Yeah, so this job. A mobile home faucet. It seems simple. Deceptively simple. And then you get halfway through and realize nothing is the way it should be. It’s not a normal house. The plumbing, the way the walls are built, how you even get to the pipes... it all can turn into a huge headache.
I see it all the time. Someone goes and buys a real nice, heavy faucet from the big-box store. Gets it home and... surprise. The connections are wrong. The holes don't line up. I was just over at Wanda Palmer's place on Hamilton Ave last week, she'd done exactly that. Beautiful faucet, must've weighed ten pounds. I had to be the one to tell her to take it back. She was not happy. So I'll lay it all out so you don't do the same thing.
Why Are Mobile Home Bathtub Faucets Different?
Notice the difference? Mobile home faucets (right) are typically plastic with barbed connections, unlike heavy brass standard faucets (left).
It mostly comes down to two things: what they're made of and how they connect. They’re built cheap. Lightweight. Lots of plastic. It's to keep the weight down and the cost down. The connections are made for that flexible PEX tubing, or sometimes that old grey pipe, not thick copper like in a site-built house. So they have these little barbed ends you gotta crimp a ring onto.
But the real kicker is the on-center measurement.
The distance between the hot and cold pipes. In a regular tub, that's pretty much always 8 inches apart. In a mobile home? It's whatever they felt like doing that day at the factory. Could be 6, could be 10, could be offset. Who knows. And the faucet mounts straight to the thin wall of the plastic tub surround. Not to a solid 2x4 in the wall. You forget that, and you're gonna have a very bad day.
Look, it's easy to get confused. Let me lay out the main differences side-by-side so you see what you're up against.
| Feature | Standard House Faucet | Mobile Home Faucet |
|---|---|---|
| Material | Mostly heavy brass and metal | Mostly lightweight plastic |
| Connections | Threaded for copper or rigid pipe | Barbed for flexible PEX pipe |
| Mounting | Secured to wood framing in the wall | Secured directly to the thin tub wall |
| Pipe Spacing | Standard 8-inch on-center | Non-standard, can be anything |
My Take: That pipe spacing is the number one thing that trips people up. Don't assume it's standard, because in a mobile home, it almost never is.
Tools and Materials for Your Faucet Project
Gather all your tools before you shut the water off. A PEX crimper is non-negotiable!
Don’t even think about turning the water off until you have everything you need sitting right there next to you. You need the basics. A couple pairs of channel-lock pliers, an adjustable wrench, the usual screwdrivers. A utility knife. And you need plumber's putty or a good silicone sealant. The stuff made for kitchens and baths, don't cheap out.
And if you're dealing with PEX pipes, you need a PEX crimping tool. And the right size rings, probably half-inch. Do not, I repeat, do not try to use a regular old hose clamp from the garage. It will fail. Probably at 3 AM. It always seems to fail in the middle of the night. Also, grab a small bucket and some old towels. No matter how much you drain the lines, water is going to come out. A headlamp is a good idea, too. You’ll be sticking your head in a dark, probably spider-filled access panel.
How to Choose the Right Mobile Home Bathtub Faucet
Don't guess! Measuring the distance between your pipes is the most important step.
When you're buying the new one, really only one word matters.
Compatibility is everything.
You have to buy a faucet that specifically says it's for a mobile home or manufactured home. They're built with the weird measurements, the light weight, and the right PEX fittings in mind. Phoenix, Utopia... those brands are staples for a reason. They just work.
Before you even leave the house, measure the distance between the center of the hot water pipe and the center of the cold one. If you can, stick your phone back there and take a picture of the connections. You will be glad you did. I know you can try to piece together a bunch of adapters to make a regular house faucet work, but that's just creating more spots for it to leak later. Just... don't. It's not worth the trouble.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Mobile Home Bathtub Faucet Installation
Hand-tighten first, then just a gentle snug with pliers. Over-tightening can crack the tub surround.
Alright, so you’ve got the right faucet and your tools are all laid out. This is doable.
Step 1: Prepare Your Workspace First thing. The obvious thing. shut off the main water supply to the whole home. Then go open the tub faucet and let it all drain out. Now, the fun part. Find the access panel. It's usually a small square of cheap paneling in the closet behind the tub, or sometimes in the wall of the next room. They are never in a convenient place.
Step 2: Remove the Old Faucet Okay, you can see the pipes. Get your channel-locks on the nuts connecting the water lines and loosen them up. Shove your bucket and towels under there first. It's gonna drip on you. Once the lines are off, feel around for the bigger mounting nuts that hold the faucet body to the wall. Lefty-loosey. Get them off and the old faucet should just pull right out from the front. Now, clean that surface. Scrape off every last bit of the old, crusty putty. It has to be clean.
Step 3: Install the New Faucet Take your new faucet. Roll a little snake of plumber's putty in your hands and press it into the groove on the bottom. That's your seal. Plop the faucet into the holes, making sure it's sitting straight. From behind the wall, thread the new mounting nuts on. Tighten them by hand. Then give 'em just a little extra snug with your pliers. A quarter-turn is probably plenty. Don't go crazy here. You can easily crack the fiberglass and then you've got a much, much bigger problem on your hands.
Step 4: Connect Water Lines and Test Hook the water lines back up. Hot is on the left. It's always on the left. If it's PEX, remember to slide the little metal crimp ring onto the pipe first, *then* push the pipe onto the faucet, then use your crimper to squeeze that ring down tight.
Now for the moment of truth.
Go turn the main water back on. Just a little. Crack it open slowly. Go back with a flashlight and stare at every nut and every connection you just made. Is it dry? Good and dry? Okay, now you can go open the valve all the way.
How to Diagnose Common Faucet Problems
That constant drip... usually a sign of a bad washer or cartridge inside the handle.
Troubleshooting is just looking with your eyes. Is it a constant drip... drip... drip... right out of the spout? That’s almost always a bad washer or a failed cartridge inside one of the handles. Simple as that.
If you've got water pooling on the ledge at the base of the faucet, the putty or the seal between the faucet and the tub has failed. Or maybe the mounting nuts have just worked themselves loose over time.
Another one is when water only leaks from under the handle itself, and only when the water is running. That’s probably a bad little O-ring on the valve stem in there. Finding where the water is coming from is half the job.
To make it simple, here's a quick cheat sheet for figuring out what's wrong.
| What You See | What it Probably Means | How Hard is the Fix? |
|---|---|---|
| Constant drip from the spout | Bad washer or cartridge inside handle | Easy |
| Water pooling at the faucet base | Failed putty seal or loose mounting nuts | Medium |
| Water leaks from under handle (only when on) | Bad O-ring on the valve stem | Easy to Medium |
Pro-Tip: Nine times out of ten, it's that drip from the spout. That's usually a cheap and easy fix if you catch it early.
DIY Repair for a Leaky Mobile Home Faucet
This little part is likely the cause of your drip. Take the old one to the store to find an exact match!
So, that drip. The one that drives you crazy at night. That's a bad cartridge.
Step 1: Disassemble the Handle Shut the water off. Pry the little decorative cap off the handle you think is leaking. There will be a screw under it. Take it out, and the handle should wiggle right off. You'll see a bigger nut underneath. That's the packing nut. Use your pliers to unscrew that, and the whole valve stem or cartridge assembly should pull straight out.
Step 2: Replace the Cartridge Pay attention, this is the most important advice I can give you. Take that old, broken cartridge with you to the store. Don't take a picture of it. Don't try to describe it to the guy at the counter. Put the physical part in your pocket and take it with you. It is the only way you will get an exact match. I had a client, Dave, who made three trips to the hardware store because he kept buying the wrong one. Three. Finally called me in to fix his fix. Just bring the old part.
Step 3: Reassemble and Test Got the new part? Good. It just goes back in the same way the old one came out. Pop it in, tighten down the packing nut, put the handle back on, put the screw back in. Turn the water on. If the dripping stopped, congratulations.
Troubleshooting Low Water Pressure in Your Faucet
Low water pressure? Tiny bits of debris getting stuck in the cartridge is a common cause.
Low water pressure, but just at the tub, is aggravating. It’s usually a little piece of sediment or rust that broke loose in the pipes and got stuck somewhere. A tiny pebble. If both the hot and cold are just trickling, the clog is probably in the spout itself. If it’s only one or the other, the junk is stuck on that side of the cartridge or in that supply line. Sometimes you can fix it by taking the cartridge out and turning the water on for a split second to blast the debris out. Sometimes.
Repair vs. Replace: Which is Right for Your Faucet?
Sometimes, a fresh start is the better option. If your old faucet is past its prime, replacement is often the smartest choice.
So, fix the old one or just get a new one? It's simple. If your faucet is just a couple years old and has a simple drip, just repair it. A new cartridge costs a few bucks.
But.
If the thing is ancient, covered in lime scale, and the chrome finish is flaking off... just replace it. You're wasting your life trying to find parts for it. If it's leaking from two different places at once, it's tired. It's telling you it wants to retire. A new faucet isn't that expensive and it makes the whole tub look better anyway.
This is a question I get all the time. Here's the thought process I go through to decide.
| You Should Repair If... | You Should Replace If... |
|---|---|
| The faucet is fairly new and looks good. | It's old, corroded, or ugly. |
| It's a simple, single drip. | It leaks from multiple places. |
| A replacement part is cheap and easy to find. | You can't find parts for it anymore. |
| You're on a very tight budget. | You want to upgrade the look anyway. |
My Take: Be honest with yourself. If that faucet has seen better days, putting a five dollar part in it is just delaying the inevitable. Sometimes a fresh start is the best fix.
Faucet Maintenance Tips to Prevent Future Leaks
Simple maintenance, like regular cleaning with non-abrasive cloths, can extend the life of your faucet.
You want to avoid this whole mess in the future? Easy. As soon as a drip starts, fix it. Don't let it go for six months. A tiny leak puts constant wear on the valve seat inside and turns a cheap fix into a bigger one.
Every so often, just grab the handles and give them a wiggle. If they're loose, tighten that little set screw. A wobbly handle will destroy the cartridge inside it. And for the love of God, don't clean the faucet with some abrasive cleaner or a scouring pad. You'll scratch it all to hell. Just use soap and water.
When to Call a Plumber for Your Faucet Issues
If your plumbing looks like this, don't be a hero. It's time to call a professional.
Look, doing it yourself is great, but sometimes you just gotta wave the white flag. If you turn the shutoff valves under the home and water is *still* trickling out of the faucet, stop what you're doing and call a plumber. You cannot fix it with the water on.
Also, if you find a connection nut that is so green and corroded it doesn't even look like a nut anymore, don't be a hero. You put a big wrench on that and heave with all your body weight, you're going to snap the pipe right off inside the wall. Trust me. That turns a $100 job into a $2,000 disaster real fast. If you're completely stumped or the pressure is bad all over the house, just make the call.
So that's pretty much it. The main thing to remember is that you're not working on a normal house. You need the specific parts made for these homes. Take your time, double-check for leaks when you're done, and try not to flood the place.