kitchen sink faucet broke on Casita SD17

[Joe MacDonald]

if there is enough play in your line, i would trim the pex, make sure your cut is square, and install a new connection piece, I have had good success with Watts plastic push on fittings, none have failed so far- 5+ years, they make a female thread to pex adapter, in 1/2 inch

Joe

[redbarron55]

Treat yourself to a nice faucet and forget the cheap RV faucets.
Life tis too short to have to deal with crap every day. I installed a nice one that pulls out and has a sprayer.

[steve dunham]

Be aware that many of the faucets sold at big box retailers whether metal or plastic are junk . Finding a quality brass faucet with good chrome plating for $29.99 is a pipe dream IMHO
Try finding replacement parts for a 10 year old HD faucet

[redbarron55]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

Be aware that many of the faucets sold at big box retailers whether metal or plastic are junk . Finding a quality brass faucet with good chrome plating for $29.99 is a pipe dream IMHO
Try finding replacement parts for a 10 year old HD faucet

Awfully wide brush
I bought my faucet at a big box store and it was not cheap and has held up well.
Of course my setup is only 5 years old and has been from coast to coast and Canada to the border and Key West and points between.
Almost any faucet will beat an RV faucet.
I would not put up with any leak in the water system.

[whoot]

I have some plumber's tape I used on the Anode, I will try and put some inside the pex fitting and see if it stops leaking.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by redbarron55

Awfully wide brush
I bought my faucet at a big box store and it was not cheap and has held up well.
Of course my setup is only 5 years old and has been from coast to coast and Canada to the border and Key West and points between.
Almost any faucet will beat an RV faucet.
I would not put up with any leak in the water system.

My point was whether you buy a $5 RV faucet or a $5 faucet at a big box retailer it’s still a $5 faucet . Well machined quality brass and heavy chrome plating are not cheap . Replacing a low quality RV faucet with a low quality big box faucet does nothing except kick the problem a short distance down the road.
Evidently my point wasn’t clear or my brush was too wide , so be it .

[Casita Greg]

Originally Posted by whoot

I have some plumber's tape I used on the Anode, I will try and put some inside the pex fitting and see if it stops leaking.

A few words of caution. You should never use Teflon Tape, (aka Plumber's Tape,) on any threaded PEX fittings! If you already put some in there, I'd recommend digging it all out. PEX fittings will not seal well, (if at all,) if you wrap the threads with Teflon Tape. Just my suggestion.

[Mike_L]

Only one more part to go and then no more leaks. Good luck and happy camping.

[whoot]

Originally Posted by Casita Greg

A few words of caution. You should never use Teflon Tape, (aka Plumber's Tape,) on any threaded PEX fittings! If you already put some in there, I'd recommend digging it all out. PEX fittings will not seal well, (if at all,) if you wrap the threads with Teflon Tape. Just my suggestion.

Should I use something else to seal the fitting? Like "thread sealant" or "pipe dope"?

[Casita Greg]

Originally Posted by whoot

Should I use something else to seal the fitting? Like "thread sealant" or "pipe dope"?

Nope. PEX threaded fittings are designed to be used as they come. No pipe dope, thread sealant, etc. They work by creating a compression seal. In fact, you can ruin or crack a PEX threaded fitting my using anything on the threads.

[whoot]

Originally Posted by Casita Greg

Nope. PEX threaded fittings are designed to be used as they come. No pipe dope, thread sealant, etc. They work by creating a compression seal. In fact, you can ruin or crack a PEX threaded fitting my using anything on the threads.

Yikes, ok, I will just blast it with compressed air or something. Maybe there is debris in it.

[whoot]

I may have fixed the leaking faucet. I depressurized the water system, and hand-tightened the hot-water connection as much as I could. It seems to have stopped leaking. I think tightening it when it was pressurized, was not going to stop it from leaking. I will keep a bucket under the connection until I am sure, but it looks good for now.

[LarryB.]

Originally Posted by whoot

I may have fixed the leaking faucet. I depressurized the water system, and hand-tightened the hot-water connection as much as I could. It seems to have stopped leaking. I think tightening it when it was pressurized, was not going to stop it from leaking. I will keep a bucket under the connection until I am sure, but it looks good for now.

I had a similar issue with my Casita's kitchen faucet leaking at the base of the spout. I found that by loosening the compression fitting at the base of the spout, the spout can be removed and the problem might be the rubber grommet at the base of the spout.

However, the root cause in my case was excessive water pressure and over-tightening of the plastic compression fitting caused it to crack. After replacing the faucet with a similar high rise faucet, I eliminated the issue by using a pressure reducer when connecting to "city water". You can get one at Amazon and they are also available at Home Depot, Walmart and other retailers.

[amytutoki]

I love this upgrade you did on the sink and stove.
Did you have to do any modifications to the fiberglass to get the new stove or sink installed?
Any issues with the gas line or water connections?

thank you!

[Casita Greg]

Amy,
I sent you a reply to your message.

Greg

[Clax]

Originally Posted by Casita Greg

Or you can go totally overboard like I did and replace the whole useless "birdbath" they call a sink with a new larger and deeper sink that comes with a chromed brass gooseneck faucet (yes real chromed brass, not chromed plastic,) with one of these:

Krowne Model 1419 (And it comes with the faucet in the picture, as well as a stainless steel drain fitting included.)
https://www.katom.com/381-HS1419.html

Oh, and my new two burner galley stove to replace that miserable Suburban POS too!
https://pantherrvproducts.com/dometi...st-iron-grate/

So Awesome Greg! I'd love to do exactly the same thing. Any tips for install or ordering?

thanx,
Clay D

[highcotton2186]

Wow this is beautiful!

[Casita Greg]

Originally Posted by Clax

So Awesome Greg! I'd love to do exactly the same thing. Any tips for install or ordering?

thanx,
Clay D

I'd start with the sink, and make the "enlargement" for the new sink as close as you can to the bulkhead where the microwave/fridge is. From there, as to the stove, I went with as little as I could get away with for the fiberglass strip between the stove and the sink. It really doesn't matter as to the strength of that fiberglass strip between the two since both are, in and of themselves, rimmed with a stainless steel lip for strength. Your sink and stove, when assembled should be just about touching in between. This will allow the gas line for the stove to fit up without any extra effort. I did have to replace the 3/8" straight gas fitting that came with the stove with same fitting with a 90 degree bend, so that I could hook the existing gas line up from below easily. There won't be any room for bending pipes to fit to a straight gas fitting on the stove. Not a big problem, but just something to change out so the stove will fit in the cabinet.