I'm in need of a local plumber in Northampton. I'm trying to change kitchen faucets and they are proving to be above my skill level
Ian G. replied:
You probably won't have any isolation on the pipes under the sink so you will have to turn off the main stop cock into the house, also turn off your boiler or immersion heater, then you will need to turn the taps you want to change on until the water stops running. Then there are 2 draining points that you are showing in the first photo, open those with a bowl under them to drain the last little bit of water out. After that you will need a 15 mm pipe slice, DO NOT USE A HACKSAW, these are quite cheap at screwfix Product Code: 12468. Cut both the pipes that go up to the existing taps. Then remove the taps from the sink and install the new ones. It will be fiddly but try not to over tighten. The 2 pipes that come out from the taps are called tails. You can cut them back a little if you need to but make sure that you have enough of the 15 mm pipe left to put your connector onto. Then you need 2, 15 mm straight connectors. Plastic push fit or brass compression are fine. Push fit is easier and quicker and you won't need to worry about leaks whereas brass fittings are more traditional and can suffer if you over tighten them. Screwfix Product Code: 83638 for the plastic ones. Product Code: 95828 for the brass ones. Check that the pipes you are connecting are almost meeting end to end with about 2-3 mm gap between them (you will have a bit of play but don't be too heavy handed). Push the ends into the straight connectors and make sure that they are fully home. If you are using brass you will need to disassemble them first and put the nut then the olive (the bit that looks like a wedding ring) on the pipe first. If using brass you might want to put a bit of ptfe tape on the thread of the middle part of the fitting (the bit you put the pipes into. If using plastic push fit all you have to do is push them in fully. After all of that you then open the taps, remember to close the draining plugs under the sink and then turn on the water main. Don't worry if the hot and cold are the wrong way round because you can change them over on the tap handles. Check for leaks and run the taps for a few seconds to get all the air out of the pipes. Then turn off the taps and check again for leaks as the system is now up to pressure. Don't forget to turn your boiler or immersion heater back on. Then you have finished.
John L. replied:
Yeaaaaaaaaaaa buddy who needs the new Yankee workshop with Norm, when I got Ian Gooch! Can't wait to get to screw Fix