Reduce Splashing and Improve Water Taste

Faucet aeratorsare helpful additions tokitchenandbathroom sink faucets.

confirm that all of your bathroom andkitchen sink faucetshave aerators that are in good working condition.

Installing faucet aerators is the easiest and cheapest way to improve the quality of your sinks' water flow.

Removed Aerator Assembly

Lee Wallender

What Is a Faucet Aerator?

All modern bathroom and kitchen sink faucets come with aerators.

Aerators are not needed forgarden hosesor exterior hose bibs and in fact, they will only hamper their performance.

Placing the Aerator

Lee Wallender

Shower faucets and bathtub faucets do not require aerators, either.

These aerators can be found at mosthome centers.

Another bang out of faucet aerator is particular to each brand of faucet.

Install Aerator Gasket

Lee Wallender

These aerators are special orders and rarely found on the shelves of home centers.

Why Do You Need an Aerator?

Faucet aerators help make the water flow softer to the touch by introducing oxygen bubbles to the water.

Complete Aerator Assembly

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There are ways to know if your faucet aerator is bad.

If your water flow is restricted to a trickle, the aerator may beclogged with sediment.

It is possible to clean aclogged aeratorby soaking it in vinegar for a few hours.

Install or Remove Aerator

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But because aerators are so inexpensive, it may be time to install a new one.

An added benefit is that your faucet will receive a new neoprene gasket.

Fold up a hand towel and place this in the sink, as well.

The towel will help catch any dropped parts.

Turn off the faucet collar containing the aerator.

Turn the collar counterclockwise with your fingers.

The damp washcloth will provide more friction than a dry one will.

implement the Aerator

Knock out the old aerator and discard it.

Lay the faucet collar so that its threads are facing upward.

Carefully place the new aerator into the collar.

Be sure that the mesh end of the aerator is facing downward.

Push the aerator tightly into the collar.

The aerator will not work without its gasket.

Turn on the sink faucet to test.

take a stab at remove it using aflathead screwdriver.

The edge of the screwdriver will fit into one of the notches of the aerator.

Then give it a push and tug and the aerator should be dislodged.

If this doesn’t work, there are inexpensive faucet aerator removal tools to get the job done.

There are two sizes of aerators.

Threads on the outside of your faucet are male so you’ll need a female aerator.

Interior threads are female so you’ll need a male aerator.

Aerators come in two general sizes: regular and junior.

A regular male measures 15/16 inches and regular female measures 55/64 inches.

A junior male measures 13/16 inches and a junior female measures 3/4 inches.

If it’s a dime, you’ll need a junior aerator.