kbuhagiar
Well-known member
Hello Folks,
I need advice from some experienced plumbers.
In our new-to-us home we have four Newport Brass widespread lavatory faucet sets. All of the faucets have some degree of difficult operation so I need to replace all of the cartridges (eight total). I am having great difficulty removing the decorative escutcheons from six of the handle assemblies. We live in an area with hard-ish water, so I suspect that mineral deposits on the threads may be contributing to this problem. I've been spraying the threads with PB Blaster since yesterday, but no progress so far. These fixtures are expensive, and the escutcheons are no longer available, so I have to be VERY careful not to scratch them.
I figure that the pros must run into this sort of thing a lot, so how do you remove them without damage? The only thing I can think of is using one of those strap wrenches, but I'm not sure if even that would work, as their isn't a flat/parellel enough surface for the strap to grip to.
I was hoping as a last resort I could remove the entire handle assembly by removing the nut under the sink and then lifting the assembly off from the top, but it can only be removed from below.
I appreciate any and all input from those brave pipefitters who have gone before us to preserve our faucet freedoms!
Thanks in advance.
I need advice from some experienced plumbers.
In our new-to-us home we have four Newport Brass widespread lavatory faucet sets. All of the faucets have some degree of difficult operation so I need to replace all of the cartridges (eight total). I am having great difficulty removing the decorative escutcheons from six of the handle assemblies. We live in an area with hard-ish water, so I suspect that mineral deposits on the threads may be contributing to this problem. I've been spraying the threads with PB Blaster since yesterday, but no progress so far. These fixtures are expensive, and the escutcheons are no longer available, so I have to be VERY careful not to scratch them.
I figure that the pros must run into this sort of thing a lot, so how do you remove them without damage? The only thing I can think of is using one of those strap wrenches, but I'm not sure if even that would work, as their isn't a flat/parellel enough surface for the strap to grip to.
I was hoping as a last resort I could remove the entire handle assembly by removing the nut under the sink and then lifting the assembly off from the top, but it can only be removed from below.
I appreciate any and all input from those brave pipefitters who have gone before us to preserve our faucet freedoms!
Thanks in advance.
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