Author Topic: Help removing old faucet, welded on!?? see Pictures  (Read 11982 times)

kamas

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Help removing old faucet, welded on!?? see Pictures
« on: June 10, 2013, 04:05:48 PM »
I have an old sink I am trying to remove from a granite countertop. I don't know how its attached, is it screwed on or WELDED on? Look at the pictures. That faucet is able to rotate around, but it still won't unscrew all the way from the coutnertop.

I have pictures below the sink so you can see what it looks like. Look , it seems like that is welded on? How can I take this thing out?

There is one green colored bolt (turned green from copper/rust/whatever), see that? I can't possibly remove that, there is NO SPACE to access that because that  big rusty round thing is in the way. That big rusty round thing looks like its welded on.

It would be unmustachian to pay $300 to have a plumber come and do this simple task!

Rural

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Re: Help removing old faucet, welded on!?? see Pictures
« Reply #1 on: June 10, 2013, 04:25:01 PM »
It ought to loosen (the green part), but it's hard to tell what the big rusty thing is from your shot. Can you get a different angle?

Another thought -- if you're replacing the whole thing anyway, why not use a hacksaw?

kamas

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Re: Help removing old faucet, welded on!?? see Pictures
« Reply #2 on: June 10, 2013, 04:47:17 PM »
hacksaw is a great idea! But there is no space to hacksaw it from the bottom. Do you mean to hacksaw it off from the top? If I do that, it still does not look like it will solve the problem of that cylinder on the bottom, because it seems like that rusty cylinder is stuck to the granite. That big rusty thing is just a cylinder that's there, I don't see any purpose of it, it somehow just appears to be sitting there, stuck to the whole thing.
I got some new pictures. Notice the pencil eraser for size reference. I cannot imagine any tool that will fit there near that pencil eraser so i can access that green bolt.  As you can see, that useless "rusty cylinder" is preventing my access to that green bolt.

James

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Re: Help removing old faucet, welded on!?? see Pictures
« Reply #3 on: June 10, 2013, 04:59:37 PM »
I believe to take those off you first take off the hose connected to the middle line. Unscrew it with a wrench at the point about an inch below the granite.


Then you need a long socket that will fit over the threaded rod and down to the bolt holding the sink on.  It may be corroded to the point that you need something to loosen it, and it may be corroded to the point you need to take more drastic measures.


Using a metal cutting blade you could use a sawzall to take it off above the sink also. Just cut if off high enough not to scratch the granite.

Reepekg

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Re: Help removing old faucet, welded on!?? see Pictures
« Reply #4 on: June 10, 2013, 05:26:35 PM »
Some nitric acid (HNO3) should eat right through it without affecting the granite too much says the chemist.

P.S. Make sure your granite is real

Greg

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Re: Help removing old faucet, welded on!?? see Pictures
« Reply #5 on: June 10, 2013, 06:42:10 PM »
I think James has the right idea. 

The faucet probably came with a special socket-like tool for installation.  If you can determine the brand of the faucet, you may be able to get the proper tool.  A deep automotive socket might work.  Either way I'd first spray it with some sort of thread penetrant like Kroil, PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench.

In a pinch I'd be tempted to use a set of vice-grips on the threaded part, it may un-thread from the faucet body, but it might not.  It would be a shame to damage the counter top.

Mr. Minsc

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Re: Help removing old faucet, welded on!?? see Pictures
« Reply #6 on: June 11, 2013, 06:33:22 AM »
I think James has the right idea. 

The faucet probably came with a special socket-like tool for installation.  If you can determine the brand of the faucet, you may be able to get the proper tool.  A deep automotive socket might work.  Either way I'd first spray it with some sort of thread penetrant like Kroil, PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench.

In a pinch I'd be tempted to use a set of vice-grips on the threaded part, it may un-thread from the faucet body, but it might not.  It would be a shame to damage the counter top.

Plumber here.  I third this.  Just try to find what ever works to get that nut off. 

I assume you are not trying to save the taps right?  If you can't get a wrench on the thing try taking a hacksaw blade (no need for the saw) and cut slits up the bracket.  That way you can break pieces off pliers or something and gain access to the nut.  I haven't actually done this but if I were there that's what I'd do.  Sometimes you just have to rip and tear. ;)

James

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Re: Help removing old faucet, welded on!?? see Pictures
« Reply #7 on: June 11, 2013, 07:03:33 AM »
Sometimes you just have to rip and tear. ;)


I have done the rip and tear thing, took out a faucet a couple years ago that was corroded so bad the bolts just rounded out from trying with various tools and I ended up ripping all the covering metal off with locking vice grips and then sawing a bracket in half to get it apart. But that was a totally different faucet, this one looks a bit more serious and the granite makes things difficult because that bolt is inset. Definitely going to be a chore no matter what method is used...  :)

kamas

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Re: Help removing old faucet, welded on!?? see Pictures
« Reply #8 on: June 11, 2013, 11:42:07 PM »
James was right, I had to take off that first bolt. Now, I still need a deep socket wrench or something to reach that bolt touching the granite. I'll see if i can find a deep socket somewhere before trying anything else.

George_PA

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Re: Help removing old faucet, welded on!?? see Pictures
« Reply #9 on: June 13, 2013, 07:31:45 PM »
if that doesn't work you can remove the blade from a hacksaw; then wrap the hacksaw blade on one end of it with duct tape (for a handle); thus, you can hold the blade in your hand and cut it from below even in tight cramped spaces
« Last Edit: June 13, 2013, 07:34:12 PM by George_PA »

kamas

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Re: Help removing old faucet, welded on!?? see Pictures
« Reply #10 on: June 14, 2013, 10:26:28 PM »
Finally got it out. All I needed was a long socket wrench. The new faucet had a similar tool in the box. That cylinder piece of metal was not welded on, it just looks like it due to all that rust.

Greg

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Re: Help removing old faucet, welded on!?? see Pictures
« Reply #11 on: June 15, 2013, 10:59:32 AM »
Glad to hear you got it off.  Be sure to stash the new included tool somewhere you won't lose it.  I keep all that stuff with the paperwork with our appliance manuals.  Seems like everything these days has it's own special tools.

Cinder

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Re: Help removing old faucet, welded on!?? see Pictures
« Reply #12 on: June 16, 2013, 01:26:21 PM »
I've done something similar having to hacksaw where I couldn't fit a saw (right rear bolt holding on my jeep's hard top, between the roll cage and the top).  I destroyed my hacksaw blade, but I got the bolt off!  I put a vice grip on either end and used it to saw, similar to what George_PA said

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!