How to Replace Sinks in a Double-Wide
- 1). Turn off the water supply going to the bathroom or the kitchen, where the sink to be replaced is located. If necessary, turn off the water supply to the entire double-wide home.
- 2). Place a bucket under the "U" shaped water trap under the sink to catch any drainage water that may drain from the plumbing while disconnecting the pipes.
- 3). Use a pipe wrench to loosen and remove the main drain pipe from under the sink drain by turning in a counter-clockwise direction. Once the collar has been removed from the sink drain, loosen the pipe fitting on the other side of the "U" trap and remove the trap completely.
- 4). Disconnect the hot and cold water lines from the faucet assembly using a crescent wrench (open-ended wrenches will work also if no crescent wrench is available). If there is a nut or bolt in the center of the faucet (under the counter) remove it at this time.
- 5). Lift the faucet unit away from the old sink and set it off to the side. Use a screwdriver and/or a metal paint scraper to pry the sink up around the edges. This will take a bit of work, as most sinks have old caulk that dries between the edges and the counter. Loosen all edges, pry up one side and grab hold with your fingers. Pry the other side so the sink may be lifted completely from the hole with both hands. Set aside or discard the old sink.
- 6). Scrape all remaining old caulk off of the edges around the sink until the edges are smooth and no signs of old caulk remain.
- 7). Insert a tube of caulk into a caulking gun, cut off the nozzle tip so caulk can flow easily and apply one thick bead of caulk all around the edge of the hole in which the new sink will be placed.
- 8). Carefully set the new sink--purchased from the dealer of your mobile home (for exact match and less need for new plumbing pipes)--into the hole, using caution not to lean your full body weight against the counter and also watching so your fingers don't get caught between the lip of the sink and the counter when setting it into place. If the caulk squeezes out around the edges after setting the new sink into place, wipe it off with a damp rag immediately.
- 9). Set the new faucet (or old, if keeping the old one) into place and climb under the counter to connect the plumbing to the new hardware.
- 10
Connect the center nut or bolt into the faucet and tighten firmly into place. Apply thread sealant compound to the threads of the faucet and then connect the cold and hot water lines to the faucet assembly, tightening down firmly. - 11
Scrape out old pipe sealer from the plastic PVC "U" trap pipes using a screwdriver or the corner edge of a paint scraper and apply a thin coating of new sealant to the pipes. If the pipes are metal and have threaded ends, use thread sealant rather than the PVC joint sealant compound. Connect both ends of the "U" trap immediately before the sealant dries and tighten the connections with a pipe wrench. - 12
Restore the water supply to the room or to the home and run water for five or 10 minutes to flush out any residue that may have fallen into the pipes during installation.
