How To Tighten Faucet Nut Under Sink?

Is your faucet wobbling or leaking from the base? If yes, the reason is a loose nut at the base of the faucet. This nut holds the faucet in its place and prevents leaks. Over time the nut’s grip becomes loose.

A loose nut won’t be able to hold the faucet tightly. It also causes leakage at the base. By tightening this nut you can get back the proper functioning of the faucet. This guide shows all the steps to tighten a faucet nut under the sink.

Preparation For Tightening The Faucet Nut Under The Sink

Tightening a faucet nut above the sink and under the sink are two different tasks. You don’t need to do any preparation when you tighten a faucet above the countertop. If you are tightening a faucet nut under the sink, you should do some preparation before starting the tightening process. With this preparation, you can tighten the nut easily.

Start the preparation by collecting the required tools to tighten the faucet nut. Here is the required tools list

• A flashlight
• A basin wrench or pipe wrench
• An adjustable pliers
• Plumber’s tape
• Towel
• Bucket
• Safety Eyewear

Now second preparation step is cleaning the under-sink area. If you are like me who stores items under the sink cabinet then you need to clean this area. Without cleaning, the faucet nut-tightening process won’t be easy.

Take out every single item from there and keep them aside in the kitchen. When you remove items from under the sink, you will get enough space to work there properly without any restriction.

The under-sink area might be dirty. You should clean it. There might be water or dirt. So, clean the area properly with a wet towel.

The visibility under the sink might be low due to darkness. It is possible that you can’t properly see the nut. So, place a flashlight under the sink to get the proper light under the sink. Make sure that the flashlight does not become an obstacle for you while you tighten the nut.

There might be some water spilling when you tighten the faucet nut. For this take a bucket and place it under the sink. The bucket will collect all water that spills while tightening the faucet nut.

When you tighten the faucet nut under the sink, you have to look in the upward direction. In this position, any object might fall into your eyes. So it would be better to wear safety eyewear to prevent anything from falling into your eyes.

How To Tighten Faucet Nut Under Sink?

You have completed the preparation for tightening the nut. Now you can start the nut-tightening process. Here are 4 simple steps to tighten the faucet nut under the sink.

Step 1- Locate The Nut

First, locate the nut under the sink. There might be more than one nut that holds the faucet in its place. You should check which nut is loose.

To check the loose nut, you can use your hand. Rotate every nut with your hand. If a nut easily moves by hand, this is the nut you need to tighten. If you find more than one loose nut, tighten all those nuts.

Step 2 – Align The Faucet

Now you know which nut to tighten so before tightening that nut, you should align the faucet at the right angle.

Due to loose nuts, it is possible that the faucet alignment is wrong. The faucet might be tilted to one side.

Go upper side of the sink. Adjust the alignment of the faucet. Make sure the faucet is aligned correctly and it is not tilted on any side. For this step, you should take help from any of your family members. The helper will hold the faucet in the right position until you don’t tighten the nut.

Step – 3 Tighten The Nut

After aligning the faucet, it’s time to tighten the nut of the faucet under the sink.

You need to choose the right tool for the nut. For most nuts, the basin wrench would be a perfect choice. But different faucet brands use different nuts. So, instead of a basin wrench, an adjustable wrench or plier might work well for you.

Fix the basin wrench on the nut and move it in a clockwise direction to tighten the nut. The basin wrench works well even in less space. Tighten the nut until it is not possible to move the basin wrench further.

If your faucet nut is slipping, use the plumber tape around the threads of the nut. Plumber tape will give a better grip to the nut and tighten the nut properly. Plumber tape also helps to prevent any leakage.

Step 4 – Check Faucet

You have tightened the nut. Now check the faucet. Go upper side of the sink. Try to move the faucet. If the faucet is not wobbling, you have tightened the nut of the faucet correctly. Turn on the water supply to check if there is any leakage under the sink or not.

How To Tighten Plastic Nut Under Sink?

Some faucet brands use a plastic nut to hold the faucet in its place. The plastic nut is not as durable as a metal nut so you will find the plastic nut in only cheap faucets.

One thing you should remember when you tighten a plastic nut on the faucet is don’t use extra force. Extra force might break the plastic nut.

• To tighten the plastic nut, you need only an adjustable wrench or pliers. If required you may use a pipe wrench.
• Place the adjustable wrench or pliers around the plastic nut.
• Turn the plier or wrench in the clockwise direction.
• If the plastic nut is stubborn, use a pipe wrench to make a better grip on it.

Keep rotating the wrench until the nut is securely attached and doesn’t move anymore. Don’t over-tighten the nut.

Should I Turn a Nut Clockwise To Tighten?

People are often confused in the direction when they tighten or loosen any nut. The phrase “righty tighty, lefty loosey” is a helpful way to remember which way to turn the nut.

When you turn a nut in the clockwise or right direction, it will become tight. When you turn a nut in the counterclockwise, anticlockwise, or left direction, it will become loose.

These directions are applicable to most nuts. But in some exceptions, this direction might be reversed. Faucet manufacturers clearly give instructions for the directions in their manual instruction guidebook.

What Problems You Will Faucet Due To a Loosen Nut?

Here are some common faucet problems you will face if you don’t tighten the nut of the faucet.

Leaks

This is the most common issue you will see when your kitchen tap has a loose nut under the sink. Because of a loose nut, the water will start leaking. The leak will appear near the base of the faucet.

Due to leaks, you will get a higher water bill which is a waste of money. Also, leaks help to grow mold and mildew growth which is not good for health. The leak will create a mess under the sink.

Noise

Due to a loose nut, the faucet will not get proper support from the sink. The faucet will start wobbling when you turn its handle. You might hear some annoying noises when you turn the handle.

Difficulty In Turning on or off

With a loose nut, you can’t turn the faucet handle properly. The faucet won’t be stable in one place so turning it in on or off position will be difficult. It makes it difficult to use the faucet handle and also may lead to damage to it.

Rusting

Due to loosening the nut, water seepage occurs near the leak and it will start rusting around the water leak of the kitchen tap. Rusting will cause discoloration of the faucet and make the faucet unsightly.

Final Thoughts

So, this was the whole process for tightening the faucet nut under the sink. It is a relatively simple task that can be performed with some basic tools. With the steps from this guide, within a few minutes, you can tighten the nut.

FAQs About Tightening a Faucet Nut Under Sink

Check also

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James Lewis

James Lewis is a seasoned plumber and faucet enthusiast who shares his expertise on Faucetsavvy.com. With over 15 years of experience in the plumbing industry, he’s passionate about helping homeowners find the perfect faucet for their needs. He’s also dedicated to empowering DIY enthusiasts with the plumbing knowledge and skills needed to repair and maintain their faucets.