I recently ran across a very old house that had hard water and faucets that have been there for 20 years. They were very ugly with the hard water built up on them and the owner wanted new ones. As it was, the faucets were in great shape and did not really show any wear expect on the aerator itself.
Faucet aerators often get clogged with calcium deposit and other build up. Fortunately, replacing a faucet aerator is an easy way to extend the life of your faucet.
Older aerators are sometimes particularly difficult to remove. I wanted to share a few tricks I use to remove a faucet aerator.
- Use the least amount of pressure necessary to avoid bending the delicate aerator. This will make it harder to remove and may end up breaking it.
- Use a rag to avoid scratching the finish if you are planing to clean and not replace the aerator.
- Change the location of the pliers several times and try for a small turn at a time.
- If you can't get it to loosen, use WD-40.
Once the aerator is removed you can either clean it or replace it. This is something that should be done on a regular basis.
Also, don't over-tighten when replacing the aerator. This can save you time in the future
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