Anything that is moved often, regardless of its material constituency, loosens over time. Metals, plastics, composites will all wear down a bit with regular use.
Such is true for kitchen faucets, for instance. In this post, we’ll look at Moen single handle kitchen faucets, which get double duty, so to speak. Whether it’s cold or hot water you want, the handles both and will, over time, become a bit loose.
You are watching: How To Tighten A Loose Moen Single Handle Kitchen Faucet
Its composite materials include both metal and plastic – – the metal you see, and some plastic pieces in the guts of the kitchen faucet handle. Let’s examine how to lighten a loose Moen handle faucet, then.
As with any work on a faucet, there are a few first steps to take:
With these precautions now taken, we turn to the faucet handle itself.
To tighten your Moen faucet, you won’t need your entire plumbing tool kit. But you will need a couple of handy items:
With tools gathered and handy, work can begin.
Locate the small cap mentioned above. It will be where the handle impacts with the gear cover. It’s small and not necessarily easy to access, depending on how close the faucet is to a wall.
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When you’ve located the cap, use your utility knife to remove it. Set it aside in a safe place where you’ll not likely lose it.
With the cap removed, insert the Allen wrench into the opening until you feel it fit into the hex nut inside the gear cover. Give it a turn or two counterclockwise (lefty loosey). You do not need to turn it more than that, only enough to loosen the handle for removal.
Give the handle a little jiggle to feel it loosen, and when it feels “right” simply pull it out of the gear cover. Set it aside and out of the way.
You will now be able to remove the gear cover by merely unscrewing it. Again, lefty loosey.
With the cover off your Moen kitchen faucet, shine the flashlight on the inside gear chamber. You will see a hexagonal nut on the gear shaft’s outer edge, and behind it, deeper inside the box, you will see a brass ring.
With your adjustable wrench, give the nut on the outer edge a quarter turn if it feels loose. Give the entire shaft a grip to see if it is still jiggly (not a technical term, but you know what we mean). If there is no jiggle, the problem of your loose faucet is cured.
Please remember you do not want to tighten that nut too much, or it will make the kitchen faucet handle more difficult to turn on and off when it is re-assembled.
If the jiggle persists, turn your attention to the brass ring at the rear of the chamber. That ring will have a hole of a small cut-out around the perimeter for the insertion of a tool.
No special tool is needed here, though. Your utility knife, even the tip of a steak knife, or even your Allen wrench, will do. Find the hole or cut-out with your tool of choice, and turn the brass ring in a clockwise direction (righty tighty). Turn it until it feels firm.
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Give the entire shaft another grip and test for its jiggliness (you know what we mean). It’s very likely there will be no give on it, and the problem of your loose Moen single handle kitchen faucet has been solved.
You know how you took the faucet apart, and now you simply reverse the process.
You’ve already ascertained the jiggle is gone, no more loose handle. You’ve made sure you didn’t tighten the mechanism too much, so turning the water lines on and off should be easy and smooth again.
You’re almost done. The handle is replaced after tightening, and the only things remaining are to turn the supply line valves back on and remove the towel that protected the drain.
Both feeds need to be turned back on – hot and cold – and tested. Turn the handle, make sure water is flowing, and pat yourself on the back for a job well done.
As with most DIY handyman jobs these days, there are numerous YouTube videos that give simple how-to instructions you can watch.
We found a couple of them for you if you’d prefer to learn by watching rather than by reading:
We chose these because they are slightly different and show two of the steps we highlighted above – – tightening the outer hexagonal nut at the end of the shaft and tightening the inner brass ring.
Between our step by step instructions above, and these videos, there is now really no excuse for you. It’s easy and simple and will not require a plumber or hired handyman. Be your own handyman and save the money.
Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Kitchens
This post was last modified on 08/10/2023 22:00
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