Plumbing question:


In my home both my bathtubs and vanity sinks get toasty hot water. Steamy hot. Im my kitchen I get luke warm water at best. Ive tried replacing the faucet (suspected bleed over) no results. Ive tried shutting down the hot water, opening all bath hot side faucets and connecting the cold water angle valve to the hot water angle valve and blowing pressure through the hot water lines. (suspected a foreign object may be in pipe acting as a heat sink, applied back pressure hoping to blow it out of the lateral into the main) No results. At my wits end. Any ideas? This building is approaching 50 years old. My last suspect is maybe before my ownership someone repaired a pipe and somewhere between the main hot water line and my kitchen sink the hot water line is up against a cold water line that is acting as a heat sink. What you think? Any ideas I can try before I get to taking down the walls?

First you should know that unless you are talking about old galvanized iron pipes and a high mineral content in the water, pipes don't get stopped up. Any blockage will always be at at valve somewhere. So don't go tearing out pipes just yet. Nothing in physical contact with a pipe is going to take away enough heat in the water to be noticeable. The water is moving to fast to lose much heat as it passes.

If there is great a difference in the distance between the water heater and the bath and the water heater and the kitchen, it will take longer for the hot water to reach the kitchen. But if you let the how water run long enough the temperatures should be the same.

If there is a restriction in the hot water line, therefore a difference in water pressure between the hot and cold, the mixture of hot and cold water inside the faucet will make a difference in the temperature of the water coming out the faucet.

Close the hot water stop valve under the kitchen sink. Open the cold water side of the faucet and observe the volume and pressure of the water coming out. Then close the cold water stop valve and open the hot side of the faucet. The water volume and pressure should be the same. If not, you can then begin looking for the restriction in the hot side.

Even if you have old galvanized piping, the mineral build up in the pipes should be the same for both hot and cold. So logically pressure and volume should be the same.

The first place to look for a restriction would be in the hot water stop valve.