How to Install a Moen Kitchen Faucet

Moen kitchen faucet running water into double sink

The Spruce / Kevin Norris

Project Overview
  • Total Time: 1 hr, 30 mins
  • Skill Level: Intermediate
  • Estimated Cost: $150 to $300

The instructions for installing a Moen single-handle kitchen faucet, as with any faucet, will vary slightly based on the particular model. This installation procedure will be similar for virtually all Moen kitchen faucet models with a single handle and retractable spout sprayer. This particular model includes pre-attached flexible water supply lines with 3/8-inch compression (screw-on) fittings. If your shutoff valves under the sink are 1/2-inch instead of 3/8-inch, connect the supply lines with 3/8-to-1/2-inch compression adapters.

Some faucets do not include the pre-attached supply tubes and will require that you buy separate flexible supply tubes.

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Channel-lock pliers (2 pairs)
  • Basin wrench

Materials

  • New Moen single-handle faucet
  • 3/8- to 1/2-inch compression adapters (as needed)

Instructions

Materials and tools to install a Moen kitchen faucet

The Spruce / Kevin Norris

  1. Disconnect the Water Supply

    Shut off the water to the old faucet by closing the fixture shutoff valves on the hot and cold water supply pipes under the sink. Turn the shutoff valve handles clockwise until they stop. Check to make sure the water is off by turning on the faucet.

    Disconnect the faucet's flexible supply tubes from the shutoff valves, using channel-lock pliers. Hold the valve body in place with one pair of pliers, and loosen the compression nut on the supply tube with the other pliers.

    Water supply line turned off under kitchen sink

    The Spruce / Kevin Norris

  2. Remove the Old Faucet

    Remove the old faucet by loosening the mounting nut (or nuts) that secure the faucet on the underside of the sink. It helps to have a basin wrench to reach up into this tight space, but channel-lock pliers will also work. Once the nut is loosened, unthread it all the way by hand, then pull the faucet up and away from the top of the sink. If the faucet has an attached sprayer, disconnect the nut holding the sprayer hose to the faucet, as well as the mounting nut holding the sprayer tailpiece to the sink. 

    With faucet and sprayer removed, clean the top deck of the sink to remove any stains left at the base of the faucet. Chances are the footprint of the new faucet will be slightly different, and the better you clean the top of the sink, the better it will look.

    Old kitchen faucet removed from sink

    The Spruce / Kevin Norris

  3. Install the New Faucet Body

    Install the deck gasket onto the new faucet by fitting it over the flexible supply lines and sliding it up into the faucet body. Feed the supply tubes through the hole in the sink deck, and center the faucet body over the hole. Position the faucet where you want it and make sure it fits well before going below the sink to secure it.

    Tip

    If you are using the optional escutcheon kit to cover unused sink holes (for three- and four-hole sinks), position the plastic spacer and escutcheon onto the sink before installing the faucet body.

    Moen faucet body and supply tubes inserted into sink deck holes

    The Spruce / Kevin Norris

  4. Secure the Faucet

    Place the rectangular support plate into position on the underside of the sink, fitting it over the supply tubes and the threaded tailpiece of the faucet body and up against the bottom side of the sink. Place the round plate under the rectangular plate, then thread the brass mounting nut onto the faucet tailpiece. This tailpiece is also the housing for the sprayer hose. 

    Use the installation tool provided with the faucet to tighten the mounting nut most of the way. Check the position of the faucet above the sink, then finish tightening the mounting nut until the faucet is tight enough that it won't move.

    Faucet body secured under sink with mounting plates

    The Spruce / Kevin Norris

  5. Install the Sprayer Hose

    Screw the spray hose housing nut onto the end of the faucet tailpiece, then attach the spray hose to the faucet spray wand by screwing it on. Feed the other end of the spray hose into the faucet spout until the end comes out under the sink. Remove the white cap from the end of the spray hose.

    Connect the spray hose to the body of the faucet by pushing the hose into position and using the white clip to hold it in place.

    Attach the weight onto the spray hose, positioning it near the white tape on the hose. The weight must move up and down freely with the spray hose; test it by moving the spray wand in and out of the faucet spout. The hose should move easily without hitting anything under the sink.

    Spray hose end inserted into Moen faucet spout

    The Spruce / Kevin Norris

  6. Connect the Water Supply Tubes

    Connect the hot and cold supply tubes of the faucet to the shutoff valves on the hot and cold water supply pipes, using compression fittings. Thread the compression nut for each line onto the corresponding shutoff valve and tighten the nut with two pairs of pliers—one to hold the valve body and one to tighten the nut. Make sure the flexible tubes won't interfere with the spray hose and are not kinked.

    Turn the water back on by opening the shutoff valves all the way (turning counterclockwise). Check the faucet for proper operation and confirm there are no leaks in the flexible tubes or the spray hose.

    Hot and cold water supply tubes connected to shutoff valves under sink

    The Spruce / Kevin Norris