How Do I Remove Delta Faucets?

Faucets come with features that vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, but if you want to remove a Delta faucet, the procedure won't be much different than removing any other type. The difficulty of the procedure hinges on whether you're dealing with a sink or shower faucet.

You should use a basin wrench when removing an old sink faucet, because turning the nuts to free the faucet from the sink or countertop will be challenging without one. Removing an entire shower faucet assembly, on the other hand, is a job for a plumber. And it may also involve a contractor, because you may have to break into the wall to disconnect the valve housing from the pipes.

If you just want to remove the faucet handle or valve, however, you can do that yourself from inside the shower.

Delta is famous for ball-valve faucets, which have a rotating ball-shaped valve that glides over spring-loaded gaskets in the water inlet holes. To remove the valve, start by turning off the water, then unscrew the handle with a hex wrench. You may have to work to get the wrench to turn, but a few squirts of lubricating fluid, such as WD-40, usually makes the job easier.

Once the handle is off, you'll have access to the collar that holds the ball in place. Turn this counterclockwise with a pair of locking pliers to remove it, and the ball should fall out in your hand. The only thing left to do now is to remove the gaskets and the springs from the inlet holes, using a screwdriver to pry them out and hold them so they don't fall down the drain.

Delta has been shifting toward cartridges in its shower faucets, and the procedure for removing one of these is similar to removing a ball valve. After you've removed the handle and unscrewed the retaining nut, grasp the valve stem with pliers and pull. If it doesn't come out, spray lubricant into the gap between the valve and housing, wait 10 minutes, then try again.

​Read more:​ How to Troubleshoot and Repair a Faucet

You'll find the procedure for removing a Delta kitchen faucet in the Delta kitchen faucet repair diagram in your owner's manual. But you probably won't need it, because it's a straightforward job. Start by turning off the water shut-off valves, then disconnect the supply hoses by unscrewing them with adjustable pliers.

Now comes the hard part: loosening the retaining fasteners under the sink. You may be lucky, and your faucet has screw-on retaining plates. You can unscrew these with a Phillips screwdriver. Once they're off, you should be able to lift the faucet off the sink.

If you aren't lucky, the faucet is held by brass or steel retaining nuts, and the nuts are rusted. This is why you need a basin wrench, because it has a long handle that fits up into the tight space behind the sink, and you can turn it from under the sink. Use spray lubricant liberally to loosen the rust, and once you've removed the nuts, you can lift off the faucet.

If your faucet has a sprayer, or it's a widespread faucet, you'll have to disconnect the hoses that join the spout to the handles or the sprayer. These usually have quick-connect fittings that you are supposed to be able to disconnect without tools.

On the end of the fitting is a white plastic tip with two tabs. You're supposed to be able to squeeze these together with your fingers and pull the fitting apart. In practice, you're probably going to need a a pair of adjustable pliers to do the squeezing. But once you depress them enough, the fitting will come apart when you pull it, exactly as advertised.