This house is 50 years old, but the upstairs bathroom is considerably newer--probably 8-10 years. Within the last week pressure to the sink has dropped to almost nothing, both hot and cold. Thinking it might be some sort of obstruction in the supply lines or faucet, I replaced both, but no dice. The pressure in the adjacent toilet and shower is fine. Any ideas?
Unscrew the "aerator" on the spout and clean the screen. More than likely a clump of "gunk" (technical term) got deposited there. Could have come from the older piping in the house or even from the Mains outside.
Jim
Thanks for the quick response. Faucet (and aerator) is brand-spankin' new.
Well, it *was* the aerator. After I thought about it for a minute, it seem to be the only possible answer. The aerator was clogged with a bit of some sort of metallic debris. Being that the new faucet got clogged almost as soon as I turned it on, I removed the aerator and just let the water run for a while to see what else might show up. Then I went in the basement and looked at all of the water pipes I could see, and discovered a galvanized pipe with a pinhole-sized corrosion leak, which might well have been the source of the problem. Thanks to Speedy Jim for the answer.
Start putting pennies in the piggy-bank; your 50 yr old galv is due for replacement.
Jim
The manufacturers generally recommend running the water with the aerator removed for a few minutes after installing a faucet to flush any debris from the system.
But as someone mentioned, this could be materials from your old pipes as well. Particularly if you have newer copper connecting directly to the old iron. Corrosion will happen where the two metels meet and eventually either clog the pipe at that point or break loose and collect at the next smallest place - the aerator.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.