Emergency Plumber Site

A common thing that people want to do change their faucet for either looks or due to a leaking sink.  A leaking sinking can indeed be a problem and could even require calling an emergency plumber.  To that end, here is a quick synopsis of what it takes to plumb a kitchen sink from your friends here at Emergency Plumber Site.

1. Remove the old faucet.

Using a plumbing wrench or other tools remove your old faucet.  This will include turning off the water supply and then removing the supply lines from your old faucet.  Hopefully you have shut off valves below the kitchen sink, but if not, then turn off the main water shut off.  I would suggest that this would be a great time to find ball valve shut offs to install below here such that you can turn off the water to just the kitchen sink while the entire remainder of the house still has full usage of the water.

2. Read the directions from the new faucet

An important step for all people who are about to install a new faucet.

3. Tighten the nuts to attach the faucet to the counter

Using a plumbing basin wrench (much easier) or another tool, tighten the large nuts to get the new faucet to be taut against the counter for years of continued use.

4.Connect the water supply lines to the faucet.

I prefer to use the flexible supply lines that have metal sheathing around them due to being easier to connect and also provide years of use.  You don’t need to use these metal sheathed lines, but it makes the job a ton easier.  Otherwise use whatever you have to connect the copper supply pipe to the faucet hot and cold water.

5. Flush Out supply lines

Just to ensure that the water supply lines do not contain any debris from solder or flux run them into a bucket or similar prior to connecting them to your new faucet.

6. Connect supply lines to new faucet

Using a basin wrench or similar connect the supply lines to the faucet.  If your faucet has a side sprayer DO NOT turn on your supply yet or you will get water everywhere.

7.  Connect any accompanying items to your faucet

This includes, but is not limited to, side sprayers and the like.  Follow the instructions in the guide that comes with your faucet to ensure proper installation.

8. Turn on the water supply and test out your next sink!
Simply turn your shutoff valves back on, and check for any leaks below the sink.  Once you are certain that there are no leaks below the sink, turn on the faucet and ensure that everything is running properly.

Here is a video that goes over the entire process as described above.

One of the key areas that people have problems with over and over again in home is the toilet.  Many times we want to replace a toilet due to its looks, but perhaps it is just leaking and causing a general plumbing emergency.  It seems like a daunting task, but really replacing a toilet can be a relatively simple home project.  Here are step by step instructions for how to plumb a toilet.

1. Turn off the water, flush the toilet, and then use a sponge or similar to remove all the remaining water.

The premise here is to basically get the toilet ready for removal.  Any precautions you take here will pay off later in less messes, so I would suggest not skimping.

2. Remove the nuts on the bolts and the supply line that attach the tank to the base and then remove the tank.

A socket set or a wrench will work just fine.  Simply remove the nuts from these bolts, use the wrench to remove the water supply line and then grab the tank firmly and move it to a place out of your way.

3. Remove the nuts that hold the base to the floor flange and remove the base.

Sometimes there are decorative covers above these nuts.  If so remove them by tapping lightly with your wrench or similar and then use your socket set or wrench to remove the nuts.  This could be a little different if this is an toilet. From here a little elbow grease is all that is required to get the bowl off the floor and away from the area.

4. Clean up the flange and stop up the pipe to make it ready for your new toilet.

The wax ring will invariably still be a part of the flange and can be removed using a putty knife.  Don’t kill yourself getting 100% of it off, but make sure you do get as much as you can.  Place a rag in the pipe to prevent the sewer gasses from wafting up into your home.

5. Place the wax ring on the new toilet

Flip the new toilet base over and place your new wax ring over the hole that will go into the floor.  Ensure that it is firmly stuck to the base.

6. Place the toilet base with wax ring onto the toilet flange over the flange bolts

Ensure that everything is in alignment and then place the base over the flange bolts.  Slowly rock the toilet back and forth until it is firmly even with the floor.

7. Tighten the nuts on the flange bolts

At first hand tighten.  Use a level and shim where necessary.  Once shimmed level with the ground, tighten the bolts with a wrench or socket set.  Don’t over tighten or you will often times crack the porcelain.

8. Place the tank on the base, attach the supply line and tighten the nuts on the bolts.

Guide the tank bolts into the grooves in the base and tighten the bolts.  Attach the supply line.

9. Caulk around the base

Using bathroom caulk, apply the caulk around the base and smooth with your finger.  This step is simply to make the base look nice when against the floor.

10. Turn on the water supply and happy flushing!

Here is a video that shows the entire process:

When something goes wrong with the plumbing in your house, or you decide to add something to your house that requires plumbing work, you have to undertake the task of finding someone to get that work done.  Before you hop on the phone and start to dish out any money, make sure you can’t fix the problem yourself.  Some minor plumbing problems, such as replacing a faucet or clearing a drain, can be fixed easily by anyone with access to a home-improvement store.  Plumbers tend to charge quite a bit for their services, so you don’t want to hire one if you don’t have to.

If you don’t have time to complete the task yourself, or you don’t feel comfortable messing with the plumbing in your house, you are going to need to call in a professional.  The first thing to do when you’re looking for a plumber is ask around.  Talk to your friends and family about plumbing experiences they have had, and ask for recommendations.  Another good place to get information about the best plumbers in town is the clerk in a hardware or plumbing supply store.  If you can’t find anything by word of mouth, you can always check the yellow pages.

Know that there are two main fields in plumbing; there are the plumbers who work on repairs and the ones who do remodeling and install new constructions.  Make sure that the plumber you choose is specialized for the task at hand.  Also, make sure to pick a plumber who carries workers’ compensation insurance, which provides liability coverage for problems that may arise.

Once you have a specific contractor picked out, ask about how long that contractor has been in business, and the kinds of work he or she has done in the past.  Also, find out whether materials the plumber is going to use are covered in the given price.  Ask the plumber for the names of previous customers, and contact those people to see if they were satisfied.  There are organizations, such as the Better Business Bureau, that you can call to find out about any complaints that have been filed against any particular contractor.

Be aware of the different ways that plumbers can charge you.  Plumbing work can either be charged with a flat rate, or charged by the hour.  Generally, if you have only one project, it is better to get a flat rate, because professional plumbers can charge quite a lot per hour (between fifty and a hundred dollars).  If you have more than one project you need completed, it may be more cost-effective to pay an hourly rate.  If the task you want completed is a big job, it is normal for contractors to expect up to ten percent up front, and more installments as time passes, depending on how long the project will take.