• Overview



  • In this video, This Old House plumbing and heating contractor Richard Trethewey explains how to repair a kitchen sink sprayer.


    Steps:

    1. Turn off hot- and cold-water at the shut-off valves under sink.
    2. Loosen cap behind faucet’s spout with pliers; protect chrome cap with a rag.
    3. Remove cap and stuff the rag into the sink’s drain.
    4. Use a quarter to loosen the old diverter.
    5. Pull out the old diverter and its rubber gasket with needle-nose pliers.
    6. Wrap Teflon tape around threads of new diverter.
    7. Carefully thread the new diverter into place; tighten it with the quarter.
    8. Remove rag covering the drain.
    9. Tighten the cap over the diverter using pliers and a protective rag.
    10. Turn on the water, test the sprayer.

    See products and services from this episode
    • 10 to 20 minutes. It’ll likely take longer to drive to the hardware for the replacement part than it will to make the repair
    • Tools
    • Shopping List
    • Difficulty: Easy
      No plumbing skills required
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    Video Directory

    Selected Topic/Section

      Tools List

      Close
      • tongue-and-groove pliers
        Tongue-and-groove pliers
      • needlenose pliers
        Needle-nose pliers,
        used to pull out old diverter

      Shopping List

      Close
      1. Rag,
      used to protect chrome cap from pliers

      2. Quarter,
      used to unscrew old diverter

      3. Teflon tape,
      seals threads of new diverter