How To Remove Aerator From Pull Down Faucet?

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If there is a steady drop in the water pressure of the pull-down faucet, the reason is most probably a clogged aerator. Over time aerators accumulate mineral deposits so their holes are no longer open. Most modern kitchen sink faucets come with an aerator to reduce the use of water.

An aerator is a small device so people often miss understand it. But it makes water flow gently and also saves lots of water. Pull-down and pull-out all types of faucets use an aerator. In many countries, governments make it compulsory to use.

Sometimes people want to increase water pressure, so they remove the aerator. But they don’t know how to remove aerator from pull down faucet So they call a plumber. But this is not a heavy task, follow these simple tips to remove the aerator from any faucet.

How To Remove Aerator From Pull Down Faucet?

A clogged aerator sprays water in an irregular pattern. Also, the spray stream doesn’t go at its actual position. Removing of aerator is an easy process and most of the time without any tool, you can remove it. Let’s see the different processes to remove an aerator from a pull-down faucet.

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How To Remove a Pull Down Faucet Aerator By Hand?

Clean your hand and faucet spout so that when you make a grip on the aerator, it won’t slip. An aerator comes out easily by hand if it is not stuck. On any type of aerator, first, you should try to remove it by hand.

Make a grip on the aerator and rotate it counterclockwise direction. In many cases, aerator comes out easily by hand force. If your hand is slipping, wrap the aerator with a dry cotton cloth and then rotate it.

If the aerator is stuck and not coming out, don’t worry we have other solutions. Let’s go to the next one.

How To Remove a Pull Down Kitchen Faucet Aerator By a Screwdriver?

Sometimes aerator is stuck in the faucet spout due to mineral deposits. So, it becomes hard to remove it by hand. In this situation, screwdriver is the perfect tool to use.

Whether you use a screwdriver or any other tool to remove an aerator, always wrap the pull-down kitchen faucet spout with masking tape or any cloth. No one wants scratches on the faucet so wrapping will protect its finish.

Make grip of the screwdriver on the aerator and try to pull it outside. Change the position of the screwdriver on the aerator to make the process easy.

How To Remove an Aerator From Pull Down Faucet With an Aerator Key?

Nowadays most aerators come with an aerator key. People need to clean the aerator at regular time intervals so it doesn’t get clogged. To make removing an aerator easy, faucet brands are giving aerator keys.

With an aerator key, you can easily remove and attach the aerator to the kitchen or bathroom faucet. If you don’t have an aerator key, you can buy it online. But an aerator key doesn’t fit with all faucets so first check whether it is the right choice for your faucet aerator or not.

Fit the aerator key into the aerator and turn it in a clockwise direction. If an aerator is made of plastic, don’t put much pressure on it, otherwise, it will be broken.

How To Remove an Aerator Form Pull Down Tap With Heat?

This process is only for metal aerators not for plastic ones. Heat will damage the plastic parts of the faucet. If your faucet has any plastic parts don’t use this method.

The metal expands when it comes to contact with the heat. You can use a hairdryer to heat the faucet spout. Slowly apply heat to the aerator and check after a few seconds whether the aerator is coming out or not. Once the gap between the aerator and spout is increased, the aerator comes out easily.

Check also – How To Remove Stem From Faucet?

How To Clean Aerator?

If a faucet faces a low cold and hot water pressure issue, simple cleaning of the aerator will solve the issue.

• Cover the sink drain so you don’t lose any tiny parts of the faucet.
• Like other plumbing work, here you don’t need to turn off the water supply to the faucet.
• An aerator is found at the front part of the faucet spout.
• Remove the aerator by using any mentioned above methods.
• Rinse the aerator in the water.
• Now rub the toothbrush on it.
• To remove hard water deposits and debris, soak the aerator in vinegar.
• This process will clean the aerator.
• With the debris cleaned out. Wash the aerator with clean water and reassemble it to the faucet.

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How To Remove Hidden Aerator From Pull Down Fixture?

Maybe you are thinking that your touchless pull-down kitchen faucet has an aerator or not. Just see the stream of the water, if water comes out as a stream of fine bubbles, it means there is a hidden or cache aerator.

A mostly hidden aerator is found in Delta trask faucets. But to remove those aerators Delta makes a key. If you don’t have the key, still you can remove a hidden aerator. Follow these steps.

• First, try to remove it with your fingers.
• Use rubber gloves to make a tight grip on the aerator.
• If fingers are not enough to remove the aerator, it’s time to use the tool.
• Find a flat implement tool that is wide enough to fit into the aerator.
• Also, the screwdriver becomes useful if you wedge the tip into the hole of the aerator.
• Tap the screwdriver with a hammer so it releases the grip that is tightened by mineral deposits.
• Now pull the aerator with the help of the plier.

Final Words

Whether you want to remove pull down faucet aerator to clean it or increase the water pressure, you should do it carefully otherwise you can damage the faucet finish and also maybe break the aerator. An aerator limits the water flow so it helps to save water and energy. After cleaning the aerator, you should reattach it.

Ralph Matthews

Meet Ralph Matthews, father of 2 cute daughters and a skilled plumber with over 10 years of experience in the industry. Ralph has particular expertise in repairing any type of faucet and has helped countless homeowners and businesses solve their plumbing problems with his expert knowledge and attention to detail.