My kitchen is across the house and downstairs from the hot water heater. After the hot water runs for about half a minute and the water coming out of the tap is finally hot, the water pressure drops significantly. If I start the dishwasher, it becomes a trickle. If I rotate the handle to add more cold water into the mix, the pressure is back up to the level as before. My faucet is a Price Pfister 526-50XX with a single handle to control both temperatures. I have not witnessed a similar problem anywhere else in the house. I am guilty of not flushing sediments out of the hot water heater, too. When I have done it, I have had great difficulty closing the boiler valve and so decided that perhaps it is better not done. Where do I start to try to fix this or should I call a plumber?

Thanks,
Plantlady095

Hello Plantlady,

It sounds like you have debris inside the faucet on the hot side.

Close both angle valves under the sink, remove the cartridge, open both hot and cold angle valves for a second to flush sediments out, clean the cartridge and install, check if you have hot water now, if not then you need to replace the cartridge.

If you have problem with boiler S/O valve you need to fix it, replace with a new one, flush the boiler is to your advantage do it often, Thanks.

John

Hi all...

All sounds great John :)

Plantlady, if you are having issues with the boiler drain on the water heater then I would suggest that you purchase a female garden hose cap (see picture) at any home improvement store.

This is super easy to spin onto the boiler drain if it drips after use. Just spin it on and snug it down with a pair of pliers.

Otherwise, if you replace the shutoff as John suggested then purchase a BALL VALVE as these do not get plugged up easily and are great when it comes to flushing the tank! Here, you would purchase a 3/4" x2" brass nipple, 3/4" IPS ball valve, a 3/4" IPS x male hose fitting, the garden hose cap, and some teflon tape.

Good luck...

MARK

I have disassembled the faucet handle and removed the cartridge. While flushing the pipes, water dripped underneath the handle (under the sink.) Should that have happened? Also, there was significant vibration when I turned on the hot water valve. Is this to be expected?

I did have a marked improvement in the steady pressure just by turning off the water valves and turning it back on again. I am guessing that this displaced some sediment or perhaps the valves had not been turned on sufficiently in the first place. Any ideas?

Thank you for the help you have already sent!