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Commandrea
Jan 13, 2010, 02:34 PM
Hello-
We have been experiencing decreasingly low water pressure in our house. The city installed a new meter which improved everything but the kitchen water pressure.
I have an American Standard Reliant+ Pull Out faucet and a Maytag Jet Clean dishwasher. I have dissembled the faucet to check the cartridge for clogs (no aerator screen on this model) but everything looks fine. Today is the worst it has been and I'm afraid there might be a leak or bad pipes. The water pressure on the outside hose closest to the meter and in the backyard is fine, along with the rest of the house. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

massplumber2008
Jan 13, 2010, 04:54 PM
Hi Commandrea:

After reading your description, the next thing I would check are the shutoffs under the sink. Here, shut off the valves going to the faucet and disconnect the water supplies to the faucet. Next, direct the risers into a bucket and turn the water back on to see what the water flow looks like. If the pressure is powerful then the problem is at the faucet, below the cartridge. If the pressure is low then the issue could be at the shutoffs under the sink.. or even further back... ;)

If you are lucky, could be that the shutoffs themselves are not opened fully!

I'll cross my fingers that it is that easy.

Let me know what happens...

MARK

Commandrea
Jan 13, 2010, 05:50 PM
Hi Mark- Thanks for your reply. Luckily I didn't have to disconnect the water supplies but, guess what! I fixed it! I first checked the cartridge which seemed fine. Then I put everything back and disconnected the faucet head from the hose and turned it on. The FULL BLAST of water coming out of the hose end was a great sign, so that narrowed it down to the faucet with built-in 'shower' head.
I attempted to get some vinegar inside of the faucet head, but didn't have the patience to wait and there is no way to directly access the innards of this piece so I pushed the valve open (inside where the hose attaches) with a little hex screwdriver and pressed the faucet opening firmly over the hose and turned the water on, spraying water through the head and out the back end. The force of the water from the hose pushed out the sediment (I didn't see anything come out, but it must have) and when I reattached the faucet- voilą!- my water pressure was back to normal! WHEW! What a great feeling :)

Andrea