We live on the 6th floor in a 12-story condo building and have always had low cold water flow/pressure in the kitchen sink. The hot water is OK, as is the cold water in the bathrooms. I've adjusted the pressure valve under the sink to get as much flow/pressure as possible, but the stream is barely 1/4 inch in diameter. The residents in the condos above and below us have the same problem, but the building manager says no one else does, so the owners association won't do anything about it. What could be the possible causes of this situation? Is there any type of small pressure enhancer we could install on the cold water line below our kitchen sink?

labman

Is what is under the sink a pressure regulator or just a stop? Whichever, adjust it to where no cold water comes out. If a single handle facuet, shut the hot off too. Then take apart the cold water control at the sink. Clean out any crud you see. Turn on the valve under the sink, and let a little cold water run out to flush out crud you can't see. Shut the water off again, and put things back together. See if it helps. If you are not sure how to get the cold water control apart, post back with the brand, model, and single or double handle.

sherylt

The entire faucet, the single handle control type, was replaced in the past year, but the problem with the low cold water flow persists, so I'm hesitant to take it apart and am still wondering about the neighbors above and below experiencing the same problem for years now. As for the pressure valve under the sink, the manager insists it's a pressure valve, not a "stop," whatever that means.

speedball1

I would be interested in hearing the managers explanation of why there's a "pressure regulator" on one fixture and not where water enters your condo where it belongs. Why is it just on the kitchen sink and if it's truly a "pressure valve" as the manager insists then that would indicate that It's needed to regulate pressure that's too high to enter your system. If that's really so then a simple adjustment would bring you the pressure you desire. the entire scenario just doesn't add up. As a plumber who has been foreman on mid and high raise condo building for decades in my area of Tampa Bay let me statethat the manager's blowing smoke. Making lame excuses to avoid addressing the problem. You three condo owners should at least demand a plausible explaination that doesn't insult your intelligence and after that a repair job that restores pressure to your kitchens. As one who has built, ran warrenty/repair and interfaced with condo associations I recomend that you complain to the Association as a group and demand action. You paid top dollar for your unit and I'll bet the maintenance fees go up each year. You deserve more then just lip service for your money. Good luck, Tom

sherylt

Thanks for the input re water in high-rise condo buildings. What the manager said was a pressure valve on the cold water line under the kitchen sink is simply a brass nut. The same thing is on the hot water line. Are these really pressure valves? I know of no main valve on the water coming into the condo. Our hot and cold water is included in the monthly fee, and the hot water must come from a large hot water heater somewhere in the underground garage area. The condos above and below us, floors 5-7 of 12, have the same problem; according to the manager, floors 1-4 and 8-12 don't. What does that suggest about the source of the problem?

labman

I agree with Tom that you are paying good money to have somebody else figure out and fix the problem. That doesn't help you. Tom, am I right that a 12 story building would have something to equalize the pressure? I guess if you started with 100 psi at the bottom, you would still have almost 60 psi at the top.

Is all your plumbing in one wall, or is the kitchen away from the bath? If the building is broken down into 3 pressure zones, that could explain 3 floors with the same problem. Sounds to me like there is a problem with a pressure regulator somewhere. Could somebody have run short of the right size of pipe, and used too small of a size the day they did the the kitchens on 5,6, and 7? Could be a kinked pipe too.

A stop is just a shut off valve, either a separate one ahead of something, or built into something needing periodic maintance.

speedball1

What is a "pressure valve" supposed to look like? Well it ain't supposed to disguise itself to looK like the brass compression nut on a angle stop and that's exactly what you discribe.
A pressure regulator is a fairly large adjustable valve that installs just downstream from where the water enters your unit at the house shut off valve. Its function is to reduce water pressure TO THE ENTIRE HOUSE when the city main pressure is too high to be used in a home. Your condo super has either, through ignorance or downright dishonesty, mislead you. In a 12 story building you must have a booster pump installed somewhere near your floor to maintain pressure to the upper floors. I would start checking there and then go to the branch feeds to the kitchens. One of two things are happening here. (1) the Condo Board considers your pressure problem too trivial to bother with or (2) they don't want to spend the money to have a plumber track down and repair the trouble so they just keep on blowing smoke at you. Either way should be unacceptable. You three owners should get together and petition the Board again. Keep me in the loop on this, I'm interested in what the next excuse will be. Regards, Tom