How are your RV faucets? Do they work the way you’d like? Do they look the way you would like them? If not, hold your horses… there’s something you can do, and it’s really pretty easy.
Most RV sink faucets share the same footprint and connections as their residential cousins. This is good news, because it means that a replacement faucet is as close as your favorite home center.
There are, however, many more options becoming available in RV specific “sink wear.” At the 2005 RVIA show, I was happy to see these offerings becoming more mainstream, including European style faucets, which are much nicer than what we have available here. I’ll be keeping an eye on these offerings, perhaps even installing some in my own coach…
The things you want to look for in a faucet are, in some cases weight, function, and appearance. You should have an idea what you’re looking for before you go shopping. Once at the store, their selection of faucets are usually displayed for you to see and touch.
The home style faucets that you’ll find in the local home center are going to be heavier that the ones normally supplied in the RV. While this is normally a couple of pounds at most, it will have that much impact on the CCC (Cargo Carrying Capacity) of your RV, so keep that in mind.
Most RV faucets, as I stated earlier, follow the same standard as their home center counterparts. The difference may be in the length of the plumbing under the sink. While the connections will most likely be the same, the amount of pipe required to make the connections may be different. So, some pipe cutting and terminal work may be required. The PEX plumbing connections can be found at your local RV parts store, or Lowe’s home center. Most RV’s have ½” PEX pipe, so you’ll need the connections for that size, but if in doubt, take a sample along to the store for fitting.
When replacing any water fixture, make sure it is seated and sealed properly, to prevent water from seeping into the cabinet below it, and, of course, make sure the plumbing connections are correctly matched and tight. Check them after traveling to insure they didn’t loosen up during their first trip down the road.
Shower faucets are somewhat different, and are more difficult to change. The footprint and design of the RV shower/tub faucet sets aren’t generally the same. Also, often the base of the valve set is designed to be soldered in place, not threaded, so thread connections would need to be soldered to the pipe coming out of the new valve set. Then you would have the old holes in the fiberglass shower unit to deal with. So, while nothing is impossible, it might be more desirable to replace a shower valve with an RV style one.
Safety Note: While plumbing errors are seldom injurious, they can certainly cause a great deal of damage. Always follow manufacturer’s instructions when installing any new parts or equipment, and, if you’re not comfortable with the process, refer it to a qualified RV technician.
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