The water pressure in my bathtub faucet has been declining slowly for months, maybe even years. Now, it is at the point where it is only a trickle, for BOTH cold and hot water. I can hardly take a shower, and it takes about an hour to fill the tub at this rate. What can I do before calling a plumber and paying big bucks? The bathroom sink in the same room has excellent pressure, as does the rest of the house. I have the two-handle Hot and Cold faucet (not the single handle). Please help! I am a novice at plumbing. I've never even touched it since this is the first house I have owned. I have copper plumbing in the entire house.
2006-07-15 04:30:58 · 5 answers · asked by Andrew G 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
The showerhead is fine and pipes look clean there. The pipes must be clogged somewhere before reaching the faucet. Is there anything I can buy to clean the copper pipes?
2006-07-15 05:35:03 · update #1
Edited input after your addenda!!!
If you are seeing no restrictions then your looking at replaceing the pipes....The time and effort to "clean" them isn't worth it. I suspect the lines are half inch....cheaper and gives the effect of strong water pressure...they are likly plugged but from what you have told us I am still a bit puzzled why just a few feet away you are having no problem.....could it be the hot water side???? That might indicate a problem in the heater....the anode could be shot....ever drain the hot water heater?????
Sounds like the shower head is clogged. CLR is available at any hardware or home store. It desolves calcium, lime, rust....Try taking the shower head off and inspect it. What troubles me is filling the tub...that should be a spout and it shouldn't be that clogged. "Perhaps" you can take it off too and look it over.
The cause is definately clogged something. If its the pipes themselves plan on having them replaced but I suspect when you get the shower head off you will SEE what the problem is and if its in the pipes themselves.
2006-07-15 04:36:19 · answer #1 · answered by Capt 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
there is a slight chance that the rubber seals in the faucets have deteriorated and have clogged up or that the piping has becomes clogged or the shower head has clogged. I can only suggest turning the water pressure off and taking the faucet apart/off the feed pipe and the shower head.. inspect the shower head for anything that wil obstruct the water flow as too with the faucet... once that is done and there are still no irregularities, maybe you should CAREFULLY reopen the pressure to observe the water flow..if it still trickles then the pipe is at fault. If not then the faucet is to blame for this haneus crime.
If the piping is at fault then you will have to work your way backward to find the culprit section to unblock it. At this point in the interest of sanity and time call a plumber and let him know of your detective results. I'm sure he will be impressed and try to save you a buck or two.
Good luck
2006-07-15 04:40:54 · answer #2 · answered by KaizerSose 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Buy a cheap and cheerful water pump. That's what I did, as I had a water restricting shower head, and it has made a hell of a difference to the water flowing out of the shower head. You can get them cheaply from Motobins I think in the UK, or your local plumber or DIY store should sell a cheap,but descent pump, that should do the trick.
It could also be a blockage of silt from either your water tank or the water pipes along your road, this often happens when the road workers change the pipes and the water turns a brown colour, that might be another reason.
Either way the pump should fix them both. Hope you get your problem solved. Good luck
2006-07-15 04:41:23 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
We had that same problem in a few of our faucets. I unscrewed the little cap on the end of the faucet and it was clogged (we have well water and its hard)..I scrubbed that clean (I didn't have any CLR, but it works great if you can get some..just soak the little head thing in CLR for a few minutes and it should be clear). I did this to two of the slow running taps in the house and it made 100% difference in pressure. Also, for shower heads, soak them in CLR. Good luck, I think you'll be happy with the results.
2006-07-15 04:38:58 · answer #4 · answered by Catherine n 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Get an old-fashioned (not water saving) shower head & take out the aerator from your faucet.
2006-07-15 04:33:55 · answer #5 · answered by mrsdebra1966 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋