Ask Experts Questions for FREE Help !
Ask
    ezbake's Avatar
    ezbake Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #1

    Aug 15, 2003, 03:34 PM
    Low pressure, long wait for hot water
    I just moved into a condo, and we have come across the following problem:

    The cold water in the shower comes out with steady, strong pressure. However, it takes a long wait to get hot water to come out, and, when it does, it only comes out at a trickle -- well, a little more than just a trickle, but not much more. However, this is not the case at every faucet in my home, it's just the shower faucet on the second floor and the sink faucet in the downstairs bathroom. The kitchen and upstairs bathroom sink faucets are fine.

    Is this some sort of pipe problem between the hot water heater and the problematic faucets in my condo? Or is it a hot water heater problem? I know that the details are sketchy but any general insight would be much appreciated.

    Thanks!
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
     
    #2

    Aug 16, 2003, 07:57 AM
    low pressure, long wait for hot water
    Good morning, It sounds like you have mineral build up in your heater and it came up rthe hot water pipes and blocked the seat is a two handle faucet or the hot water inlet ports of your cartridge in a one handle one. For a one handle valve turn off the water to the offending valve and open it up and remove the cartridge. Now check the inlet ports for trash and clean them out. On two handle valves remove the hot water stem and washer assembly. Now with the valve body open Hold a can over the open valve body and turn on the hot water for a moment, (you are flushing out the hot water line). That should clear the valves, however you still have a hot water heater that needs to be flushed out. To get past this problem attach a hose to the boiler drain at the bottom of the tank. With the pressure left on, open the boiler drain and let it run until the water runs clear. You will see a spurt of red,(rust) and some white grains,(lime or calcium carbonate). The whole thing shouldn't take more then a few minutes. Don't forget to flush it out every month. Your heater will thank you for it. Hope this helps and thanks for using us. Tom
    ezbake's Avatar
    ezbake Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #3

    Aug 16, 2003, 09:03 AM
    low pressure, long wait for hot water
    Thanks so much for your assistance. I will check all of this out and hope for the best! I really appreciate your willingness to help. Take care.
    ezbake's Avatar
    ezbake Posts: 3, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #4

    Aug 16, 2003, 12:24 PM
    low pressure, long wait for hot water
    So in doing this I have had quite an adventure (always the way, right?). It's a single handle valve, so first I went to turn off the water. I had to take the side cover off the hot tub and ultimately move the toilet so that I could j-u-s-t b-a-r-e-l-y get my fingers on the hot water valve. I was able to turn the cold water valve off with no problem, but the weird thing with the hot is that no matter which way I turn it, it's on. I started by turning it as far as I could clockwise, but the hot water still comes. I then turned it as far as I could counter-clockwise, and still the water keeps coming. I'm at a loss on how to turn the hot water off! It's true that I can't get a really good grip on the handle (I can't even get my thumb on it) but I'd swear that I'm getting it turned all the way. I ended up taking the inlet port out (it's a screw with a mesh screen around the thread area, where there are holes) anyway and just letting the hot water spray while I washed off the mesh and made sure that the holes were clear. I shielded myself with a towel while I put the inlet back in.

    The handle is such that it has two parts, one that turns the water on and one that sets the temperature (I guess just controlling how much of each type of water to add to the output). The indicator ranges from 60 to 140. At 100 there is a little safety button that you have to push if you want to turn it up any hotter. What's interesting is that 100 is about the right temperature, but that is also when the hot water pressure is at its lowest. I'm wondering if there is some sort of waterway in the handle or something that is what is gummed up? And maybe that's why it happens mostly at this temp. because that's the temp. that it has probably been set at most often (therefore, more buildup?). I want to take the entire assemblage out of the wall to look at it, and I see the screws that would let me do that, but I can't really do it with the hot water on, which leads me back to this new problem.

    Does anyone have any insight as to what might be happening with the hot water valve so that I can't seem to get it turned off? The logician in me says that I'm just not getting it turned all the way, but I just don't see how that's possible.

    Thanks in advance.
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
     
    #5

    Aug 16, 2003, 01:22 PM
    low pressure, long wait for hot water
    If you have turned the hot water shutoff clockwise to where it has come up agaist its stopping point thye4n the washer might have come apart and lodged up in your valve some where. However, you can shut the entire house down at the house stop or at the meter shut off. One question. Did you take the cartridge out under pressure? Howjado that? I would say that you have tiny bits of the washer from the hot water shut off valve up in your shower valve except for the fact that you said the downstairs lavatory's doing the same thing. Let me know how you make out aqnd just so I can see your problem a little more clearly why not give me the make and model number of both faucets. Regards Tom
    snapfitme70's Avatar
    snapfitme70 Posts: 5, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #6

    Apr 21, 2009, 04:35 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by speedball1 View Post
    Good morning, It sounds like you have mineral build up in your heater and it came up rthe hot water pipes and blocked the seat is a two handle faucet or the hot water inlet ports of your cartridge in a one handle one. For a one handle valve turn off the water to the offending valve and open it up and remove the cartridge. Now check the inlet ports for trash and clean them out. On two handle valves remove the hot water stem and washer assembly. Now with the valve body open Hold a can over the open valve body and turn on the hot water for a moment, (you are flushing out the hot water line). That should clear the valves, however you still have a hot water heater that needs to be flushed out. To get past this problem attach a hose to the boiler drain at the bottom of the tank. With the pressure left on, open the boiler drain and let it run untill the water runs clear. You will see a spurt of red,(rust) and some white grains,(lime or calcium carbonate). The whole thing shouldn't take more then a few minutes. Don't forget to flush it out every month. Your heater will thank you for it. Hope this helps and thanks for using us. Tom
    I have the exact problem. But I can't find were to drain the boiler. Could you help? I have a weil-mclain p-468-wt
    chakus's Avatar
    chakus Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
    New Member
     
    #7

    Nov 29, 2011, 01:59 PM
    Note-- no hot water pressure in your home from any tap--- Check this out-- go to the supply line to the hot water heater--(cold water supply line)-- Where the cold water line goes into the top of the hot water heater, there is a small valve at the entry way to the water heater-- (mine was a white circle with a stem)

    Unscrew that pipe, we had to cut the pipe first and then unscrew it-- When we removed the pipe, right at the top of the entry to the hot water heater was the white valve--IT WAS STUCK-- this value is a back flow preventer value and they get stuck a lot-- We got the valve un-stuck and it was FIXED! Mike.
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
     
    #8

    Nov 29, 2011, 03:17 PM
    Hey Mike, Welcome to the Plumbing Page at AskMeHelpDesk.
    We thank you for your input. Most informative. However you piggybacked on a 8 year old dead thread. In the future please look in the upper left hand corner for the date. Thanks, Tom

Not your question? Ask your question View similar questions

 

Question Tools Search this Question
Search this Question:

Advanced Search

Add your answer here.


Check out some similar questions!

How long do I wait? [ 7 Answers ]

Hello, I was dating a girl for about 4 months. We knew each other from work. She had told me that she had a crush on me from the first day she met me. We are both 27. About 3 1/2 weeks ago she told me that she still cares a lot about me but she just can't do this right now. I excepted her...

Just friends... But how long to wait to contact? [ 8 Answers ]

I really need some advice... see I had started dating this guy. Wonderful sweet caring loyal guy, and within two weeks he started planing marriage in his head, where we will be in a year... and I panicked too quick for me. Not only that the relationship was suppose to be open, but it seemed closed...

How long did you wait? [ 3 Answers ]

Hi all! My divorce was only final a year ago, but I was separated for 3 years before that... just out of curiosity.. if any of you have remarried, how long did you wait? Im considering getting married again, and I do uderstand that the time in between is different for everyone, Im just curious. Ive...

How long should we wait? [ 2 Answers ]

OK here goes... me and my boyfriend have one child already but he is from my previous rship so he's mine but not his... he has been wanting one very badly.. we are planning to get married soon(within the next few months).. been together for a year and a half.. my son is turning a year old in...


View more questions Search