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Besides wear and tear, faucets, like seemingly everything else in life, can go out of style. Even if your old faucet is working just fine, you might come under some pressure to change faucets just so your kitchen or bathroom can reflect the latest fashion. Lucky for you, replacing a faucet is not difficult at all and here is a useful article I find to show you how you can go about it. Things you'll need: New faucet Locking pliers, adjustable wrench Slip joint or water pump pliers Basin wrench (possibly) Utility knife Plumber's putty or silicon caulk Flashlight (so you can see under the sink) Water supply lines and Teflon tape Step 1: Remove the Old Faucet A bottom-mounted faucet handle with the decorative cap removed, revealing the screw holding it in place. Your first job is to get rid of your existing faucet. Start by turning off the water supply, either by shutting off the main water supply to your house (probably located close to your water meter), or by closing the shutoff valves on the water supply lines to your faucet. Then, open the tap to allow the water to drain out of the lines and remove any water pressure. Next, use your adjustable wrench and disconnect the hot and cold water supply lines running to the faucet. If you're going to replace the lines, disconnect them at the shutoff valve, but if you're going to reuse the existing lines, do your disconnects at the base of the faucet itself. Now it's time to actually remove that old faucet. Faucets are attached in one of two ways. Bottom mounted faucets are removed from the top of the sink. To remove a bottom mount faucet, you need to take off the faucet handles and escutcheon to get to the nuts holding the faucet. Once the nuts are exposed, use your wrench to take them off. Top mounted faucets, unfortunately, are held in place by nuts located on the underside of the sink. You'll need to get under the sink to remove them, and space may be at a premium. If you're lucky, you'll be able to use your slip joint or locking pliers to loosen the nuts. However, if pipes are in the way, you'll need to use a basin wrench (a wrench specially designed to work in tight spaces where you don't have room to use an ordinary wrench or pliers). Once you've removed the nuts holding the faucet, just lift it up off the sink. If there is some caulking holding the base to the sink, slide the blade of a utility knife carefully around the faucet base to cut it loose. You'll need to remove any old caulking or "grunge" that may have built up around the old faucet. You can get silicon remover at your home store, and a mixture of vinegar and water or an orange cleaner will remove the grunge. Step 2: Install the New Faucet If you're installing a bottom mounted faucet, put the faucet in place and put on the washers and mounting nuts, then hand tighten. Line up the faucet with the back of the sink and tighten them with a wrench. Run a bead of silicon caulking (or plumber's putty) around the base of the faucet, then install the escutcheon and the faucet handles. Installing a top mounted faucet follows a similar process, with a couple of small differences. Lay down your bead of plumber's putty or silicon caulk before you place the faucet into the sink openings. Since you'll be working underneath the sink, it's easier if you have someone working up top to align the faucet and hold it, while you use a wrench to tighten the mounting nuts. Once the faucet is firmly attached to the sink, reinstall your water feed lines, and turn the water back on and check for leaks. Clean up any plumber's putty or silicon caulk around the faucet itself before it has a chance to set up. One final job before you're finished. Take off the aerator from your new faucet, turn on the tap and let water run for a couple of minutes. This will flush out anything that might be inside the faucet left over from the manufacturing process and ensure your new faucet runs clean. That's all there is to it - you've just installed your brand new faucet. If you want to be spare of the hassle and want to find a plumber in singapore, you can always look for me.

Clogging of drains in homes is a common plumbing problem faced by many home owners. To prevent this, it is important to use a strainer in basin to catch items and prevent children or maids in households to drop things into the drains to cause choking. Depending on the severity of the choke, you can unclog the choking yourself with the few tips below and save money from having to engage an emergency plumber. One of the options to clear a clogged drain is the use of a plunger, which looks like a bowl on a handle. This can be conveniently purchased at your neighbourhood hardware shop. Scoop up any standing water and fit the plunger into the drain opening to make a tight seal. Once you have done that, start pumping the plunger quickly. This method will normally clear mild chokages often caused by soft materials. Just a simple note that some splashing is expected and thus, you may wear some protective gear to prevent getting stains on your clothing. If your clog is slightly more serious and the plunger can’t seem to work, one other option is to use the plumber snake. This useful plumbing tool can also be bought easily at the hardware shop and consist of a flexible metal tube (cable) attached to a handle. Insert the end of the cable into the drain and start dislodging the clog. Be careful when using this on toilet bowls as the cable may cause scratches on it. If the clog is at the toilet bowl, buy plumber snakes with rubber head so as to prevent the scratches. For the more adventurous one, you can attempt to dismantle your drainage pipes to remove the chokages. Normally, clogs formed at drain trap or bends of the pipes. To do so, turn off the main supply and get ready a big bucket and wencher. A lot of water will spill when you remove the drain trap and thus, the bucket will prevent making a mess of the area. After you do so, clear the chokage and reassemble it back. If it is so badly damage, you will have to replace the whole affected section. If you feel that the above tips are too much of any effort for you, you can always call a Singapore plumber like me to assist you in clearing the chokage.