How to unscrew the tap with your own hands

You don’t have to be a plumber to be able to fix a broken faucet. This is quite within the power of any man and even a woman, if they have the right tool and the necessary knowledge on how to remove the faucet in the bathroom or in the kitchen.

water faucet

Sometimes the terms faucet and valve are confused. A valve is a valve controlled manually or through an electric (rarely hydraulic or pneumatic) actuator, which is installed in a section of a pipe and serves to shut it off. Theorists call the tap the terminal consumer device for drawing water. Simply put, the faucet is installed above the sink, bath or shower. On one side, it joins the inlet pipes of the water supply, on the other hand, a spout (spout) or shower head. In the middle is a mechanism that regulates the flow of water. A device that allows you to mix hot and cold water to obtain the required temperature is called a mixer. It contains either two separate cranes, or a single integrated one.

Features of the device, principle of operation

In modern life, several types of faucets are used. Their design and dismantling rules differ.

Worm

The outdated design has served man faithfully for more than a century. Main components:

• Frame. Cast from steel or bronze and milled. Below is a threaded inlet pipe. A thread is cut from above to screw in the crane box.
• On the left is a spout through which water flows into the sink.
• Crane box. The most complex knot, consisting of several parts. Inside it, a rod moves up and down along the thread. From below, a rubber gasket is fixed on it, blocking the flow of water.

• A handle in the form of a washer or a steering wheel is fixed on top. By turning the handle, you can move the stem up or down, opening and closing the water. For full opening, you have to make two to four turns of the handle.

The faucet has two separate bushings for hot and cold water.

Such devices have two inlet pipes.

Ball

This is a more modern design, it is much more convenient to use.

*

Instead of a brass box and a rubber gasket, a plastic cartridge is placed in the body. This faucet has two inlets for hot and cold water. A slotted ceramic ball is mounted inside the cartridge. Windows are also made in the body. When closed, they do not match. The ball through the control rod is connected to the handle, which moves in three directions.

As the ball rotates, its slots align with the windows and open up more or less water flow. The higher the handle rises, the more the windows fit together and the greater the water pressure. The position of the handle relative to the middle — (left or right) — determines the proportion in which hot and cold water are mixed. Thus, with a single movement of one hand, you can set both the desired pressure and the temperature of the water. Such structures are supplied with an aerator that enriches the water with air.

Such a mixer is much more expensive than a worm mixer. The cartridge costs ten times more than the gasket. But the service life of the cartridge is also ten times longer than that of the gasket.

Application area

Taps are used in domestic and outdoor water supply systems — wherever it is required to manage water consumption. In a house or apartment they are installed in the following places:

• sink in the kitchen;
• Sink in the bathroom;
• bath or jacuzzi;
• shower cabin;
• utility room — for a set of water for cleaning.

On site cranes are used for:

• watering green spaces;
• sink in the summer kitchen;
• garden shower;
• car wash connection.

In the bath, mixers are also mounted in the washing (shower) and in the steam room for filling containers with water.

Causes of failure of cranes and the need to dismantle for replacement

Each type of cranes has its own typical breakdowns. Repair steps also vary

These breakdowns appear, as a rule, very similar — the tap does not close completely, water flows out of it

Worm

Cause	Actions
Wear of the working pad	Remove bushing and replace gasket
Worn gasket	Remove bushing and replace gasket
Thread wear	Remove the bushing and replace it entirely
Valve seat wear	Remove the entire faucet and replace it
Hull destruction	Remove the entire faucet and replace it

Ball

Cause	Actions
Cartridge wear	Remove the cartridge and replace it
Worn gasket	Disassemble the housing and replace the gasket
Hull destruction	Remove the entire faucet and replace it

Tool

To remove the mixer or its parts you will need:

• Gas wrench or set of socket wrenches. You can also use adjustable tongs used in welding.
• Robust cloth for unscrewing chrome and nickel-plated surfaces
• Flat and Phillips screwdrivers
• Knife.
• Tweezers for removing thin pads.

If you need to remove the faucet body from the sink located in the kitchen sink, then a flashlight and a mirror will come in handy.

How to unscrew a faulty faucet in the bathroom or in the kitchen

Worm

When disassembling the mixer, the sequence of actions is as follows:

• Turn off the water.
• Twist and pull out the plastic plug on the handle.
• Loosen the screw securing the handle.
• Remove the faucet handle from the faucet by pulling it towards you.

*

• Using an adjustable or socket wrench, unscrew the axle box from the housing.
• Remove the seal and inspect it.
• Holding the axle box with an adjustable wrench or adjustable pliers, unscrew the gasket fastening screw with a screwdriver and remove it.

After replacing the worn gaskets, assemble the device in the reverse order. Before screwing the axle box, its external thread must be wrapped with FUM tape or other sealant. Do not apply excessive force to avoid damaging the threads.

If replacing the gasket gave only a short-term effect, you will have to change the entire mixer.

Ball

The dismantling of the ball valve is carried out in the following sequence:

• Turn off the water.
• Place a piece of plastic or cloth in the sink so that it covers the drain hole. This will help pick up small parts if they fall off.
• Use a screwdriver or a sharp object to remove the two-color plug under the handle.
• Carefully unscrew the small screw from the opened hole with a narrow flat screwdriver. In some models, you will have to use a hexagon.
• Pull the handle up and remove it. She sits pretty tight.
• Unscrew the round cap of the cartridge. It can be additionally fixed with a plastic nut. You have to be careful not to overdo it.
• Remove the ball mechanism from the housing.
• Carefully inspect the thin rubber sealing rings. If they are worn out, it is better to select suitable ones in the store, taking the mechanism with you. Both the inner and outer diameter and the height of the seal are important.

Sometimes you can find balls arranged differently. Do not take out the filling right away. You will have to act like this:

• Remove plastic shield. The shield itself is yellow, the seal is black. It should be carefully cleaned of dirt and mineral deposits.
• Pull the ball up and take it out. If the surface is worn or scratched, the ball must be replaced.
• Three rubber sealing rings will become visible inside the case. They also need to be inspected and replaced if worn.
• Assembly is carried out in the reverse order, without applying excessive force.

Removing the faucet body

If the valve body is damaged (wear, corrosion or manufacturing defects), it will have to be removed. They do it this way.

• Unscrew the nut of the flexible hose leading from the water fitting to the faucet.
• Loosen and unscrew the nut that secures the faucet to the sink or countertop.
• If the nut does not unscrew or cannot be reached with a wrench, you can unscrew the fastening stud with a flat screwdriver. To do this, it is equipped with a slot.
• After removing the mixer body, remove the gaskets from the sink and clean the attachment site from dirt and mineral deposits.

If the flexible eyeliner has already worked for several years, it is better to replace it at the same time.

Recommendations of experts and possible difficulties

If the axle box is “sticky” to the mixer body, experienced craftsmen recommend several ways to unscrew the tap:

*

• Chemical. Use WD 40 universal helper, table vinegar or descaling agent. They need to moisten the visible part of the thread and let stand from 10 minutes to several hours, depending on the amount of deposits.

Important! After using chemicals, thoroughly rinse all parts of the faucet with plenty of warm water.

• Thermal. Warm up the connection with a building or household hair dryer at low power, so as not to overheat the rubber parts. Due to the different coefficient of expansion, the steel case will expand more than the brass box and can be unscrewed.
• Mechanical. Tapping with a rubber or wooden mallet from all sides 10-20 times destroys lime deposits, and it will be possible to unscrew the stuck connection.
• Boiling. You will need to completely remove the mixer and boil it in a soda solution for 2-3 hours. The deposits should dissolve and the connection can be untwisted.

Flexible hoses should be unscrewed first from the line. From this side, the nut can be turned on the hose flange, and it will not twist.
The hoses must be passed through the hole in the sink one by one so that the nuts do not get stuck.

If the faucet in the shower cabin is removed, the design of the cabin and mixer must be taken into account. If the stand-alone cabin is equipped with a mode switch, then it is usually integrated with the mixer.

You will have to remove both handles and unscrew the nuts securing the controls.

This is best done with an assistant holding the reinforcement from the back.