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onebadmofo
gat gnitsoP
Premium Member
join:2002-03-30
Pennsylvania

onebadmofo

Premium Member

Low water pressure

Ok this is odd. The water pressure to our bathroom sink is very low. The toilet flushes and the tank fills up fine. The shower has great pressure. It's just the sink. And it just suddenly happened with no warning. At first we thought it was the washing machine using up the pressure, but that didn't affect the shower.

I was thinking maybe some pipes have frost built up in them but those same pipes bring water to the shower and toilet and those items like I mentioned, have no issues. So that theory is shot down.

Other than the faucet being faulty, I have no other thoughts on what could cause the low pressure at only the sink. Aside from (and I hope not) a burst pipe some where from the split between the shower toilet and sink. But then still, would that not affect the rest of them too? Also there are no leaks in the ceilings or the basement to make me think a leak has happened.

When I get home today, I plan to remove the lines from the sink, place them in a bucket, and then turn the water on and see how well it comes out from there. If it's good, then I'm to assume that the faucet is to blame. (yes??)

Any one here have any ideas on this?
makaze
Premium Member
join:2004-02-23
USA

2 recommendations

makaze

Premium Member

is it low on both hot and cold?

have you checked the aerator to make sure it isn't full of crud?

shdesigns
Powered By Infinite Improbabilty Drive
Premium Member
join:2000-12-01
Stone Mountain, GA

shdesigns

Premium Member

^^^^ this

guppy_fish
Premium Member
join:2003-12-09
Palm Harbor, FL

guppy_fish to onebadmofo

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+2 ^^^^ this

In case you don't know what an "aerator" is, its the tip of the faucet can has a very fine screen, just unscrew it, clean and put back on

Draiman
Let me see those devil horns in the sky
join:2012-06-01
Kill Devil Hills, NC

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Here's a guide on it.
»www.dummies.com/how-to/c ··· tor.html
Bob4
Account deleted
join:2012-07-22
New Jersey

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Clogged aerator. I always had trouble remembering which way to unscrew it. You turn it so the front of the aerator goes toward your left. Use one of those rubber jar opening sheets so you don't scratch it.

tschmidt
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join:2000-11-12
Milford, NH
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tschmidt

MVM

said by Bob4:

Clogged aerator.

Another vote for clogged aerator.

Take it off and turn on water. The other less likely possibility is the faucet itself or one or both shutoff valves is clogged since water elsewhere is fine. We have a well and until I installed a whole house sediment filter had ongoing problems with sand clogging aerators.

As far as on/off direction looking at the aerator:

Lefty loosey rightly tightly.

/tom
Bob4
Account deleted
join:2012-07-22
New Jersey

1 recommendation

Bob4

Member

said by tschmidt:

As far as on/off direction looking at the aerator:
Lefty loosey rightly tightly.

Unless you're looking down from the top. Which is why I always got confused.

onebadmofo
gat gnitsoP
Premium Member
join:2002-03-30
Pennsylvania

onebadmofo

Premium Member

Aerator....I can only hope it's as simple as that. I doubt it is...but damn...I HOPE it is that cause that's a quick fix.

And yes to answer the other question, it is both hot and cold that is low pressure.

StillLearn
Premium Member
join:2002-03-21
Streamwood, IL

StillLearn

Premium Member

Replacements are cheap and very available. So if you mess up the finish on the old one with vicegrips, you can buy an easy replacement.

sempergoofy
Premium Member
join:2001-07-06
Smyrna, GA

sempergoofy to onebadmofo

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to onebadmofo
said by onebadmofo:

And yes to answer the other question, it is both hot and cold that is low pressure.

That strengthens the likelihood that that aerator is clogged with debris. Hope it works out that way for you.
Liberty
Premium Member
join:2005-06-12
Arizona

Liberty to Bob4

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to Bob4
said by Bob4:

Clogged aerator. I always had trouble remembering which way to unscrew it. You turn it so the front of the aerator goes toward your left. Use one of those rubber jar opening sheets so you don't scratch it.

Standing in front of sink with a pair of pliers, grab the aerator with handles to your right
Twist to your left

After you have it out, stuff something absorbent like the cotton ball from a medicine bottle that is saturated with vinegar, up inside where threads are
Go to hardware store for another aerator along with old one to make sure you get correct one
Use an old toothbrush or whatever to dislodge the crap the vinegar loosened, run the water a few seconds then replace new aerator...

rfhar
The World Sport, Played In Every Country
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join:2001-03-26
Buicktown,Mi

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If you have a problem getting it off fill a plastic bag with vinegar and hold it over the faucet with rubber bands for an hour or more.

TheTechGuru
join:2004-03-25
TEXAS

TheTechGuru

Member

said by rfhar:

If you have a problem getting it off fill a plastic bag with vinegar and hold it over the faucet with rubber bands for an hour or more.

No, Toilet Bowl cleaner or CLR works a lot better. The acid in them just eats all the calcium up.

onebadmofo
gat gnitsoP
Premium Member
join:2002-03-30
Pennsylvania

onebadmofo

Premium Member

Aerator. it was the damned aerator. I'm glad though. Because the way my luck is, I was thinking it would be something way more complicated and expensive.

It was clogged with bits of white shit. I guess the result of hard water. ..I dunno.

My kitchen faucet has apparently been claimed by this as well. But I can't take that apart. It's one of those pullout spray faucets. Sure you can unscrew the center piece of the aerator, but the spray nozzles are the thing that's clogged on that. It's time to replace it anyway, but does anyone know of a pullout kitchen faucet that can be taken apart for cleaning such crap out of it?
I'd hate to keep throwing these things away every 3 years.
Bob4
Account deleted
join:2012-07-22
New Jersey

Bob4

Member

said by onebadmofo:

It was clogged with bits of white shit.

What year was your water heater manufactured? (There should be a sticker with a date on it.)

dcurrey
Premium Member
join:2004-06-29
Mason, OH

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Could they be a sign of your hot water heater dip tube disintegrating?

If your luck is like mine no plumbing problem is ever simple fix.

sempergoofy
Premium Member
join:2001-07-06
Smyrna, GA

sempergoofy

Premium Member

Water heater dip tube is what I thought when I saw the description of the debris. Probably is disintegrating. One thing you could test. If you saved (or can get more of) the debris particles, try putting some white vinegar on them and see if they dissolve. If they do dissolve quickly, then possibly it was just hard water deposits and not plastic particles.

onebadmofo
gat gnitsoP
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join:2002-03-30
Pennsylvania

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said by Bob4:

said by onebadmofo:

It was clogged with bits of white shit.

What year was your water heater manufactured? (There should be a sticker with a date on it.)

I'll check that when I get home.
Why do you ask?
onebadmofo

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What is that? And what would it take to replace it?

sempergoofy
Premium Member
join:2001-07-06
Smyrna, GA

sempergoofy

Premium Member

The dip tube is a plastic tube inside the water heater. It takes the cold water from the inlet down to the bottom of the water heater. As you recall from basic science, heat rises. So the hot water that exits your water heater leaves through the top. You don't want to be diluting the already-heated water with cold water. Thus the dip tube. It takes the cold water that needs heating down to the lower part of the heater where the heat source (gas burner, for example) is located.

Depending on the age of your water heater, it might be feasible to replace the tube. But if the tank is already past its prime life expectancy, then just replacing the water heater is probably a better choice.

A great place to get help and parts is »waterheaterresuce.com

A video of this thread...
»www.ronhazelton.com/tips ··· lacement
Bob4
Account deleted
join:2012-07-22
New Jersey

Bob4

Member

To add to Goofy's post... For a period of time, water heater manufacturers were using an inappropriate material for their dip tubes, which resulted in them failing prematurely.

onebadmofo
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Pennsylvania

onebadmofo

Premium Member

Hmm...interesting.
Would the dip tube be a reason for hot water not lasting as long as it used to?
Bob4
Account deleted
join:2012-07-22
New Jersey

Bob4

Member

said by onebadmofo:

Would the dip tube be a reason for hot water not lasting as long as it used to?

Yes.

cdru
Go Colts
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join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN

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to onebadmofo
said by onebadmofo:

Hmm...interesting.
Would the dip tube be a reason for hot water not lasting as long as it used to?

Building on Bob's brief reply...

Yes, because if the dip tube broke off say right at the top of the inlet, cold water immediately mixes with the hot water and then exits the water heater. If it's the first use after the heater has reached it's max temperature, you'll have hot water for a brief period until enough cold water has mixed lowering the temperature of the top portion of the water heater. The water at the bottom of the tank never gets properly mixed with the cold incoming water until the water usage stops and the water settles.

If indeed it is the diptube, you can buy replacement tubes at supply houses locally or online. They aren't that expensive. But it can be a real PITA to get the supply nipple off to replace the tube due to years of corrosion. And if you do get it off, it may not go back on very well.

The years where dip tubes were really an issue were the 90s ending up in a class action lawsuit and settlement that ended IIRC in 2000 or 2001. It's not inconceivable you could have a water heater from that vintage, although if you do I'd plan on replacing it rather than repairing it...you're already on borrowed time statistically speaking.

sempergoofy
Premium Member
join:2001-07-06
Smyrna, GA

sempergoofy

Premium Member

Another "common" error that a DIYer can make when replacing a dip tube is shooting your own foot when soldering a connection on top of the newly replaced tube. If you heat an area with the torch too close to the new plastic, you can damage the new tube with radiant heat.

Hate to say it onebadmofo See Profile, but I think a new heater is your likely best investment after you verify the age of the heater.
Bob4
Account deleted
join:2012-07-22
New Jersey

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You also need a high enough ceiling to get the new dip tube into the tank!

onebadmofo
gat gnitsoP
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join:2002-03-30
Pennsylvania

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Well....isn't that just peachy.
onebadmofo

onebadmofo

Premium Member

I couldn't find a year it was made. The yellow energy sticker has a year of 1994 on it. But I don't think that is something I can go by.

StillLearn
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join:2002-03-21
Streamwood, IL

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said by onebadmofo:

Hmm...interesting.
Would the dip tube be a reason for hot water not lasting as long as it used to?

A dip tube problem would not match the symptoms you described (hearing water running when there was no known consumer of water in use, and I think you sorta implied that the flame does not go off when you have the valve open).