Kitchen hot water pressure

[MasterPlumbersKeymaster]

We have only a trickle of hot water in the kitchen faucet, cold water pressure is normal. Hot water pressure in the rest of the house is totally normal. The kitchen faucet has been replaced and checked for deposits since then. We’ve had some galvanized pipes replaced due to corrosion. We tore down the wall behind the kitchen sink to see if corrosion existed at the joint there, and it doesn’t look as if it does. You can feel by touching the pipe that there isn’t much water pressure in it. This pipe comes into the house from under the foundation. We live in South Florida, so no basement.
Any advice on what we should check next or what we can do to fix this problem would be greatly appreciated.

[Jerry PeckParticipant]

You live in South Florida and have had some of the galvanized pipes replaced and there is no basement (believe it or not, I’ve seen two basements in Coconut Grove and Coral Gables) and have not crawl space (you didn’t say this but I suspect that is also what you meant)?

Being also from South Florida, I suspect you live in old Hollywood, old Ft. Lauderdale, or Miami areas where they built with slabs and galvanized pipe before realizing they shouldn’t do that.

As you’ve torn the wall down behind the kitchen sink, my first suggestion would be to remove the riser to the kitchen sink faucet and the cut off valve screwed onto the galvanized coming up out of the slab (make sure you turn the water off outside and leave an outside hose bibb faucet open to prevent pressure build up), then look at the inside of the exposed galvanized pipe. I suspect that you will find it is clogged.

If so, you will need to have some re-plumbing done.

[GuestParticipant]

Just for the sake of asking, how old is your water heater?

This will raise the eyebrows of a couple of people here. You need to look at the data plate on your water heater and see if it was made when there was a “dip tube” problem.

I have had whole houses clogged with sediment from this problem and it COULD be the problem.

There are other possible answers to this also.

[murphyplumbing.comParticipant]

It most likely is a bad galvanized fitting built up with rust etc.. It will need to be located and replaced. If your lucky it is at the angle stop. I doubt that it’s the water heater dip tube because you would have the particles in all the hot water faucets in the house.

[GuestParticipant]

quote:

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Originally posted by PlumberBob:
Just for the sake of asking, how old is your water heater?

This will raise the eyebrows of a couple of people here. You need to look at the data plate on your water heater and see if it was made when there was a “dip tube” problem.

I have had whole houses clogged with sediment from this problem and it COULD be the problem.

There are other possible answers to this also.

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PlumberBob: I have sediment (white flakes) in all my hot water outlets. My house is 4 years old and so is the water heater. I’m not familiar with “dip tube” problem, but would be curious to know the date that this could have been a problem.

[murphyplumbing.comParticipant]

thats great info but it is not what sybil was asking. she only has one fixture with a problem not the entire hot system.

[bungieParticipant]

Silly question. I know the faucet has been replaced, but ….. do you mean that you have two single taps at your sink, or you have a sink set there, as in two taps with a spout in between through the sink top. make sure there is no part of a tap washer stuck inside between the faucet and the spout

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