Steve Savage submitted this article to RVtravel.com when he was a Master Certified RV Technician with Mobility RV Service.
One of the most common upgrades RV owners take on is replacing the galley faucet in their RV with a higher-end model, like one found in their home. The goal is not only to have something that is longer-lasting than the plastic one that comes standard in most RVs, but also to have a sprayer at the sink.
But hang on, here’s the snarl: You’ll often find that household models have different connections than RVs and, while it can be done, you may waste considerable time if you don’t choose a model with connections that match your existing faucet.
Look closely at the base of your RV faucet – you’ll often discover what you have is mounted in what’s called a two-hole sink, with spacing 8″ apart. The faucet itself has a 1/2″ plastic threaded male end which mates into a 1/2″ threaded female swivel on the water lines up to the sink. The red is hot, the blue is cold; and if the lines are not colored, simply mark them with a Magic Marker before disconnecting the faucet.
It’s much simpler if, on your trip to Lowe’s or Home Depot, you choose a replacement faucet that is a two-hole model and has the same 1/2″ connectors as the one in your RV. If you do that, the swap is drop-in with no changes necessary. In order to have a sprayer, choose a faucet that has the sprayer in the end of the faucet rather than one that requires an additional hole at the top of sink.
Sadly, many RVers choose a replacement that says it comes with “easy to attach water lines.” They are easier to install only in your home – but not in your RV. These faucets will take additional fittings and considerable thought in order to adapt the new to the old water lines, unless they duplicate what you already have, which you may find in high-end RVs with household fixtures.
If you are not sure, turn off the water to your RV, pull the old faucet and take it with you when you go looking for a replacement. If you are not sure how to make what you want fit what your have, ask for help at the store where you buy it in order to save a multitude of trips back and forth. Planning before buying will be a time-saver for sure!
##RVDT1331
That pretty much told us nothing. It was a complete waste of time to read it. You can do better than that.
I am looking for the part that is used to stop the smell of the gray tank coming into my RV. Your site had an advertisement for the part. I went back through several news letters and couldn’t find the advertisement.
Hi, JuLee. Here’s a link to an article about the HepVo part from awhile ago. It includes an explanatory video by Gary Bunzer, as well as a link to the part on Amazon.com. I hope this helps. https://www.rvtravel.com/hepvo-replaces-sink-p-traps/ 😀 —Diane
I replaced the one in my Newmar Ventana. It had a problem with the valve was plugging up. I had hoped that I could just get a replacement insert. No one in the RV industry carried the insert. The story is the distributor buys the faucet to the manufacturers specification and they come for Japan. The only was to buy a whole new faucet. I said nuts to that and bought a very nice Delta faucet at Home Depot. You are definitely right when you talk about connecting the water lines. Luckily, the plumbing in the motor home was PEX and home depot helped me get the right pieces to make the connections. The original faucet had some goofy connector system.
yep – SharkBite works with PEX
PEX is a leak waiting to happen, Watch your system closely any time it has water under pressure.
I strongly recommend PEX. I have used it with SharkBite fittings at home and at a vacation house for years, without a drop of leakage. Not saying it can’t happen, but I’ve had more leaks with soldered copper pipe! YMMV
Regarding Steve Savage’s article on RV faucets, why not tell us what the adapter is called and maybe a online link to buy it?
Depending on your RV you may require different adapters than your neighbors RV.
It’s a case by case as to what you need.
Sadly it’s not a one size fits all.
Take your old faucet and then you can get what you need to adapt your new faucet to YOUR RV.
I had the same experience that John did. But after finding the correct adapter I installed the same Moen kitchen faucet that I have in my house. The quality is much better than any of the RV faucets I found.
So, don’t be intimidated by the RV fittings. You don’t have to buy an RV faucet. With a little help from a knowledgable local hardware store you can find the adapter you need.
This is exactly what happened to me. The faucet I bought said it had adapters to fit 1/2″ and 3/8″. However, these were FEMALE, and I needed Female 1/2″ to Male 3/8″. After considerable head-scratching and searching in a hardware store, I found just the right item and the rest of the project went smoothly. I think just about every conceivable fitting and adapter exists in the plumbing world but the hard part is finding a good clerk in the plumbing aisle and finding it!
Kitchen faucet was okay, but I changed the bathroom faucet to a bar design faucet. With the higher curved outlet, you can now actually put your hands under it. Also, I like the paddle knobs better.