- 1). Shut off the water to the gooseneck faucet by turning the valve handles under the sink to "closed."
- 2). Find the screw attaching the handle to the faucet's cartridge. In single-lever handle faucets, this is located on the bottom or the cartridge. Loosen this with an Allen wrench. In double-handled faucets, it is underneath a cap on top of the handle. Take off the cap first, and loosen the screw.
- 3). Pull off the handle and remove the locking nut or retainer clip underneath. Use a pair of channel pliers to remove the locking nut, and a pair of needle-nose pliers to pull the retainer clip out. Most faucets have either a retainer clip, which is a round horseshoe-shaped piece of metal, or the locking washer which is a dome-shaped nut.
- 4). Pull the cartridge out of the faucet head by lifting it straight up and out with your fingers. If the cartridge sticks, use the pliers to grasp and pull out the cartridge.
- 5). Slide the new cartridge into the faucet head and replace the retainer clip with the needle-nose pliers, or tighten the locking washer using the channel-grip pliers.
- 6). Place a new handle on the stem of the cartridge. Install and tighten the screw with the Allen wrench.