Hi Group,
2005 26' mid bath
The flow for my kitchen sink faucet has gotten pretty weak lately. I've cleaned out the aerator in the faucet head, but I'm wondering about the little reservoir with the mesh filter near the water pump. How much water should be in there? Should it be full as possible or should there be an airspace? I think this might be the problem. Other than that, it looks clean.
Thanks,
David G
"The flow for my kitchen sink faucet has gotten pretty weak lately."
What is the flow like in the other faucets? If the water pump is the problem ALL faucets should be 'weak'.
Sometimes a faucet can jam internally with calcium deposits inside the faucet where it is hard or impossible to get to, requiring replacement. If blocked internally, neither the hot nor cold will flow much.
Disconnect one of the faucet's supply hoses, with the water pump off, and then test it for flow, turning it back on. If it flows normally, you have found your problem.
If you still have the original faucet, it's probably time to upgrade.
Soaking the faucet with vinegar could loosen the calcium if you are willing to give it a try
Larry
Hi David; Of course the sources of water move around with the coach location. If you haven't flushed your water heater lately, you might want to do that now. If you have a lot of white particles coming out of that, that could be magnesium, or calcium deposits from hard water. Both of which will clog up faucet internal valves also. The bathroom sink faucet in my LD and it's aerator clog first. I've used this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/CLR-28-OZ-Ounce-Calcium-Lime-Rust-Remover-CL-12/100049980?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&pla&mtc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D28I-028_004_CLEANING-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-PMAX_SHP&cm_mmc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D28I-028_004_CLEANING-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-PMAX_SHP-71700000113461777--&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwxLKxBhA7EiwAXO0R0ChQdFuoDydPKjOv_RkVWkP7zM500E6alm_DUXKCVweuV0Fk347svxoCDJgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds#overlay but it is a bit dangerous and can affect other materials. I use small amounts very carefully. RonB
"The flow for my kitchen sink faucet has gotten pretty weak lately."
Faucet and shower head work as expected in bathroom with plenty of flow. Faucet and shower head are replacements for the original as is the kitchen faucet.
What is the flow like in the other faucets? If the water pump is the problem ALL faucets should be 'weak'.
Hi David; Of course the sources of water move around with the coach location. If you haven't flushed your water heater lately, you might want to do that now. RonB
Thanks Ron,
Hot water heater is flushed after each extended roadtrip and I'm not seeing any particles.
David
Often faucets have OTHER sources of restriction - you may need to disassemble further than just the aerator.
Steve
If your faucet is like mine - The handheld part screws off. Maybe unscrew it so the hose is open on the end and assess the flow without the handheld attached. Just did this last week and I have to replace the faucet hand held portion. Even after switching out the screens / aerator its still slow flow.
Of note!! Hold onto the hose and point down into the sink as if it is free flowing it will twist around like a fire hose under pressure and spray the inside of your coach! (dont ask me how I know this!).
If your faucet is like mine - The handheld part screws off. Maybe unscrew it so the hose is open on the end and assess the flow without the handheld attached. Just did this last week and I have to replace the faucet hand held portion. Even after switching out the screens / aerator its still slow flow.
Hi Jodi, and thanks for the suggestion. I am still investigating this, but I did unscrew the faucet head and the water was still pretty restricted. It certainly wasn't whipping around. It means the clog, or whatever, is between there and the pump. More digging is required.
David
Let me see if I have all the info correct.
Flow is weak only at the kitchen faucet.
Flow is still weak after you pull the line from the faucet.
Flow through water heater is fine.
How is the flow of hot water at the kitchen faucet? This would be a different line.
Sounds like it would be just the cold water line from the pump to the kitchen faucet after it tees off to the bathroom.
Flow is weak for both hot and cold in the kitchen. Bathroom Faucet and shower head are normal flow both on hot and cold side. I'm going to be checking each connection to kitchen lines when I'm in a good spot to work. Thanks for your response.
David
Let me see if I have all the info correct.
Flow is weak only at the kitchen faucet.
Flow is still weak after you pull the line from the faucet.
Flow through water heater is fine.
How is the flow of hot water at the kitchen faucet? This would be a different line.
Sounds like it would be just the cold water line from the pump to the kitchen faucet after it tees off to the bathroom.
Interesting. I'm having an issue with just the hot side of my bathroom faucet flowing hardly at all. All other hot/cold lines are fine. I too need to investigate further!
As a preventative to help prevent clogging, a thorough water heater cleaning and flushing should be done once a year at a minimum, maybe more if the water heater is used often.
Use one of these vigorously. with a strong stream of water.
Amazon.com: Camco Camper/RV Water Heater Tank Rinser | Improves Water Heater... (https://www.amazon.com/Camco-Rinser-Cleanses-Sediment-Collects-11691/dp/B002XL2IBS/ref=asc_df_B002XL2IBS?tag=bngsmtphsnus-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80814222102133&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584413749630270&psc=1)
Larry
I want to endorse Larry’s suggestion about flushing the hot water heater at least annually, using that referenced tool. I last flushed mine in Oct 2022, so I did it again today. It yielded an ounce or so of white particles which appear capable of clogging screens or compromising valve seats. You need to remove the plastic drain plug, insert the tool, and spray all around for a couple of minutes to get the tank clear. The tank holds multiple gallons of water.
It yielded an ounce or so of white particles which appear capable of clogging screens or compromising valve seats.
Time for me to repost what can happen. This was my ten gallon water heater in rig before last.
jor
The calcium blasted out of the water heater appears to be small hail, the particles can plug up faucets and shower heads.
When flushing the tank with the plastic tool, use full water pressure and aggressively push and pull the tool in and out, while rotating. Every minute or so, remove the tool and let the water and debris drain out. Repeat until the draining water runs clear.
A dirty tank can contain large amounts of calcium particles.
This chore is best done on warm days when getting wet isn’t a problem.
Larry
The calcium blasted out of the water heater appears to be small hail, the particles can plug up faucets and shower heads.
When flushing the tank with the plastic tool, use full water pressure and aggressively push and pull the tool in and out, while rotating. Every minute or so, remove the tool and let the water and debris drain out. Repeat until the draining water runs clear.
A dirty tank can contain large amounts of calcium particles.
This chore is best done on warm days when getting wet isn’t a problem.
Larry
Nothing beats classic Larry Wade advice. Adding this one to my Amazon list
So I finally got around to really looking into the low-flow problem of the kitchen faucet. It turns out that once the faucet was really taken apart by my tech guy, he discovered it heavily encrusted with (i guess) calcium deposits. He tried to clean it up, but it was beyond cleaning and he replaced it. Problem solved.
Thanks everyone for the helpful advice.
David G.