If you are having problems with your bathroom sink faucet and you’re wondering whether it’s worth it to fix it or if you should just replace it with a new one – let us help you with that decision process.

Here in this article, we’ll go over the questions you should ask yourself in this situation so that you can make the best decision possible.

Repair Or Replace That Faucet?

The information you need to know (and questions you need to answer) to make the decision as to whether you should replace or repair your sink’s faucet are…

1. How old is this faucet?

The majority of sink faucets last about 15 – 20 years – BUT – those numbers depend on the quality of the product to begin with, how often it’s used and the type of water in your geographic area. If you live in an area that has hard water – the lifespan of your faucet may be less than the standard amount of time.

But generally speaking, if you know that your sink’s faucet is an old one then the chances of it breaking down again in the near future are higher so it may be more prudent to purchase a newer faucet that can give you many problem free years of usage.

2. Is your faucet continuously needing repair?

Like any other appliance or item in your home – if the product is continuously needing some kind of fix then it may just be that it’s a “lemon” and needs to be replaced with a different and hopefully better quality product. There does come a time when spending money and time and constantly fixing something becomes more costly than just replacing it.

3. Installing a new bathroom sink.

Unless your sink’s faucet is just a year or two old, then it may make sense to put in a new faucet along with that new sink so that the entire “set up” is new and functions well together.

Is It Hard To Replace A Bathroom Sink Faucet?

If you have decided to go ahead and replace your faucet – there are two ways to go about doing this…

1. Do the job yourself. It’s not necessarily difficult to do but if you are not a handy type of person we would caution you to avoid attempting this
2. Hire someone to do the job for you (i.e. a professional plumber)

Here are our step by step general instructions on how to do this.

Tools needed are:
Channel Lock tool
Basin Wrench

1. Measure your existing faucet so that you can get one that will fit the space on your sink.

2. Turn the water off to the sink. These are usually done by turning the shut off valves underneath the sink clockwise. There should be two of them.

3. Place a container of some type underneath the P-trap pipe – to catch any water the may come out of the P-trap as you remove it.

4. Turn the two nuts that are holding the P-trap in place to loosen them and then remove that section of the pipe. If the nuts are difficult to turn you may need to use a Channel Lock tool.

5. Directly under the sink you will see the nut that is holding the faucet onto the sink and is connected to the water supply line. Use the Basin Wrench to loosen and remove those nuts.

6. The next step is to remove the drain pipe from underneath the sink.

7. Lift the faucet up off the sink.

8. Clean the sink (drain area and the area under the old faucet)

9. You should have instructions on installing the new faucet and you would then follow those instructions.

Here is a video showing you every step of the way that we mentioned above.

Fixing Your Old Faucet

If you’ve decided that you want to instead fix your existing faucet – you will still then need to take it apart to fix whatever component is either worn out or not functioning any longer. A plumber may be able to assess and fix the problem easier and faster but of course, if you are a handy person you may be able to do the job yourself.

If you have any questions about faucets or are having some problems with it, call Atlantis Plumbing today at 770-443-8229. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.