KELVIN SMITH LIBRARY

Moving Right Along

Had some fun doing the handyman thing at home this weekend. We invited the inlaws over for Saturday afternoon so my father-in-law could bring his propane torch and we could play with fire. The project was to remove the old acrylic kitchen sink and replace the entire assembly... sink, faucet, drain assembly, etc... with a nice new stainless steel sink. The torch was required because I saw no reason to not add accessible shut-off valves.

Step-by-step:

1. Assemble the new sink as much as possible so I won't need a basin wrench to attach things like faucet, soap dispenser, etc.


2. Mount the new disposer support ring on the new sink. (we're using the old disposer but the existing ring was even older and rusted)


3. Empty the under sink cabinet


4. Unscrew the clamps that hold the old sink in place


5. Unplug the disposer and the dishwasher, making note of which is where because the disposer outlet is switched and the dishwasher is not


6. Disconnect the dishwasher and the drain lines from the disposer


7. Unmount the disposer and the drain assembly


8. Turn off the water to that part of the house


9. Disconnect the water supply lines from the faucet


10. Lift the sink out of the counter and stow it in the garage


11. Cut the copper supply lines


12. Fire up the propane torch and solder on new threaded fittings to accept the shut-off valves


13. Have a beer while the pipes cool enough to be handled again


14. Wrap the threads in teflon tape and thread on the shutoff valves


15. Close the valves, turn the water pressure back on and check for leaks


16. Do the happy dance and have a celebratory beer because there were no leaks


17. Apply a GENEROUS caulk bead around the hole where the new sink will rest


18. Place the new sink into the hole


19. Attach the clamps that will secure the sink and lock it in place


20. Wipe away the caulking that seeped out around the sink


21. Attach the water supply with the new flexible supply lines you got when you picked up the shut-off valves


22. Re-hang the disposer on the new sink


23. Reconnect the dishwasher output


24. Rebuild the new drain assembly to fit the new configuration


25. Tighten all of the joints one last time


26. Plug in the disposer and the dishwasher


27. Test the disposer switch to make sure you plugged it into the correct outlet


28. Open the water supply shut-off valves and check for leaks


29. Open the new faucet and check for leaks again


30. Clean up your tools and go out to dinner

Don't put the stuff back under the sink for a few days so you can check for leaks a few more times. If you see no leakage in the next 3 to 4 days your work is done.