Hot Water Pressure Low

[birdie_poo]

Does this indicate a leak or something wrong with the HW Heater? All other pressure seams fine, and I've only noticed the HW pressure low in the kitchen, since out bath & shower is a 1 knob control.

[NWSneaky]

That's a strange one. Pressure should be equal at ever outlet --- maybe an obstruction of some kind?

[NWSneaky]

BTW birdie___poo are you certain you didn't mean to say the temp or flow is low?

When the lower element goes out you get low hot water amounts.

[birdie_poo]

Originally Posted by NWSneaky

BTW birdie___poo are you certain you didn't mean to say the temp or flow is low?

When the lower element goes out you get low hot water amounts.

I don't kow what the problem is...when my son was doing dishes, he left the water running in the sink to watch TV. I was like...what are you doing? and he said that water was really slow. So I looked at it and it was slower, not the same pressure that the cold was putting out, that's for sure.

It takes twice as long to fill the sink full of hot water, now.

[Fire-Man]

[QUOTE=birdie_poo]Does this indicate a leak or something wrong with the HW Heater? All other pressure seams fine, and I've only noticed the HW pressure low in the kitchen, since out bath & shower is a 1 knob control.[/QUOTE


Do this---Turn your Hot water on in your kitchen Real Fast---------turn it off for a few seconds--then do it real fast again--Does it seem to have stronger pressure for the first second it is turn on--If so you have some kind of restristion, might be a bent supply line under the sink--might be the shut-off valve under the sink has almost got turned off by accident, all this is presuming you have good pressure every where else in the house---even though you have the one knob controll in the bathroom if you tilt it all the way to the left(hot water side) just your hot water will be on--you can see if the pressure is up ok in the bath room-------------If all the hot water in the house is low or goes low after the water is turned on for a second or two---you have a problem at the hot water tank or close--or the supply line going to the hot water tank---Check it out---hopefully it will be simple. Good Luck!!! Randy

[agmantoo]

The hot water side of the plumbing will be the first to build with iron deposits. If you have galvanized plumbing anywhere in the hot water side of the system then look for those lines to be clogged. Plumbers are sometimes prone to use galvanized fittings at the water heater itself and those will clog.
PS....you have looked at the screen in the end of the spigot to see that it is not clogged?

[birdie_poo]

Originally Posted by agmantoo

The hot water side of the plumbing will be the first to build with iron deposits. If you have galvanized plumbing anywhere in the hot water side of the system then look for those lines to be clogged. Plumbers are sometimes prone to use galvanized fittings at the water heater itself and those will clog.
PS....you have looked at the screen in the end of the spigot to see that it is not clogged?

To the hose? I am not sure what it is you are talking about.

And I think the valve thing may be a good thing to check, sine the spray nozzel sometimes gets caught under the sink...it's turning the valve isn't far fetched.

I look at what everyone told me to look at, though.

Thanks for the help. My brother is a professional plumber, but I think he'd charge just to tell me what he thinks it is...

[Alex]

Unfortunately Agmantoo is probably correct, as usual I might add. You should check screen at the end of the faucet first, if it is plugged and the hot water lines are reduced in size -- inside due to corrosion, as Ag says, then the HW will appear to be strangely slower than the CW.

But really, both may be decreased. Try cleaning it first: you need a vise grip or pliers and then unscrew the screen on the end and clean it of rust and debris.

Also, pull-out faucets have another screen at the attachment point between the hose and the faucet: you screw off the faucet, by hand and find the screen, and clean.

Other than that, you have to have DSB, that's dear sweet brother, find the problem in the pipe.

Good Luck,

Alex

[raymilosh]

If you have an instant water heater, it likely has a screen where the flexible water line screws onto the inlet side of the heater. I have repaired "Low pressure" problems on hot water lines on several occasions by turning off the water, draining off all the pressure (by opening a spigot and waiting until the water stops coming out), unscrewing the water line, pulling out the screen and cleaning all the weird little bits off of it and putting it back and screwing it back together.
If you don't have an instant heater, then i would check the screens right where the water comes out next. if that's not it, then recommend just what the previous 2 posts recommended....look for clogged aerator screens, look for partially turned off valves, then suspect deposits in the lines.

BTW, right on your water heater will be a garden hose type spigot. you can determine if the flow is restricted before or after that point by turning it on and seeing how good the pressure is there (attach a hose and run it to a sink or some such)
good luck
ray

[birdie_poo]

So I attach the hose and water comes out...does it refill itself? What if it shudders and blows the pilot out?

[rambler]

Sounds like maybe time to pay your brother..... There likely is gunk somewhere in the hot water side of the system, often something near the hot water heater plugs up with rust/ crud. Sounds like you don't really want to mess with the mechanical aspects of this....

--->Paul

Originally Posted by birdie_poo

So I attach the hose and water comes out...does it refill itself? What if it shudders and blows the pilot out?

[mink]

Originally Posted by rambler

Sounds like maybe time to pay your brother..... There likely is gunk somewhere in the hot water side of the system, often something near the hot water heater plugs up with rust/ crud. Sounds like you don't really want to mess with the mechanical aspects of this....

--->Paul

i work on alot of town water lines and if your pipes are galvanized and heve been there 20 years or more chances are the inside of the pipe is near closed with rust and mineral buildup.
mink

[farminghandyman]

at my folks home, there is one fitting (Brass) that collects deposits, ( takes about 7 to 10 years to need to be cleaned out). it is the fitting just on top of the hot water heater in this case.

Just last week I opened it up and took a large screwdriver and opened it up again, I have another block age some place else in the hot line as well as the washer machine valve is slow, why that fitting I have no idea it is copper pipe, and this fitting is a flare to soft copper,

but it can and some times does,
if all your hot water is slow, then follow the hot line back to where they all connect, and it should be in that section of pipe or fittings,

if you have a few that are running fine and some that are not then see if the ones that are not are branched separately, if it is totally random check to see if screens are blocked, (would not hurt to check that out first), if all have screens, some scale could be breaking loose and clogging the faucets,

good luck

[mtman]

if you have an older type faucet it can be something as simple as the washer on the hot water side

[foxtrapper]

Corrosion buildup in the lines as very common. You can check the others, even as 1-handle units, simply by swinging back and forth between the extremes of hot and cold.

Fwiw, in my house, it was the plethera of valves installed in the lines, particularly the hot water line, that created the loss of pressure and flow. Cutting them out and installing new lines greatly improved my hot water situation.