How to install a faucet in the kitchen and bathroom

Recommendation points

• Installing a faucet in the kitchen
• Installing a wall mixer in the bathroom
• Option 1: with eccentrics
• Option 2: no eccentrics
• Installing the mixer on the side of the bath

Step-by-step guide to installing a faucet in the kitchen and bathroom. You will find out what tools and materials are needed for this, as well as how to independently put the water sockets on the ceramic tiles..

Each mixer is designed to work in tandem with a specific plumbing device: sink, washbasin, shower, bidet or bath. However, it makes no sense to consider all the installation options, since the process itself, despite the variety of designs, is not much different. For example, installing a mixer on a kitchen sink is the same as on a sink in a bathroom. Therefore, we will focus on the main points, having dealt with which, it will not be difficult to master the rest.

Installing a faucet in the kitchen

The kitchen faucet is easy to install. This does not require additional materials or thread packing skills: the complete hoses are already equipped with O-rings and gaskets. Of the tools, you will need an adjustable and thin open-end wrench of a small size (most often 11, less often 10 and 13). The task will be much easier if the sink is not yet fixed to a cabinet or countertop. In this case, the procedure is as follows:

1. Make sure the hoses are long enough before starting work. If necessary, replace them with longer ones, but not too much: remember to avoid both excessive tension and significant bends.
2. Place the gasket on the mixer support.
3. Insert it into the hole on the side of the sink, put a gasket on the back of the thread and screw on the fastening nut.
4. Orient the mixer as required and then tighten the nut. Make sure it is securely locked in place and will not twist when turning the spout or working on the handles.
5. Connect the supplied piping to the filler holes. It will be more convenient if you first screw in the hose with a short fitting, and then with a long one. It is not necessary to make significant efforts: it is better to slightly tighten then if it leaks, than to rip off the thread or damage the O-rings. Which of the hoses to put on hot water, and which on cold water – no difference. They are usually interchangeable, as evidenced by the red and blue braided markings.
6. Put the sink back in place, but do not fix it yet; connect the hoses to the water supply. Here, too, much effort is not needed: you can break the nut and damage the gasket..
7. Open the stopcocks and make sure the connections are tight. If there are leaks, tighten the nuts and fittings, and then fix the sink.

The process becomes a little more complicated if the sink is already installed, and it is problematic to remove it or move the furniture on which it is located. The most difficult thing in this case is to connect the eyeliner to the mixer, since the sink bowl and space limitation will interfere. However, the task can be simplified by slightly changing the order of actions..

Connect the hose with the short fitting before the faucet is secured, and push the free end through the hole in the sink. Then put a gasket on it, a fastening nut from below and pass the second hose through them. Pull its fitting outward, while the gasket and fasteners will not go anywhere, but will hang on the liner nuts. Screwing this hose as well, fix the mixer and connect it to the water supply pipes.

Installing a wall mixer in the bathroom

Despite the name, this structure is not installed on the wall itself, but on the corner fittings of the water pipes. Since the distance between them does not always coincide with the center distance of the mixer, installation is usually carried out using eccentrics. These are shaped products that are bent nipple. They are usually included in the kit along with all the required spacers..

Option 1: with eccentrics

Hand-assemble all parts of the mixer before installation to check how easy the threaded connections can be. Next, do the following:

1. Wrap the half-inch thread of the eccentrics with pre-winding. Fum tape is not suitable for this, because then it will be necessary to adjust their position. So it is better to use plumbing thread or linen.
2. Screw the eccentrics into the water sockets using a pipe (gas) or open-end wrench, suitable in size, and put screens on them.
3. Bring the mixer to the eccentrics and adjust their position so that the fixing nuts screw on freely and without distortions, and the device body is horizontal. Adjustment can be done by eye, but if you need perfect accuracy – use a small building level.
4. Place spacers in the nuts and fix the mixer to the eccentrics. It is advisable to do this with a wrench with soft lips so as not to scratch the chrome surface. Tighten the nuts alternately to avoid skewing. Do not tighten too much: damage the gasket.
5. Screw the rest of the parts to the faucet body: spout, hand shower support, and to it a shower hose, sealing the connections with gaskets from the kit.
6. Run water into the mixer and make sure there are no leaks anywhere. Tighten nuts or repack the eccentric threads if necessary.

Option 2: no eccentrics

The main disadvantage of the method described above is that the result of the work does not look very aesthetically pleasing. Due to the length of the eccentrics, the entire structure is located at a considerable distance from the wall, so decorative screens look a little ridiculous and hide little. Therefore, if the mixer axes coincide with the pipes, it is better to use not eccentrics, but H-H adapters with? “On?”.

If there is no match, you can install the water sockets yourself. They are manufactured for all types of pipes, both as separate products and together with a mounting plate. The first option is more aesthetically pleasing, since separately installed water sockets are almost completely covered by screens. However, there may be problems with the accuracy of installation: the slightest slipping of the drill – and eccentrics are indispensable. The option with a bar looks preferable, since the required distance has already been verified there – 150 mm. Nevertheless, it does not look very nice, and there are times when manufacturers are inaccurate. So when buying it is better to immediately try on the bar for the mixer. The choice is yours, but we will consider the most difficult case – the installation of separate water sockets on ceramic tiles. So:

1. Decide on the installation height. The recommended distance from the floor is 70–120 cm and depends on the design and purpose of the faucet: with a reversible spout, designed to work on a bathtub and sink are placed higher, and with a fixed or short spout – lower.
2. Glue 1–2 (depending on the width) horizontal 20 cm strips of a regular plaster on the chosen place, and use a level to draw a straight line with a pencil.
3. By hand and without winding, screw the water sockets through the adapters to the mixer, then attach them with the base to the plaster so that the side mounting holes coincide with the drawn line; mark all holes with a pencil.
4. Insert a 6 mm drill for tiles into a drill or perforator and at the lowest speed, with minimal pressure on the tool, make the marked holes in the tile. The plaster will prevent the drill from slipping, so there should be no problems.
5. Using a drill of the same size, carefully deepen the holes a few more centimeters, then insert the dowels into them.
6. Attach the water sockets to the wall with screws, supply water to them and screw in the adapters. In this case, you can use FUM, since positioning is not required.

Further actions are described above.

Installing the mixer on the side of the bath

There are quite a few mixer models designed for installation directly on the bathtub. However, the possibility of their installation in each specific case is limited by the number of holes in the rim. However, almost any model is suitable for an acrylic bath, since it is not difficult to drill with a crown. As an example – installing a mixer with four holes.

1. Drill holes in the rim, observing the manufacturer’s recommended distance, then carefully clean them.
2. In one of the outer holes – at your discretion – fix the nest for the watering can by placing spacers on both sides.
3. Insert the mixer body into the middle of the three free holes on the bottom side of the rim and screw the spout to it, not forgetting about the gaskets; fix the structure with the fastening nut.
4. Similarly, install hot and cold water taps in the remaining holes, and then use the supplied flexible hose to connect them to the mixer.
5. Use long hoses to connect both taps to the appropriate water supply.
6. Connect the shower to the mixer and carefully, trying not to bend the eyeliner, put the bath in place.