence of steps:

  1. Turn off both the Hot & Cold shutoff valves leading to the sink
  2. Unscrew the flexible braided hoses from the faucet
    You may need 2 wrenches for this job - one to turn the nut on the flex hose and another to hold the brass piece on the end of the copper pipe in place (to prevent the copper pipe twisting)
    enter image description here
  3. Disconnect the flexible hose leading to the pull-down faucet outlet or separate sprayer
    Different manufacturers have their own ways of doing this, but it'll probably involve unscrewing a threaded plastic coupling of some sort
    enter image description here
  4. Loosen & remove the small brass nut which holds the large open-sided ring in place
    enter image description here
  5. Lift the old faucet out of the sink

To install the new faucet, reverse the steps, paying particular attention to the part of step 2 where you avoid twisting the thin copper pipes.

Refer to this question for some tool suggestions - particularly the 'Basin Wrench' which makes the job of turning those nuts a little easier in the tight space you have to work in.
You should expect this job to be a bit of a P-in-the-A ... it's one I always dread - although your old faucet looks nice & clean & not corroded underneath which makes the job a little easier.

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    I think he may need a special tool to remove that brass nut. Might be as simple as a deep well socket but I don't think you can remove with pliers or a wrench.
    – Platinum Goose
    Commented Jan 10, 2022 at 23:31
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    Your guide did the job! Once the plastic clip was released, the spray-line came out. The threaded pipe was short enough that I could put one of those pipe-wrenches over it, and remove the brass nut. The hardest part was working in a tiny space like that! Thanks for your guidance.
    – Bram
    Commented Jan 10, 2022 at 23:39
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    @Bram, it's the classic plumber's lament - Richard Trethewey :V
    – Aron
    Commented Jan 11, 2022 at 15:45
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    @user3481644, I bought one of those useful tools 20 years ago. I have yet to find a tight situation where there was enough space to use it :-(. Slip-joint pliers have saved the day for me.
    – grahamj42
    Commented Jan 11, 2022 at 20:39
  • @grahamj42 I stand corrected - my description is NOT a "sink" wrench, it is a "basin" wrench.
    – user3481644
    Commented Jan 12, 2022 at 11:59
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So, OP did succeed using the straightforward instructions of @brhans. But - if the nuts had been more tightly fastened, he may not have been so lucky. So, here are suggestions of two tools which may help in this situation.

  1. Vise-grip: when using two wrenches, lets you just hold it instead of applying pressure - it applies its own pressure on the gripped object.

    enter image description here

    Caveat: may itself be a little tricky to use at an angle in that narrow space.

  2. Limited-clearance adjustable wrench: Most adjustable spanners/wrenches have wide, bulky heads. But it's possible to find ones which are narrower relative to their, uh, maw, I guess you could call it? Example:

    enter image description here

    I suppose the same may apply for fixed-width wrenches/spanners, but that seems like overkill to invest in.

  3. That image in the previous suggestion is from a page with many tight-clearance tools. I don't recommend any one of them specifically, nor the manufacturer (who may be good or bad, I've never used their tools before), but it has some more ideas of tools to consider, which you might then take to an actual store and look for something similar.

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