Having a sprayer on your kitchen sink is a convenience. But when you pull the trigger and there's no water, that's a problem. The Home Depot's Scott Krueger and Joe Autry show the easy steps to replace a faucet diverter. That's the part that will likely need to replaced to get things working again.
Things You'll Need:
Rag
Tongue and groove pliers
Coin
Needle-nose pliers
Replacement diverter
Plumber's tape
1: Turn both the hot and cold water shut-off valves clockwise. These valves are located beneath the sink. Place a rag over the cap, which is directly behind the spout on the faucet, to guard against damaging the cap. Grip the covered cap with a pair of tongue and groove pliers and turn the cap counter-clockwise, loosening the cap. Remove the cap. Stuff the rag into the sink drain, as protection against any removed parts dropping down the drain.
2: Insert the edge of a small coin, such as a quarter or nickel, into the recess on the top of the diverter. Twist the coin counterclockwise in order to loosen the diverter. Pull out the cone-shaped diverter, along with the rubber gasket, using needle-nose pliers to grip the end of the diverter.
3: Note the brand name of your faucet and obtain a new diverter. If you do not know that name of your faucet, take the removed diverter with you to find a proper match, when you go to obtain a replacement. Wrap a layer of plumber's tape around the threads on the bottom of the replacement diverter.
4: Thread the diverter into position in the faucet. Gently tighten the diverter, using the coin, without over-tightening. Hand tighten the cap on top of the diverter. Remove the rag from the sink drain and place the rag over the cap. Tighten the cap, using the tongue and groove pliers, being sure not to over-tighten. Turn the hot and cold water valves counterclockwise to resume the water flow to the sink. Turn on the faucet and press the sprayer handle to make sure that the sprayer is now functioning properly.
