Hot water pressure in the kitchen is low

[jonathan fc potter]

I'm new to this site and have searched the forum for this question but can't find it. So I’m sorry if it’s already been answered.

The problem is the hot water in the kitchen, the water only dribbles out and I presume that it has something to do with the pressure. All the other taps in the house are fine, I also swapped the hot and cold tap to see if there was a problem there, but no luck. I live in a 4 story block of flats on the ground floor which may affect the water?

Any help on this matter is appreciated and hopefully it may save some water as it takes an age for the water to get hot at the mo.

Regards Jon potter
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[Nige F]

I knew a Jonathan potter from Laughton , he didn`t know much about plumbing either We need to know what boiler you have ..........and are there tanks etc. in the flat

 

[ChrisR]

ALso, what sort of tap? Old problem?

Did a landlord's gas check recently and the old fellah had a hopeless hot water dribble. Been the same for 20 years. Unscrewed the top off the tap and it still just dribbled. Thrust a long screwdriver down and a load of rust came out, and the water hit the ceiling. Precious moment.

 

[jonathan fc potter]

Thanks for the help; I leave near Laughton Nigel Snaresbrook in fact. But never done any plumbing.

My boiler as far as I can tell is an Ideal classic fanned flue gas boiler. But surely if that was the problem all of my hot water taps wouldn't work not just the kitchen one?

Regards Jon

 

[Gasguru]

Chris asked what boiler you have to get an idea of the system setup.

You have a hot water cylinder.

Where is the cold tank? - on the same floor level or up on the roof?

Have you got a quarter turn tap in the kitchen and traditional taps elsewhere?

Have you always had the problem?

 

[jonathan fc potter]

I have a hot water cylinder in my flat and I presume the cold water tank is on the roof as there is no were else for it. The flat is 50+ years old if that helps.

The taps that I have are like economy mixer taps and the bathroom are both mixers and normal taps.

And yes I believe we have always had this problem but I haven’t been here a year yet.

I hope that this is what you’re asking

Regards Jon

 

[ChrisR]

Tap body needs to come off to be investigated then. Could be a squashed washer, or a few other things.

 

[jonathan fc potter]

Chris,
i took the taps off today and swapped the hot one for the cold and the pressure stayed the same?
is it possible that there is a blockage in the main hot water pipe, rust ect its the only thing that i can think of.

Regards jon

 

[Nige F]

Sounds likely, if the other hots are ok.....`twas Laughton in Sussex.btw.

 

[jonathan fc potter]

If it is a blockage then what is the best way of tracing it, because I’d rather put up with a slow tap then rip all of the piping up?

Regards jon

 

[noodlz]

Maybe the kitchen hot tap stopcock, if there is one, which I'm assuming there probably is as you've changed the tap bodies around, that'd either be partially shut and needs opening or broken and needs replacing.

Otherwise are you sure you've taken off the tap bodies as ChrisR suggested and not just the tops, as the tap body can often cause this problem...sorry if you have, its just that some people might think the tops are the bodies.

 

[jonathan fc potter]

sorry for wasting your time. i found the problem it was the isolator behind the washing machine, half closed you see.

Thanks for everybodys help

Regards Jon

 

[Nige F]

And half-hidden to boot

 

[Randal]

Hi

I've just had exactly the same problem as Jon, it was fixed when I removed the top of the hot water tap (mixer tap) and found a small circlip under that, removed the circlip and the turned the tap fully open, then it must have freed up the washer because the hot water began to run normally again. Although I'd turned off the supply of hot water to the tap that wasn't necessary as I hadn't removed the whole of the brass valve below the top.

Hope this helps?