If the faucet in your mobile home drips or leaks, it may be time to replace it. In order to replace a mobile home faucet, there are several things you should know. First, mobile homes do not use the same plumbing fixtures as stick-built homes.
However, it is possible to use a faucet purchased at a home-improvement warehouse such as Lowe’s or Home Depot instead of one from a mobile home supply store if you wish to do so to save money or because a faucet from one of these stores suits your décor preferences better. A mobile home sink faucet or a mobile home bathtub faucet can easily be replaced with one made for a stick-built house if necessary.
While center-set faucets are the most common mobile home sink faucets, you can replace with a single hole faucet by purchasing a deckplate to cover the unsightly additional holes left behind. You can also replace a center set faucet with a 4” minispread faucet, which is a similar design.
The first step to replacing a mobile home faucet is to check and see what you’ll be working with so you can assess the size of the project. You will need to check, for instance, to see if the plumbing is PEX tubing or polybutylene pipes and if the pipes are flexible enough to be adjusted or if adjustments should be made to the water lines.
Before replacing a faucet, you must first shut off the water supply to it. Unless you have already installed a shut-off valve for this fixture, you must shut off water to the entire mobile home. The shut-off is usually located either near the mobile home’s water heater or underneath the mobile home. Then, you must depressurize the water lines. One easy way to depressurize the water lines is to turn on the outside spigot. Depressurizing the water lines ensures you will not be sprayed with water while you work.
Next, remove the old faucet. To remove the old faucet, first unscrew the water lines, and second, unscrew the mounting nuts. The plastic mounting nuts can sometimes be unscrewed by hand, but metal mounting nuts will require the use of a wrench or slip-joint pliers. You will now need to clean behind the old faucet.
Use plumber’s putty or a similar material around the new faucet plate and push the faucet plate into position. Begin tightening the nuts, then make sure the faucet plate is level, and then finish tightening the nuts all the way. Now, connect the water lines to the new faucet. If you didn’t have to make any adjustments, just tighten the water lines back on. If you did need to make adjustments, you can use push fit fittings. Push fit fittings are versatile and can be used with CPVC, PEX, or copper pipes depending on the type of fitting. They are also easy to use. They do not even require gluing. Always make sure you have a tool for removing the fittings in case you need to.
Finally, once your new faucet is installed, turn the water back on. Run the water for a few minutes, making sure all the air is out of the pipes and there are no leaks. If you have any questions, contact Basic Components!
