[georgiaw]

I had a contractor here who shut off water temporarily, then turned it back on. All other faucets work fine. He says it's nothing he did. Help?

[massplumber2008]

Hi Georgiaw...

Well, it is certainly something he did, but is he responsible for fixing it... well, maybe/maybe not, OK?

Here, whenever a main shut off is shut down and then turned back on there can be a disturbance to the sediment that normally lays undisturbed on the bottom of the pipes in the house and sometimes faucets clog, faucets/valves drip and other things like backflow preventers can fail after water is turned back on and the sediment gets up into the system.

An experienced contractor may know that you need to turn the water back on slowly and that water should be purged through an outside faucet or any faucets without aerators in place so the chances of this type of stuff happening is reduced. If the contractor followed these steps then I say he is not responsible as he did all he could.

If, however, he haphazardly opened the water main and didn't bother to purge the system properly then may be he is responsible and should help to repair this so that he learns something from this and takes the time to clear the system properly next time.

As I said, however, really hard to pass judgment on anyone from over here. Talk to him about the stuff I mentioned and if he agrees that he failed to follow proper procedures and offers to fix or help pay then I say you have a contractor for life! If he responds poorly then, well, it is his loss as I would have to recommend that you get a new contractor for the next job!

To fix this you will probably need to shut the water off at the shutoff under the sink and then remove the guts to the faucet. Then you'll pulse the cold water back on real quick to clear the cold line and then clean all parts and then reinsert and connect everything, turn water back on and you should be all set!

That's my thoughts...

Mark

[georgiaw]

Mark, thank you for your response. Does your answer take into consideration that ALL OTHER faucets in my house are fine and that the HOT and WARM water in this one-handled faucet flows freely? It's only when I turn the handle to the right to get COLD water that I get the dribble. Also, this is a relatively new faucet... about 2 years old. Thanks again.

[massplumber2008]

It does...

The fact is that sediment got disturbed and it just so happens that some got stuck up in the new faucet. It happens on lots of jobs over the years when water/air isn't purged properly... and sometimes, even when the system is purged properly, OK?

I'd just disassemble the unit and clean the cartrdige inside... should resolve the issue.

Mark

[pghplumber]

A piece of the washer or other debris may have clogged the cartridge on the faucet;s cold side, but usually what you are describing is between the emergency stop valve under the sink and the valve body. If you can, close the emergency valves on the hot and cold sides. Turn the faucet on to be sure that the water is off. If you still get hot and/or cold water coming through the valves then it's time to have them changed. This may also indicate that the washer may have deteriorated and pieces broke off into the faucet causing the problem. If the water shuts off to the faucet, you can disconnect the supply from the cold side of the faucet and flush some water through to see if the clog is in the supply. If water flows fast and freely through the supply, look up into the cold side where the supply connects to the faucet (with a flashlight) and see if there is anything obviously clogging the spud. Reconnect the supplies and turn the water on at the valves to test. As you can tell, sometimes these things require time and skill to complete. Some of the little details, that cannot be explained through text, are very important and come with experience. If this seems like you could get yourself in a bad situation by attempting it, don't do it. Call a professional. My opinion differs from massplumber whereas anybody can shut your main water off and follow proper purging steps, but how can anybody know the condition of the pipes and valves throughout your home. Proper purging is not a guarantee that something won't clog somewhere in your house. There is a risk that any old(er) valve, faucet, trap, pipe, etc. will break and fall apart when normal service is given. Unless a person is obviously reckless in their attempt to provide a service, there is an limited, but implied, risk when touching or operating anything in your home. That's just my opinion.

[massplumber2008]

Hi PGH...

I don't think our opinions differ at all if you really take the time and read my responses. As I said, in post #4, "The fact is that sediment got disturbed and it just so happens that some got stuck up in the new faucet. It happens on lots of jobs over the years when water/air isn't purged properly... and sometimes, even when the system is purged properly, OK?"

Anyone that touches a water main needs to know that sediment will always be disturbed when water is turned back on and that they need to do all they can to reduce the sediment being distributed to the entire house and causing issues if they can help it is all.

If they don't know this, then as a contractor, they shouldn't be touching the water main at all... ;)

As I finished saying in post #4, clean/clear the cartridge/faucet all up and they should be all set!

Mark

[hkstroud]

You can verify that the blockage is in the faucet before dissambly if you reverse the supply lines. At the stop valves, connect the hot supply to the cold stop and the cold supply to the hot stop.

If the blockage is in the faucet, you should get cold water out the hot side and only a dribble of hot out the cold side.

If the blockage is somewhere else you should get hot water out the cold side and only a dribble of cold water out the hot side.

[pghplumber]

Sorry, massplumber. I should have been more attentive to the details. I'll read more carefully in the future.