Plumbing Water Stream Issue?

The hot water was slow at our bath room sink. I took the faucet off the sink and found the blockage in the faucet before the valve.

Dusty

Skid Row Joe wrote:
What is a PEX? Do you have a picture of such?

The bleach has a dissolving of mineral and sediment ability. I could use an acid, but the bleach will also have a sanitizing effect.

If it's PEX (cross-linked polyethylene), you will find red (hot) and blue (cold) piping. Can't mistake it.

If you have an older RV, depending on age, it would likely be grey polybutylene.

Polybutylene is prone to many problems and some have opted to replace it entirely. PEX is pretty much indestructible unless you cut or melt it. It even has a memory if you severely bend it.

FWIW, we have a well at home and the lines have a little sediment in them. I originally installed some clear PEX near the pressure tank and incoming line and can see deposits on the walls inside the PEX. In 8+ years, sediment has never caused a problem of any kind. We have a 5 micron sediment filter (after the above). We have a lot of calcium in our water and it clogs up aerators, nothing else including piping. A couple of times a year we soak the aerators in CLR. Calcium can build up inside a hot water tank in the form of flakes. Had a HWT full of it in a previous house and had to replace the tank.

PEX is pretty inert and doesn't really attract "stuff" that will stick to it and build up. Don't know about PB though.

IMO, I doubt you have anything clogging the lines, esp. if only one faucet is affected. If you do find it's sediment, a filter will prevent future problems. Nothing you can do about calcium tho.

I had a similar problem years ago and found a screen at the base of the faucet under the sink where the flex hose connected to the faucet.

myredracer wrote:
Unscrew the PEX pipe at the base of the faucet and stick it into a bucket. Turn city water on and see if the water comes out of the PEX okay. If not, it's definitely the faucet.

Same can be done at the hot water heater but you'll need to go to a hardware store and pick up a couple of fittings to be able to adapt the 1/2" pipe thread on the heater to a length of hose or PEX. If the water doesn't flow out of the heater properly, but okay into the heater, it's the heater.

Bleach won't clear a line. That's not normally the problem, even in a house (on a well) where it's usually either sediment or mineral deposit (usually calcium). Sediment can plug up the valve in a faucet while calcium usually builds up on the outside of an aerator. CLR works great for calcium. If sediment, depends on if the valve has a cartridge or a washer. If cartridge, you may need to replace it.

There is always a chance of a pinched line. We had one on our current TT and came from the factory that way and got fixed under warranty.

What is a PEX? Do you have a picture of such?

The bleach has a dissolving of mineral and sediment ability. I could use an acid, but the bleach will also have a sanitizing effect.

Unscrew the PEX pipe at the base of the faucet and stick it into a bucket. Turn city water on and see if the water comes out of the PEX okay. If not, it's definitely the faucet.

Same can be done at the hot water heater but you'll need to go to a hardware store and pick up a couple of fittings to be able to adapt the 1/2" pipe thread on the heater to a length of hose or PEX. If the water doesn't flow out of the heater properly, but okay into the heater, it's the heater.

Bleach won't clear a line. That's not normally the problem, even in a house (on a well) where it's usually either sediment or mineral deposit (usually calcium). Sediment can plug up the valve in a faucet while calcium usually builds up on the outside of an aerator. CLR works great for calcium. If sediment, depends on if the valve has a cartridge or a washer. If cartridge, you may need to replace it.

There is always a chance of a pinched line. We had one on our current TT and came from the factory that way and got fixed under warranty.

I would guess you have a pinched or kinked water line between the hot water heater and the faucets in question.

It can't be the aerator screen or something associated with the pump, since the cold works just fine.

I suspect it isn't anything associated with the water heater since the shower works just fine. The shower flow rate may be lower than a sink, but not that much lower.

Hot water line to the vanity sink running very slowly. As well, the galley sink's water lines run very, very slowly.

Has liquid bleach been used as plumbing line clearing remedy by anyone here? Bleach seems to have a lessening effect on mineral deposits lefts by hard water on porcelain fixtures, so why might it not remove the deposits/build-ups in RV plumbing lines and faucets?

dks wrote:
I'll throw out an idea. Is it possible your hot water bypass valve is not fully turned on?

Will check!

I'll throw out an idea. Is it possible your hot water bypass valve is not fully turned on?

Bobbo wrote:

Old-Biscuit wrote:

Puttin wrote:
If everything that Bisquit says doesn't do it and it turns out to be the check valve at the bottom of the water heater you can just take a fine stiff wire and pry the guts out of it (after you've taken the output line off of it). In that case, I hope yours is easier to access than mine was. Sometimes they make a humming noise also when you turn any hot faucet on.

Depending on who installed check valve (if used) ....could be in hot outlet vs cold inlet

The check valve will always be on the hot outlet at the top of the water heater. If it is on the cold inlet, it will still let the water heater back fill with the pink antifreeze, at least until it pressurizes to stop further flow.

Check valves are not only used or winterizing.......they are also used on cold inlet to stop backflow of hot water into cold water system (hot water can be at higher pressure due to heating) especially in a 'closed system'

So check valves can be cold inlet, hot outlet....depends on what they are being used for.