How To Tighten Bathroom Sink Faucet? [5 Simple Steps]

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Plumbing problems whether it occurs in the kitchen or bathroom are quite messy. When a bathroom sink faucet goes loose, it can disturb your monthly budget if you call a plumber to fix a loose faucet.

A loosened faucet gives you a niggling headache because you can’t use the faucet properly. A loose bathroom faucet wastes lots of water when you use it. Also, if you can’t tighten it as soon as possible, it will damage pipelines in the bathroom.

In the morning, no one wants to do wrestling with the loose bathroom faucet. By using the right method, you can tighten the bathroom faucet by yourself. If you are doing it the first time, you are in right place. This article will surely help you. We have written simple steps to fix the issue. Here’s how to tighten bathroom sink faucets.

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Why Is My Bathroom Sink Faucet Loose?

Over time, the handle and base of the bathroom sink faucet get loosened. We turn the handle many times a day which results in it loose faucet but there are some other reasons also for loose bathroom faucets.

It is quite irritating to work with a loose faucet, especially in the morning. It makes squeaky noise and the handle won’t turn properly so you do struggle to get perfect water flow. Let’s see some possible reasons for the loose modern bathroom sink faucet.

Screw Is The Reason

Screws on the faucet, and keep the faucet secure in its place. With time, screws loose, and as a result bathroom faucet starts wobbling. In the start, the faucet doesn’t show many issues but with time looseness increases.

Faucet Base Is The Reason

Every faucet has its base that keeps the faucet stable at its position. The handle of the faucet is connected to the center part of the faucet base. Due to excessive use of the handle, the faucet base fitting starts loosening.

Damaged O-rings Are The Reason

O-rings are not visible outside the faucet so when it is worn out at first you can’t find out whether they are damaged or not.

Without removing the faucet handle, to find out the conditions of the O-rings check the movement of the handle. If the handle is moving without any friction and there is no leakage around the handle then O-rings are safe.

But if both the screw and faucet base is tight and still the faucet is loose then you need to remove the handle to see the O-ring’s condition.

Check also – Simple Method To Fix a Leaking Showerhead

How To Tighten Bathroom Sink Faucet Base?

After finding the reason for the loose bathroom faucet, here is the time to start tightening a bathroom sink faucet. Before moving further, grab these tools so the process becomes easy.

• Basin Wrench
• Screwdriver
• Flashlight
• Gloves

Step 1 – Clear Under The Sink Area

Most people use the under-sink area as a storage space to keep less-used stuff and cleaning products. To tighten the bathroom sink faucet, you need to go under the sink so you need to remove all the items from there.

After removing items, you get bigger space to do plumbing work. Clean the area with a cloth and mop the floor so your clothes won’t get dirty. If you have an open sink then skip this step.

Step 2 – Turn off The Water Supply

Now move to the under sink and find the water halves under the sink. You should turn off the water supply to the faucet. There would be different supplies for both cold and hot water. You need to turn off both supplies.

Before starting the process, this step is essential so that anytime during the plumbing work, if a pipe bursts or any wrong thing happens, you won’t soak into the water.

Step 3 – Slide Under The Sink

Now slide under the sink and find out the nut. But due to darkness, visibility is almost zero there, so use a flashlight.

With the flashlight, it becomes easy to find the nut that is holding the base of the faucet.

Step 4 – Tight The Nut

When you find out the nut, it’s time to adjust the basin wrench according to the nut.

When the basin wrench fits on the nut perfectly, move it in a clockwise direction. Move the wrench till it stops moving further.

Bathroom sink cabinets are generally smaller than kitchen sink cabinets. So, it becomes difficult to find the right position to sit there. Avoid overtightening the nut otherwise, the wrench will move freely on the but, and next time, you can’t remove it or tighten it.

Step 5 – Check the Faucet Base

Now the nut is tightened properly so check the faucet base by hand. If it is loosened, tighten the nut. If the faucet is tight and not moving around, your work is completed.

Also, you should check the faucet upside. It shouldn’t also move from the upside. Now faucet is tightened properly and is fixed in its position, it is time to turn on the faucet water supply to the bathroom faucet.

How To Tighten Bathroom Sink Faucet Handle?

Not every time the base of the bathroom faucet is loose, sometimes the handle of the faucet is also loose, due to which the tap moves.

A loose faucet handle problem is not common in hands-free bathroom sink faucets. Because they operate through sensors so the use of handles is almost zero. Follow these steps to tighten the bathroom faucet handle.

• Turn off the water to avoid causing a flood on the bathroom floor. So, if anything goes wrong while plumbing, no water mess in the bathroom.
• See which type of screw does faucet handle has. Either it would be a hex head screw or a Philips head screw.
• If you can’t see any screws on the handle, check if there would be a cover on the handle. Pry off the cover with a screwdriver.
• Now you need to tighten the screw. Which tool you will use; depends on the type of screw.
• For a set screw, use an Allen key. Push the Allen key into the screw and turn it in a clockwise direction to tighten it.
• If the screw is Philips-type, use a Philips head screwdriver. This is the most common type of screw you will find in the bathroom faucet.
• Now check handle is wobbling or not.
• The handle should be stable in its position. When everything is done, put a decorative cap on the handle and turn on the water supply to the bathroom faucet.

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Delta Faucet Arvo Matte Black

WaterSense-labeled bathroom faucets use at least 20% less water, A High-arc spout, Polymer braided flexible supply hose

Final Words

A bathroom faucet helps you to do many washing works. But when a bathroom faucet wobbles, it becomes a headache. But now after reading this guide, you know how to tighten bathroom sink faucets. It is a simple DIY process that can be done easily with the right tools. You need to tighten either base or handle of the faucet.

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.