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Plumbing the depths of sprayer replacement

3 min read

Another foray into plumbing took place for me recently, as the side sprayer on my kitchen faucet decided to stop working completely. Almost since it was installed, it has occasionally become stuck in either the on or off position. One time when you would attempt to use it, you couldn’t get it to shut off, and the next, you couldn’t get it to turn on. It was often left dangling in the sink, just in case.

More recently, the water pressure out of the sprayer neared nothing, as a buildup of mineral deposits caused by our very hard water were closing off the holes from which the water sprays. I have long known that vinegar helps remove calcification, so I poured a tall glass of the acrid-smelling stuff and plunged the sprayer in overnight.

And sure enough, the next morning it was clean. I turned on the water and depressed the handle, and out shot a strong spray of water. I rinsed the sink, just for fun, and then let go of the handle. The water stayed on. For about 30 seconds, it continued to spray before finally dwindling down to nothing.

I tried it again, and this time the handle stayed depressed. No amount of lifting and prying was able to make my excellent stream of water dwindle. It just kept spraying. There was no way to use the actual spigot for any reason. I suppose that is not a huge problem, but I find that there is something oddly unappealing about filling your glass from the dish sprayer.

I decided to change it.

I shut the water off to the sink and grabbed some pliers. I crawled underneath the sink and found my work area.

It is no wonder plumbers are so expensive! There is literally no room to move down there. Plus, once you finally wedge yourself in, there is no room to open your pliers up to attach them to the nut-thingy that holds the sprayer to the faucet bottom. About 10 minutes and numerous bruises later, I finally crawled back out, no closer to my goal than I had been before.

So I did what any professional would do. I looked up a how-to video on YouTube. The first one I found showed me how to change the sprayer head without changing the hose. Halfway to victory, baby!

I chewed up the old sprayer somewhat getting it apart, but I finally managed to remove it. I took it with me to the store, matched up the size to another sprayer head, and checked out, all while feeling super pleased with myself. (I should have known.)

After reassembling the device, I turned the water on, and it began leaking out the bottom. I took it back apart and assembled it again. Same result. Finally, I looked at the old one to see what was different and discovered that there was no O-ring in the new package. After a second trip to town, a second size match-up, a second checkout (all with far less confidence), I headed back home.

This time, it didn’t leak. It sprays – and shuts off – beautifully.

But if you factor in two trips to town, two purchases, and the time and aggravation I endured, it may be safe to say that it would have been less expensive to call the plumber. I can say for sure that I am no professional, YouTube notwithstanding.

Laura Zoeller can be reached at zoeller5@verizon.net.

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