Smarty wrote:

wrote:

On Apr 13, 12:00*pm, Joe wrote:
On Apr 13, 12:03*am, "
wrote:

I am trying to unscrew my Kohler faucet but it just not giving
in. Do I need to use a strap wrench or something? I don't want
to scratch the chrome surface. I took 3 photos. It's the one in
photo2.jpg.

Thanks

http://sopmedia.com/sopguest/kohler/...//sopmedia.com
/s opg...

To make things easier, why not shut off all water valves,
disassemble the drain system and simply remove the whole sink from
the counter top? This has been a pro trick for years, and
eliminates the need to struggle with a basin wrench. This
procedure takes a only a matter of minutes and the resulting work
is much tidier than the typical DIY struggle. Good luck.

Joe

I bought a strap wrench yesterday from HD for $30 and tried to
unscrew the faucet handle, but it is not moving at all. The chrome
is really slippery. I put a rubber sheet on the chrome to try to
get more traction, but it is still not moving. Any idea how I can
unscrew it?


As was previously suggested, a basin wrench can be used to loosen the
hex nut which lies immediately beneath the threaded valve body as it
passes through the countertop. You will need to get underneath the
vanity / cabinet, and apply whatever torque is neccesary to loosen
this hex nut, thereby relieving the pressure / force currently
preventing the upper escutcheon from rotating.

As I also mentioned earlier, the Kohler faucet uses an oversized hex
nut, and the standard basin wrench claw (at least on the two basin
wrenches I own) is NOT large enough to grasp it. I therefore needed to
purchase a Rigid extra large basin wrench, which has a considerably
larger claw, and can grasp this hex nut. The same wrench is
indespensible when you eventually get to the point where you need to
tighten this same nut.

I suggest you might want to go back and read the prior replies where I
and others have made these suggestions since they offer a bit more
clarification.

Also, the approach to removing the entire counter top including the
Kohler faucets was recommended as another approach. It sounds pretty
radical, and may not work in some cases, but it may be a great
solution for you also. It makes getting to the lower hex nuts far,
far easier, without buying another $50 tool (the Rigid extra large
basin wrench) as I did.

In my case, the countertop has two sinks, two drains, four faucets,
requires two men to lift, and has a molded backsplash which runs up
the wall to expensive wallpaper. Removing it would have cost a
fortune, and the $50 wrench and some grunting and muscle were all I
ultimately needed. In my case, the escutcheon came off without
loosening the bottom hex nut, but I did need it to tighten the nut
when re-installing the valve to prevent the entire vale from turning
whenever the handles were operated on the valves.

Smarty

This is the specific basin wrench which works with the Kohler faucets.
Notice that the smallest size it handles is 1-1/4 inch and that it goes
up to 2 and 1/2" capacity. None of the others I found can go to this
large size, which the Kohler faucet requires (at least my Kohler
Revival widespread faucets need this extra large size).

Amazon sells it for $42. I paid $50 at a local plumbing supply store.

http://www.amazon.com/Ridgid-31180-C...oping/dp/B0009
W77E6

Smarty

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