It’s human nature to overthink some of life’s simple problems, like RV repairs. Don’t let the idea of RV home improvement projects scare you. Sometimes repairing broken RV equipment is much easier than you think, such as learning how to replace a leaky RV faucet.
One of the Easiest RV Repairs You’ll Ever Make
As full-time RVers my husband and I spend more time than most in our fifth wheel. Home repairs that were easy to set aside when we lived in a sticks-and-bricks house aren’t as easy to ignore for our home on wheels. Leaks and squeaks are constantly in our face and delayed repairs can lead to bigger, more expensive problems. So when our bathroom faucet started leaking, we took immediate action.
If you’ve never had to make this RV repair, you’ll discover that it’s easy to replace a leaky RV faucet. You probably won’t need tools to do it and what’s even better is that most RV bathroom faucets can be swapped out with a higher quality residential faucet. Our local hardware store carried a stylish brushed copper model constructed with brass fittings. It perfectly matched our other fixtures, so we went to work.
How to Replace a Leaky RV Faucet
Step 1: Turn off our water supply at the source. Go inside and lay a towel inside the bathroom cabinet.
Step 2: Unscrew the hot and cold connectors for the existing faucet. The connectors should only be hand tight. If you need a wrench or channel lock pliers to loosen them, use care so that you don’t crack the fittings. Once loose, slide the connector back along the Pex tubing.
Step 3: Remove the plastic retaining nuts from the threaded faucet water supply pipes that hold the fixture in place. Then lift the faucet up and away.
Step 4. Check the mounting area for water damage. Hopefully there won’t be any. Next, clean the area then insert the new faucet into the holes.
Step 5. Secure faucet in place by finger-tightening the retaining nuts. Insert the hot and cold water supply lines to their corresponding sides, and slide the Pex connectors up then finger-tighten them onto the fixture to seat the supply lines. For extra protection against water leaks, wrap Teflon Pipe Thread Seal Tape around the threads of both brass fixture fittings before tightening the Pex retainer nuts. You’ll find this step easier if you apply the tape before mounting faucet into place. You may also want to add a thin layer of Plumber’s Putty Tape under the faucet fixture to prevent splashed water from seeping underneath.
Step 6: Double-check all connections, then turn on the exterior water supply line and inspect for leaks.
One of the trade-offs of the full-time RVing lifestyle is accepting that things come loose and wear out sooner in traveling homes on wheels. Thankfully, many RV home repairs are often much easier and less expensive than they may seem. RVing is a simple, cost-effective lifestyle that we wouldn’t trade for anything.
About the author: Rene Agredano
Rene Agredano, a Coach-Net member since 2015, is a self-employed full-time RVer who enjoys writing, jewelry design and animal advocacy. Her adventures with a three-legged dog and husband Jim are chronicled at LiveWorkDream.com
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