We moved into our house in September, and as we just recently tried to shut off the outdoor water spigots for the winter, we realized that our interior shut off valves to these spigots leaked if we tried to shut them off. So, we hired a plumber. He came yesterday, shut off the water to the whole house, and put in new valves. Problem solved, right? Well, no. Since he came here, 3 of our homes faucets or tubs have lost hot water pressure. Cold water pressure is fine, and the hot water is fine everywhere else but in these 3 places. The plumber says the water pressure issue is unrelated to his work, and that it is an issue related to the hot water heater and sediment - and that he didn't touch the hot water heater, or the faucets in question.
I know nothing about plumbing, but common-sense tells me this is more than just coincidence.
Do you all have any thoughts or suggestions?
2007-12-28 11:10:48 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
you need to install gas ball valves, everything else will fail!
2007-12-28 11:25:39 · answer #1 · answered by Jack the Toad 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
He could be right. If all he did was shut off the water, replace those valves to the outdoor faucets, and turn the water back on, there is no way his actions could have directly caused low pressure in selected faucets elsewhere in the house.
However, his work may have INDIRECTLY caused the problem. Changes in pressure from the shut off/turn on could have stirred up sediment in the hot water tank and forced it through the system, where the sediment is now causing problems in some places. This would not be his fault, though. The sediment is a pre-existing condition that he could not have known about unless he checked, and expecting a plumber to routinely check a hot water tank before doing other work is not something I have ever heard of.
If your tank is more than five years old, you might want to consider replacing it, and if the water is 'hard' ( a lot of minerals in the water), you could definitely have built-up deposits.
2007-12-28 19:28:33 · answer #2 · answered by curtisports2 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
If he didn't do any work to the hot water lines, this is a coincidence.
One possibility: There may be sediment that came out of the cold water lines when the work was done. If these water lines are upstream from the problematic fixtures, you can remove the aerators from the sinks and remove the sediment. The aerators unscrew from the tap. If this fixes the problems in the sinks, the same is probably true for the tube, but the tub usually doesn't have an aerator, and the fixture will have to be dismantled to check for sediment.
2007-12-28 19:25:04 · answer #3 · answered by BPTDVG 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Sorry, but it is simply a coincidence. Your plumber had no need to touch any portion of your hot water plumbing lines. I have a suspicion you have an older house. Turning off the water to the house may have allowed sediment to move and block hot water to certain fixtures. For faucets, try removing the aerator to see if debris is blocking the water flow. They simply screw on and off.
Worst case, shut water off, connect air compressor to outside hose connection (hose bibb) and blow water/air through all hot and cold lines. Remove aerators where installed. This should clean out pipes.
2007-12-28 19:25:34 · answer #4 · answered by Beach Girl 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
when your plumber turned the water off and then back on sediment that had built up over time on the hot water lines broke loose and has now found minor blockage points at those three places probably at the shut off valves themselves at those locations
the only sure cure is to shut the water back down open lines and see if you can clear the shut off valves
making sure that when you turn it back on you do it very slowly so you dont disturb any remaining sediment
or you could try a kinda cure that usually works
open the hot valves one at a time while you get under the area and tap on the shut off valve and get the blockage to break up a bit and flow thru the line
you will probably want to remove the aerators while you do this
2007-12-28 19:21:59 · answer #5 · answered by Imagine 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
All hot water heaters owners manuals tell you to flush them occasionally.The plumber told you the truth.Try some of the suggestions previously mentioned.
2007-12-28 19:26:47 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The lines that carry the hot watter to your faucets could be blocked by sediment that built up when he/she turned the watter off and on. Try shutting the watter off by the main and turning the hot watter faucets that are affected on. Then turn the main water line on, ( try turning the main watter line on and off a few times.) This could help by breaking up the sediment clog. The water coming out will be very dirty for a few minutes. let it run out till its clear.
2007-12-28 19:22:14 · answer #7 · answered by Takarie K 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Try flushing the lines good first and seeing if that helps. Just turn them on and let them run.
2007-12-29 13:42:10 · answer #8 · answered by JUAN FRAN$$$ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The 1st 2 guys are right . Just follow their instructions. I am a plumbing specialist so i know.
2007-12-29 00:44:28 · answer #9 · answered by sugar c 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋