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Danny1957
Aug 30, 2008, 08:55 AM
My wife and I live in a 2 year old house with 4 bathrooms. We only use the master bath to shower. My wife turns on the faucets in each bathroom every week for a few minutes but the bath faucets have single handles and she only turns it to the center (both hot and cold). When she turned it only to hot, nothing came out. This is true of all 3 baths that we don't use. The cold works fine but there is only a small drip from the hot. I don't believe this was the case when we bought the house and had a pretty thorough home inspection. Can hot water pipes or faucet deteriorate from sitting. Any suggestions on what the problem may be, besides call a plumber?

speedball1
Aug 30, 2008, 09:01 AM
Do you have hot water to the lavatories, kitchen sink and the washer? Do you flush your heater on a regular maintenance schedule? If not then you should! What's the brand name of the tub valves? Regards, tom

Danny1957
Aug 30, 2008, 09:10 AM
Yes. We have hot water everywhere else, except the 3 tub faucets. The bathroom sink faucets are double handled so my wife does run both hot and cold each week. I can't find any company or trade name on the bath facucets. They are decorative antique copper faucets with no logo. No we don't flush the hot water heaters but will look into it on a regular basis. Is it possible to get debris in all 3 hot water faucets?

By the way, Thanks for the quick response Tom

speedball1
Aug 30, 2008, 09:33 AM
Is it possible to get debris in all 3 hot water faucets? It is if you have minerals built up on the pipe walls. First let me show you how to flush your heater.
For long life and fewer troubles you should keep your heater clear of mineral build-up by FLUSHING NOT DRAINING on a regular schedule. Attach a hose to the boiler drain at the bottom of the tank. With the pressure on, open the boiler drain and let it run until the water runs clear. You will see a spurt of red,(rust) followed by white or yellow grains,(lime or calcium carbonate). This shouldn't take more then a few minutes. Do this monthly to keep it clear. Now flush out your hot water lines on ALL fixtures that are affected . Now pull each aerator and clean the screens. Be sure you put them back together the same way you took them out. Don't forget to flush it out every month. Your heater will thank you for it.
Now the tub valves.
Shut the water off to the valve and open it up. Check and clean the inlet ports on the cartridge. Before you button up turn the water back on t6o flush out the supplies and open valve body. Do this with each valve. Good luck, Tom