How to Remove and Put in a Porcelain Kitchen Sink

RH: My first house call brings me to a Tacoma neighborhood where the mountains meet the shore. Jeff and Anne McKay live in a beautiful Spanish style home in Browne’s Point on the shores of Puget sound. For years they’ve put up with a sink that Anne finds unattractive and inconvenient. Well, that’s all going to end today. Good morning Anne!

AM: Good morning Ron! Nice to meet you.

RH: Thank you. Same here.

AM: Welcome to our home.

RH: Isn’t this spectacular.

AM: Yes.

RH: The olympic mountains over here. The sound. Wow, what a place to have a home.

AM: Thank you.

RH: So, you got a sink problem?

AM: Yes, I do.

RH: Want to show me?

AM: Come on in. Ron, I’d like you to meet my husband Jeff.

RH: Hey Jeff!

AM: Jeff this is Ron.

JM: Hi Ron!

RH: How are you?

JM: Good. Good to see you. Good to have you with us.

RH: Thank you. So, this is the victim here?

JM: This is it.

AM: Yes.

RH: So, what’s the problem.

AM: Well, we have the disposal on the wrong side. We’d like to move it over to this side and we have leaks and would like to update it to a nice porcelain enamel . . .

RH: So, out with the old and in with the new right?

AM: In with the new.

RH: And in the process we’ll switch the garbage disposal over to the left side so it’s a little more convenient for you.

JM: Great. Great.

RH: Okay, so I’m sort of the coach today. You guys work along with me?

JM: We will. Will do.

RH: Okay. Excellent. Let’s start right down here.

AM: Okay.

RH: See this valve right in here? Okay. Come over here where I am. The first step in removing the old sink is turning off the water at the shut off valves located underneath. This pot will collect any water remaining in the lines when they’re disconnected. An adjustable wrench is the best tool for this job. Just loosen that nut right on the valve. Now we can disconnect the drain line. Some of these plastic nuts can be loosened by hand but others need a bit of coaxing. That’ll come from these adjustable multigroove pliers which open wide enough to grip the large nut. With your hand just go ahead and try your hand . . . Oh, good. This “U” shaped piece of pipe known as the P trap is always full of waste water. Pretty unappealing but, it actually servers a purpose. The water provides a seal that keeps the sewer gases from coming up through the sink. Well, now it’s my turn to do some work. I’m disconnecting the wiring for the garbage disposal. Ok. I’ve just about got this off. There it goes. When we install the new sink it’ll be switched to the other side. To remove the disposal Anne inserts the screwdriver through an ear on the retaining ring, gives the ring a quarter turn and off it comes. Excellent. Finally, I unscrew these metal clips that attach the sink to the counter top. Ok. Each grab one side of the sink. There it goes. It should lift right out now.

AM: Okay.

RH: There you go.

JM: Beautiful.

RH: Well, this is your new sink. Cast iron with porcelain on the top. Very, very nice. I like this. I like the shape and color.

AM: Nice choice.

RH: First thing I want to do is have you guys put on the faucet. Now, this is a gasket. Where do you want to have the center of the faucet by the way.

AM: More over the larger . . .

RH: Okay, so put this . . . This rubber gasket goes around the opening for the faucet to keep water from running into the hole and into the cabinet below. Next, we position the faucets baseplate. And here’s your faucet. It’s a single lever. Part of it’s missing right now. We’ll put that in later. Drop that right down through the hole there. Okay Jeff, this is the nut that goes in the bottom. Jeff secures the faucet from the underside of the sink using first spacers then nuts. This black plastic socket wrench made just for this purpose comes packaged with the new faucet. Jeff slips the air gap device into the remaining hole. It’s job is to prevent dirty sink water from siphoning into the dishwasher. Okay. Jeff why don’t you pick up the wand to the faucet there and just thread the end of the hose right down through here. There you go. It’ll come through the bottom there. All right, and I’m going to screw the end of it right on there. Anne screws the water hose with the wand onto a fitting on the underside of the faucet. Then she and Jeff attach a lead weight to the hose. The weight will pull in the hose when it’s not in use. Now, in spite of how this might look Jeff and I really are doing serious work. This is plumbers putty and we’re making coils to put around the sinks drainage openings. You don’t have to be too fussy with this because what’s going to happen is the excess is going to kind of squish out. The putty is used as a seal for strainer baskets. Grab the basket and just shove it in there. Press it down with your fingers. Okay. That’s good. Pull your hands out. Okay, Jeff, let’s just tilt this up on it’s side now. Now we flip the sink over so that we can install the hardware that will secure the baskets in place. This is going to connect to the drain. First on here Jeff is the rubber gasket, then a cardboard gasket and then a retaining ring. Just like that. Okay. I’d like to use this wrench right here. Special wrench just for this process here. Jeff begins installing the fittings on the other side. He starts by slipping on this base plate, then the mounting bracket for the garbage disposal. Next, he snaps on a retaining ring and then tightens these screws which pull the basket firmly into the plumbers putty. The excess putty has now been squeezed out so we can easily remove it with our fingers. I like to attach as many things as I can to the sink before you put it back in. It’s just easier to reach out here, including the garbage disposal. Like that, Jeff. Okay. I’ll turn the retaining ring now back. With the disposal attached our sink is a bit heavy but, Jeff and I carefully place it through the opening in the counter top. We rest it on these wood blocks which serve two purposes. They keep us from pinching our fingers and they allow us to caulk the countertop. Okay, lift it up just a little bit. There you go. Hang on. Jeff supports the sink from the bottom while I put down the final strip of caulking. Now, this job entails a certain amount of risk. One errant squeeze on the caulk gun and Jeff gets a shot of hair gel that’s sure to hold. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I apply another bead of caulk while Jeff cleans up. Smoothing the caulk is best done with a finger dipped in soapy water. Finally with the sink in place we begin reinstalling the plumbing. Because we’ve moved the garbage disposal to the other side we’ll have to rework the drain line a bit. This turned out really nicely and it really brightened up the whole counter here I think.

AM: It really did. We really love it.

RH: I suggest a toast. First water coming out of your new faucet there.

JM: Thank you Ron.

AM: I love it.

Replace Your Stainless Kitchen Sink with a New Porcelain Model and Switch the Garbage Disposal to Your Preferred Side

Replace your dull kitchen sink with a newer more attractive porcelain model with an updated spray wand and the garbage disposal moved to the side that suits your style of kitchen use. This DIY kitchen sink installation--both removing the old sink and plumbing the new one--is a straightforward project made even simpler with the addition of helper's hands.

turning the shut-off valve in a clockwise direction

Step 1

Turn off the Water Supply at the Sink's Shut-off Valve

Stop the water supply to the existing sink by rotating the sink's hot and cold shut-off valves clockwise to a closed position.

Step 2

Loosen the Nuts and Disconnect the Water Lines

Loosen the nuts to the water lines with an adjustable wrench and/or your fingers and disconnect each line after placing a container beneath to catch the residual water. Leave the container in place for the next step.

loosening the nut with adjustable multi-groove pliers

Step 3

Disconnect the Drain Line and Remove the P-Trap

Loosen the plastic nuts on the drain line with adjustable multi-groove pliers that open wide enough to grip the large nut. Remove and drain the P-trap. Use a screw driver to loosen the hose clamp on the garbage disposal.

Step 4

Disconnect the Wiring and Remove the Garbage Disposal

Switch off the electrical circuit to the garbage disposal, loosen the wire nuts and disconnect the electrical wiring. Slip a screwdriver through the ear on the retaining ring, give the ring a quarter turn and remove the garbage disposal.

unscrewing the metal clips beneath the sink

Step 5

Unscrew the Metal Attachment Clips and Remove the Existing Sink

Unscrew the metal clips under the sink that attach it to the underside of the countertop. Lift out the old sink from the top of the kitchen counter and set it aside.

Step 6

Install the Sink Components before Positioning It in the Countertop

Uncrate the new sink and install the gaskets, base plate, faucet, spray wand and air-gap device. Secure them from the underside of the sink. You will position the sink in the countertop in a later step.

tightening the retaining ring on the strainer basket

Step 7

Add Plumbers' Putty before Installing the Sink Hardware

Add plumbers' putty around each drain opening and press the strainer basket into one opening and the garbage disposal ring into the other. Tip the sink on edge and install the gaskets and hardware on the underside of the sink.

Step 8

Secure the Garbage Disposal to Its Hardware beneath the Sink

Attach the garbage disposal to its mounting bracket beneath the sink. Secure it by slipping a screw driver into the ear on the retaining ring and rotating the ring.

Step 9

Position the Sink in the Countertop Resting on Temporary Blocks

Position the sink in the opening on wooden blocks while you add a bead of caulk. Support the sink from the bottom, remove the blocks, fill the gap with caulk and lower it into position. Caulk the upper edge.

reworking the drain line for the relocated disposal

Step 10

Reinstall the Plumbing and Restore the Water Supply and Electricity

Reinstall the drain line to accommodate the disposal in its new position and reinstall the water lines. Reattach the garbage disposal wiring and the power to the electrical circuit and restore water flow at the shut-off valves.

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