Kitchen Sink Project Finished

 It took several months before I was ready to install the Ebay kitchen sink that I refurbished. I first needed to fix a leak in the hot water line that goes to the dishwasher. I also needed to replace the shutoff valve on that line. Because the leak was right at the tee that goes to the dishwasher, I needed a new tee in addition to the shut off valve. I noticed that the copper pipe for the hot water was soldered to the cold-water line. I figured this was done to give the pipes some support. I decided to reroute the hot water line for the dishwasher to the back wall and put in a 90-degree elbow. I also needed about 10 inches of copper pipe and some 1/2" pipe clamps to secure the pipe to the back wall.

The under-sink photo shows how little room there is to work. The garbage disposal is on the left and the white canister on the right is a water filter. I used SharkBite Max fittings which do not require solder. My only worry was that the copper hot water supply line was pitted from the leak. SharkBite fittings need a smooth surface. I used a 3M stripping pad to clean the old pipe as best as I could. After that it was time to start cutting pipe. I used a Ridgid 40617 Model 101 close quarters tubing cutter to remove the old tee. The part that was soldered to the cold-water line was cut with a reciprocating saw. After deburring all of the cuts, the new SharkBite fittings were installed. I then installed clamps to give some support to the copper pipes. When I turned the water back on, I found only one leak where the dishwasher line connects to the shutoff valve. It just needed to be tightened a bit more. The pipe repair took about 4 hours.

Several weeks later, with the under-sink repairs completed, it was time to remove the old sink. I first disconnected the water lines to the faucet and then removed the garbage disposal. This gave me room to get at the 6 clamps that hold the sink in place. With the clamps removed I was able to lift the sink out. I then moved the faucet and the garbage disposal mounting hardware to the new sink. Everything was going well until I tried to remove the drain from the right side of the old sink. I tried using an adjustable plumber's wrench, but that didn't work. As a last resort I tried my 12" pipe wrench. That made the whole drain rotate, but the nut would not budge. I gave up and went to Lowes and bought a new drain assembly for $22.

With both drains in place and the faucet mounted I was ready to install the new sink. The 2-inch deeper sink bowls made reinstalling the clamps a little difficult. I had to cut about an inch off the plastic drainpipe on the right side. The garbage disposal was heavy, but I managed to get it mounted. The drainpipe on the left side had just enough adjustment to line up with the garbage disposal. I then connected the water lines to the faucet. No leaks! The last step was to put silicone caulk around the outside of the sink. The removal and installation took about 8 hours. Total project cost was about $180. It doesn't look much different, but it is nice to get rid of the dull finish and the dent between the bowls.