I am back at my bathroom! The kittens have been a major distraction/obligation, but I am picking off a couple of projects as I go. This week was changing the faucet!

This is the faucet I chose a while ago, and it is still available. I thought it had the vintage feel I was looking for and was reasonably priced (Holy! Are home improvement items ever crazy expensive now!). I would add, it is useful to know what kind of faucet you need to buy: centerset, wide spread, single handle, or wall mounted. Below are the same model of faucets but for two different types of sinks. I have a small pedestal sink and those usually only have room for centerset.  I have bought the wrong faucet for the holes in my sink before.

Image: Pfister. Model: Henlow 4″. https://www.pfisterfaucets.com/bathroom/product/henlow-lf-048-he-2-handle-4-centerset-bathroom-faucet?modelNumber=LF-048-HECC

Image: Pfister. Model: Henlow 8″. https://www.pfisterfaucets.com/bathroom/product/henlow-lf-049-he-2-handle-8-widespread-bathroom-faucet?modelNumber=LF-049-HECC

Alsooooo, if anyone is looking for a kind of vintage-looking toilet, this is what I bought and I think it looks great! Toilets are just one of those things that don’t look nice and are always too modern-looking. They look like Dodge Neons stuck in the bathroom. Finding alternatives to such items is my mission, even removing the microwave from my kitchen years ago because a nice one has yet to be created.

Image: Rona. Kohler Highline. https://www.rona.ca/en/product/kohler-highline-2-piece-curve-12-in-elongated-toilet-48-lpf-k-78276-0-31535177

Anyway, back on track: I removed the faucet from the packaging and threw it out including any instructions that may have been in it. Prior to looking up a resource to help me, I remembered that I had to shut off water. I did that! I had changed the toilet and thought the shutoff valve at the wall worked so didn’t bother to shut off water. I was wrong. Old houses, eh? I gathered the tools that I needed from this Moen list. I grabbed thread tape, an adjustable wrench thing, a smaller wrench, a multi-head screwdriver, and later added a flashlight. This is the kind of wrench thing I always use when dealing with ABS pipe but don’t know the technical name.

Image: Electra. Adjustable Wrench. https://electra.trekbikes.com/ca/en_CA/equipment/cycling-accessories/bike-tools-maintenance/bike-shop-supplies/bontrager-pro-adjustable-wrench/p/25014/

From my previous trouble with Ptrap, I check to make sure it is actually removable and not glued to hell and going to break and leak gross stuff. In the case that it was stuck, I would have called for backup and by backup I mean my spouse. However, this faucet either did not come with a drain or I threw it out accidentally. This really annoyed me. Typically, I expect a drain to be included so the end result is shiny and new. Expecting the customer to find their own after the fact is not my favourite approach to shopping. Here is the kind of kit I normally would look for.

Following my preliminary checks, I reviewed ChrisFix’s video,  DIY: How to Replace and Install a Bathroom Sink Faucet.

His breakdown of the video is useful and I love when creators do that. I followed it as an outline.

These are my ugly, old taps. They are outdated and an eyesore. I would have replaced the entire sink, but there is not room for a sink/vanity besides some super small and modern ones that I hate more. They look like they belong in RVs.

Image: Amazon. Small space vanity. https://a.co/d/bLQjHsa

So this is what we are working with. I have tape and tools on edge of sink, ready to go. Working beneath this sink is cozy and very frustrating. The toilet is right beside it–something the video doesn’t mention. Take a chill pill first.

I removed the old faucet the way he demonstrates in the video for the most part. Even though I shut off water main and drained what was left in pipes, I still shut off valves. Just in case. I removed mesh supply lines from vavle no problem, but from the taps, the plastic bit washer beneath sink broke off. If you are just trying to fix a leaking faucet or replace lines, be very careful. I think they must become even more brittle over time. A screenshot of the plastic washer I am talking about is below. This is essentially the only thing that attaches the faucet to the sink so if yours is wiggly, it probably just needs a finger tightening.

 

Screenshot: ChrisFix. 2:44 plastic washer. https://youtu.be/gZ0Cz3gRglo?si=kmBuZTzidJXv-J1q

I am feeling really confident here. The video directly reflects my own sink situation/progress. This is kind of cool, considering I always feel like I have to adjust/assume certain things to make learning from online sources apply to my particular situation. The video has both lines disconnected from valves and faucet, faucet removed, and he begins cleaning the sludge beneath faucet. This is exactly where I am at: supply lines in sink and sludge clearly visible.

It is worth noting, at the beginning of the video, he mentions a catch basin (1:52) for excess water, but I had assumed after draining lines that there would be little to no water. The towel did suffice, I guess.

Following the clean-up, and it did clean up rather easily, I was basically just repeating what I had just done but in reverse. I taped up the ends of the faucet that connect to supply line and put down the plastic thing that goes between sink and faucet. I connected supply lines to faucet and valves. Feeling good.

What I hadn’t noticed was the supply lines were crossed when I removed them. As I am referring to the video (5:32), I am aware that the supply line on the right is cold and connects to right-hand tap; left line is hot and connects to left hand tap. I didn’t question this. Why would I? This is standard everywhere and everywhere else in my house.

Screenshot: ChrisFix. Supply lines 5:32. https://youtu.be/gZ0Cz3gRglo?si=5ovpUTSgwRdVWoWJ&t=111

It is not until much after the faucet is connected, the water back on, leaks checked for, and my workspace cleaned up, I figure out the mistake. I went to warm a bottle for the kittens hiding out in my bedroom by filling a bowl of hot water from the bathroom. I wait. And wait. Still no hot water. Sure, it is a two-story house and hot water takes a minute to come from the tank in the basement, but I could swear water from the left-hand tap was actually getting colder. I try the right hand. It is a wait too. I start to think something is off. Then all of a sudden hot water comes pouring out the wrong tape. I immediately knew I hooked the supply lines up wrong, but when I checked, they were running parallel to each other–just like they’re supposed to and just like the video has them doing.

That can only mean one thing: the lines were crossed prior to removing them to make the hot water go to the left-hand side and cold to the right. OLD HOUSES, EH?:@ I am naively demonstrating how my new faucet works here… Anyway, I am not fixing it right now haha. So if you come over to visit just remember the taps are opposite. Easy!

I am learning that even the best resource in the world, like ChrisFix’s video, cannot replace trial and error. There remains a discrepancy between learning theoretically and learning through application. I was certain I could complete this task without problems and that the video covered all potential issues one might run into. Of course, who can anticipate the lines being run from the basement decades ago in the wrong spot? Not I! With that said, at least I was able, with very little effort, to troubleshoot the problem and know I can fix it. I have a bad feeling about those stupid plastic washers though…

Suppose I had more sinks and faucets lined up to practice on. In that case, I think the results would be similar to those from my previous post where I was able to get the kittens to latch and nurse through repetition of my learning, bringing it from the theoretical into application. Tis the nature of home improvement, I suppose.