How to unscrew a stuck nut on a faucet

It seems that almost every man has encountered at least once in his life a nut that did not want to be turned off. She sits in her place, no matter how you spin around her. You run around, literally dance with tambourines, and, you know, she laughs. As if it had taken root. Sound familiar? In fact, a very common situation. The cause is common rust. And rust, as we know, is formed from contact of metal with moisture.

Rust seems to connect the nut to the bolt at the molecular level. Sometimes the bolt breaks due to the applied effort, but the nut does not come off. How to get out of this situation?

Preparation and necessary tools

Before you start dealing with a stuck compound, you need to be properly prepared. Armed with the right tools, we will unscrew the fastening element faster and, most likely, will not even damage it. One key obviously won't do the trick. You will need a whole set. What will be most useful to us in this matter are:

• heads with a knob;
• impact wrench;
• socket wrench;
• set of spanners.

When starting work, you should not forget about your own safety:

1. Never use damaged tools.
2. When unscrewing, proceed counterclockwise.
3. Check that the key is securely fastened.
4. To avoid injury, always wear gloves.

How to unscrew the faucet nut if it is stuck

The easiest way to get a stuck nut to unscrew is to knock it off with a chisel or hammer. You can use a grinder. But in most cases this option is not suitable. You just need to unscrew it so that you can screw it back later. It would seem that the situation is hopeless, but this is somewhat untrue. There are several ways to help “re-stirring” a rusted nut.

Dissolving rust

Many people know this liquid as WD-40. In common people they call it “Vedashka”. The essence of this product is that it dissolves rusty deposits and, as a result, reduces friction. As a result, the fastening gradually begins to give in.

If this product is not at hand, then you can find a replacement. Kerosene, carburetor cleaner, gasoline, and brake fluid work well for this. In addition, vinegar, iodine or alcohol are suitable for the same purposes.

Guide to action:

1. Thoroughly pour the liquid over the nut and wait about thirty minutes. As soon as time has passed, you can take the key and try to turn it off. If the fastening does not yield or yields but is very tight, then the liquid has not penetrated the rust sufficiently. We wet it again, only this time with a piece of rag, and wrap it around the nut. This will give the liquid a better chance of eating away the rust.
2. After such a lotion, the fastening element should begin to move. To make the movement easier, you can tap it a little with a hammer. And only then, using the key, you can try to rip it off. To make the jerk stronger, you can lengthen the handle of the key. Any piece of pipe will do.

Heating the nut

Exposure to high temperatures causes metals to expand, which means the rust will break down. After such an execution, any compound, even a completely sour one, will cease to be so strong. For heating, you can use any heat source. You can use a hair dryer, a torch, a blowtorch or a regular lighter.

Guide to action:

Thoroughly warm up the nut and screw itself. After that we try to turn it with the key. Sometimes the edges of the fastener are damaged, preventing the key from being used. In this case, we put the socket head on the nut and warm it up together. Then unscrew it with a knob.

Attention! When heating, be extremely careful - you can easily get burned.

Destroying the nut

You can destroy the connection with an ordinary chisel, it can be cut with a hacksaw or grinder, or you can use a drill.

Guide to action:

1. By hitting a chisel with a hammer, we make grooves on the edges of the nut. The blows must be strong so that the chisel goes deep. This increases the internal diameter. Gradually we will destroy the fastening element. The same effect can be achieved if you drill holes on the edges with a drill. Once the nut is broken, it can be easily removed.
2. Things will move much faster if you cut off the nut with a hacksaw or electric grinder. The main thing is to make a cut along the axis.

As you can see, even the most rusty nut can be unscrewed (if you really want to). However, it is much better not to bring the situation to such a result. It is better to initially use a fastener that is not subject to corrosion. Then you certainly won’t have to rack your brains about how to unscrew the “stubborn” without breaking it.