Expert: Dan Griffin - 11/17/2007

Question
QUESTION: Dear Mr. Griffin,

I am trying to replace a faucet in my kitchen sink.  The faucet is held in place with a mounting bracket under the counter. A bolt/shank extends from the faucet and through the bracket.  A nut is tightened along the bolt up against the bracket, holding the faucet in place.

I can not remove, unscrew or budge this nut.  The faucet is built by Delta with their own unique sized nuts.  It is bigger than 5/8 inch and smaller than 11/16 so I can not get a socket wrench on it.  The bolt is almost up against a back wall so I can not get an adjustable wrench on the nut.  Delta sent me a wrench that was supposed to work, but is too small.

Do you have any suggestions on how to remove this nut? The person at Delta suggested cutting the nut.  If you think that sounds good, could you recommend what type of tool I would need to cut through a metal nut and how to do it in a very tight space?

Thanks for the help.

John Jones

ANSWER: John,

It really has nothing to do with being a proprietary nut size.  You need a basin wrench.  Here is a picture of one made by Ridgid: <http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/Plastic-Nut-Basin-Wrench/index.htm>
There is another model a bit more common that looks like this: <http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/Basin-Wrench/EN/index.htm>

You can find less expensive Taiwan tools for a one time use.  These things are a bit awkward to use.  Flip the hook one way to loosen and the other way to tighten.  Good luck.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Dear Mr. Griffin,

Thanks for the rapid response.  I bought a basin wrench, but unfortunately the space is too small.  There is not enough room to get the wrench around the nut.  This was the same problem I had with an adjustable wrench.

Do you have any other suggestions?  In my previous message I asked about cutting off the metal nut.  Does that sound more plausible now?  If so, what kind of saw or drill bit would do the job?

Thanks again,

John Jones

Answer
Sure you can cut the nut if you can get to it.  A Dremel tool with the miniature cut off wheels come to mind.  If you are a tool addict and if you see any future use for it, Fein makes a phenominal tool to this type of thing.  Here is a picture of one:  <http://www.fein.de/fein-multimaster/us/en/main/>