Recently the hot water pressure has gone down only in our kitchensink. A day or two earlier, ew had to turn our water off for some unrelated plumbing work, and when we turned it back on, the hot water pressure was significantly lower, but only in the kitchen (the bathroom tubs and sinks all have good pressure). In the basement, there is a laundry sink on the same line as the kitchen sink, and the hot water pressure there is unchanged. We recently replaced the aerator on the kitchen sink (though before we shut the water down), but I don't think it's that because the cold water is strong. The hot water pressure is OK (it has a decent flow) but it is noticeably slower than the cold water. Is there a quick fix for this problem? Should I be concerned about this or just let it go?

Mario C.

Hey Mario,

It sounds like you dislodged some crud on the inside pipe walls when you did some of that "unrelated plumbing work". Well whaddo you know! Now it's related. The first fixture making a draw sucked the crud up onto the hot water inlet ports of the cartridge and clogged them. You will have to shut the water off and open up the faucet, pull the cartridge and clean out the ports. Also,while the faucet's open turn on the hotwater supply to flush out any crud remaining. Reassemble and test. Good luck, Tom

I am just a home owner with limited knowledge, experience and skill (I've replaced toilet fill valves and faucet stems). Is this something that I should be able to do, or should I get a professional? What exactly is the cartidge and how do I clean the hot water inlet ports? Where is all this stuff located on an average Kitchen sink?

Mario

Tell you whot Mario!

You give me the brand name and age of the faucet and I'll walk you through the process step by step. OK? Tom

Tom,

Thanks so much for your help-- it is a Peerless kitchen faucet. I am not sure on its age, but I'm sure it is greater than 5 years old. Here is a picture, if that helps. http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/marioc/sink.jpg (If the pic doesn't come up, hit reload and it should).

Thanks so much!
Mario

Mario,

I couldn't pull up a drawing of your faucet but Delta took over Peerless and the innards are the same. See if you think you can work your way down to the ball assembly and seats and springs, (see image) That's where the clog is. You will need a Allen Head wrench to remove the handle. First shut off the water under the cabinet. Now remove the handle. Unscrew the adjusting ring and the chrome cap and remove them. Pull the spout assembly up and you'll see the ball assembly and the seats and springs. Pull them out and inspect the ball for any crud. Now place a pan over the open faucet to prevent splash and turn on the hot water shut off valve to flush out the supply. You should hear a strong stream hitting the pan. If not let me know.
Now reassemble everything. Turn the water back on and test.
Let me know how you make out. Regards, Tom

Hi Tom,

I finally got around to dissassembling my sink. I followed your instructions to the letter, but the hot water pressure is significantly lower than the cold (it was even noticeable when we opened the shut off valves (the hot was a lower, less powerful stream than the cold). What is more, the hot water sounds louder than the cold water (if that makes any sense... )

Does this mean the blockage is in another location?

Thanks,

Mario

Hey Mario,
"Does this mean the blockage is in another location?"
This would tend to place the partial clog at or behind of the hotwater angle stop. Do you still wish to continue? Regards, tom

Hi Tom,

We checked jut checked the supply hoses (we switched hot and cold to make sure the block wasn't in the hot hose (and it wasn't).

We would like to continue. What should be our next course of action to unblock "the hotwater angle stop"?

Thanks,

Mario

Hey Mario,
"We would like to continue. what should be our next course of action to unblock "the hotwater angle stop"?"

Now we must complete the process of elimination. You have already checked and eliminated the faucet. The hot water angle stop's next. Shut the water off to the house at the house shut off or at the water heater, Open the hot faucet to reduce pressure and unscrew the compression nut, (the big one, see image) and pull the stop off the pipe. Hold a pan over the open stubout and ture the water back on . If you have a full stream then the clog's in the angle stops seat. If not then you have checked just about as far as you can go and you can call in outside help to track the clog from the water heater.
Did you ever tell me what material your pipes are made of? How old is your house? Do you flush and maintain your heater on a regular basis? Let me know how you make out. Tom

Might want to make sure all the valves are wide open. Trace you water line from the water heater to the kitchen and make sure you don't have any valves you do not know about. It is also possible that the washer on your angle stop under the sink has worked its way loose and partially blocking your hot water line