Every faucet in my house performs poorly. The first thing in the
morning, they flow pretty well for a few seconds, then slow WAY down.
Some days it's the bathroom sink other days it's the tub; every day it's
the kitchen sink.
---
Here are the symptoms:
* Faucets flow well for three seconds or so first thing in the morning.
* The first faucet turned on usually works this way. Subsequently-used
faucets tend to be slow from the beginning.
* Outside faucets are also slow.
* Bathtub faucets (not shower heads) have flow of about 4 gallons per
minute (GPM).
* The kitchen sink flows a 1 GPM. It's a pull-out-sprayer model, and
that rate is AFTER I removed a kink from the hose. I don't even get
enough flow for the aereator to put bubbles in the water stream. It
occasionally flows really well, but just for a few seconds.
* My sprinkler system works fine, with what looks to me like good flow
with six to eight heads. The system branches off next to the water meter
at the curb.
* I have pressure of 40 PSI measured at the bibcock by the front door.
The next door neighbor has more than 100 PSI. I don't know how much
more, because my gauge only goes to 100. The way the needle hit the
limit peg, I'd guess it's a lot more. My neighbor said taking showers
was painful.
* The water company came out and said that 40 PSI is adequate.
* A plumber came out and said this isn't covered by my homeowner's
warranty. He poked around for a while, replaced the gate valve cutoff by
the front porch with a 1/4-turn ball valve, and tried reverse-flushing
the system by running a hose to the back yard bibcock and draining out
the main line. The valve needed to be replaced, because it was rusting
out, but the reverse flush didn't help.
---
Here's are some things I think might be causing the problem:
* Debris in the lines. Since the first-used faucet of the day flows hard
for a few seconds, the debris might be in a main line that then branches
off.
* Kinked main supply line from the curb to the front of the house. This
hypothesis is supported by good flow in the sprinkler system.
---
My questions:
* What are likely causes for my problem?
* If there's debris in the line, how can I get rid of it?
* Why is my pressure so much lower than my neighbor's?
* What other questions should I ask?

According to Steve :
* What are likely causes for my problem?

Debris or crud buildup (eg: rust).

[Assuming you don't have a regulator. It could be jammed
or defective if you have one.]

* If there's debris in the line, how can I get rid of it?

Contact the water company again and ask them if they'll do
a flush.

Water companies have rigs that will pulse pressurize the
line, and blow out any crud.

My father water supply was suffering similar problems, but not
quite as bad. After calls to the municipal water office, he
learned that this was endemic to his area (development
only about 35 years old). But because of the number of houses,
they weren't simply going out and doing it, they were waiting
for people to complain.

They came out, zapped the line, and it worked much better
from then on.

* Why is my pressure so much lower than my neighbor's?

Generally speaking, if you have a constriction problem, the static
pressure (water pressure whenn you're drawing no water) will
be the same as the water mains. It's when you start drawing
water that the pressure drops drastically.

If you have a leak, that could explain it. So could a
regulator.

* What other questions should I ask?
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

"Steve" wrote in message
.136...
Every faucet in my house performs poorly. The first thing in the
morning, they flow pretty well for a few seconds, then slow WAY down.
Some days it's the bathroom sink other days it's the tub; every day it's
the kitchen sink.
---
Here are the symptoms:
* Faucets flow well for three seconds or so first thing in the morning.
* The first faucet turned on usually works this way. Subsequently-used
faucets tend to be slow from the beginning.
* Outside faucets are also slow.
* Bathtub faucets (not shower heads) have flow of about 4 gallons per
minute (GPM).
* The kitchen sink flows a 1 GPM. It's a pull-out-sprayer model, and
that rate is AFTER I removed a kink from the hose. I don't even get
enough flow for the aereator to put bubbles in the water stream. It
occasionally flows really well, but just for a few seconds.
* My sprinkler system works fine, with what looks to me like good flow
with six to eight heads. The system branches off next to the water meter
at the curb.
* I have pressure of 40 PSI measured at the bibcock by the front door.
The next door neighbor has more than 100 PSI. I don't know how much
more, because my gauge only goes to 100. The way the needle hit the
limit peg, I'd guess it's a lot more. My neighbor said taking showers
was painful.
Do you have a whole house filter and/or a water softener. Restrictions in
one of those could cause your problem. By the way, if I was your neighbor,
I would be installing a pressure regulator on my water system. Household
appliances are designed to safely work with 60 pounds pressure. Any more
than that and he's risking a failure that could result in serious water
damage to the house. And of this I speak with experience. 90 pounds
pressure caused me $3000 water damage twice before I got smart and installed
a regulator dropping the pressure to 50.

Tom G.

Steve wrote:
Every faucet in my house performs poorly. The first thing in the
morning, they flow pretty well for a few seconds, then slow WAY down.
Some days it's the bathroom sink other days it's the tub; every day it's
the kitchen sink.

SNIP

Focus on searching for a Pressure Reducing Valve.
Might look like this:
http://www.cashacme.com/pressregeb86.html

There is no reason that your pressure gauge
should read 40psi while street pressure is 100psi
unless you have a PRV.

There could be other reasons for the reduced flow,
such as restrictions mentioned, but start with the PRV.


Jim