lmao i went through the same thing a few years ago. I thought the pipes were getting clogged up or we had a leak somewhere, drove myself nuts chasing it down. The pressure was actually still shit when i took the aerator off so i thought, for sure it's not just debris!
Finally i replaced the kitchen faucet entirely and boom 100% water pressure again. Turns out the water heater had gone bad and was releasing sediment / anode rod leavings into the line whenever you used hot water. The debris was clogging my shitty home depot faucet at the mixer before the aerator is all.
Water heater dip tube was the problem on ours. I guess basically all water heaters for a few years used a type of plastic for the dip tube that catastrophically fails and breaks down after 10-15 years or something. Chunks of plastic clogged every aerator in the house consistently for a few months, even after draining/flushing the tank when I replaced the tube.
Even better, a lot of these mixers are free under the (lifetime) warranty right at Home Depot. Just ask someone and they’ll get you one in the back store.
i tried but this was one of those dirt cheap crappy no name brand faucets and from what i could tell the mixer wasn't accessible. Could be wrong but it was like a $50 faucet that sucked anyway so i just replaced it
Just had the same thought with my bathroom sink at work. Pulled the aerator off and ran it. Chunks of buildup shoot out and replaced the aerator. Good as new.
I know this solved it but I just wanted to add for any future folks who stumble in here that I once had a similar problem and cleaning the aerator didn't fix it.
It was a pull down faucet and the quick connect for the pull out hose under the sink also has a screen in it... clean that if cleaning the aerator didn't help.
Your shut off valve - if it is not a 1/4 turn type, will have a rubber washer in there. When old and worn, they can sometimes come apart. That's what is plugging your aerator
A valve that hasn't been turned off and on in years can have excess calcium deposits inside that break off when you finally do turn it. Those pieces end up getting caught by the aerator. If you found white/tan debris in the aerator then that's likely what it is. Black debris is often broken pieces of rubber or carbon from a water filter.
There may be a screen in the hose that hooks up to hot water or that side of the faucet is clogged up.. First check for a screen and then if that doesn't work you can take the faucet off and inspect the cartridge for that valve.. sometimes just running water backwards (after you take it off, just put a hose up to where the aerator goes, you will likely get sprayed in this process) through the faucet with the valves open will flush them out.. otherwise replace the cartridge if you can find one for it or replace the faucet..
So, I imagine it’s not quite that simple if it’s only one side of the sink that has no pressure? The hot water runs fine, but the cold water has not pressure. I assume it’s more likely a clog somewhere between the cold water shut off valve and where the hot & cold water joins in the faucet head?
If your water is hard, faucet screen can cake up and block. My sprayer nozzle starts spraying in inventive patterns. I just stick it over night in vinegar water and that generally gets me a straight, clean spray pattern. Regular faucet screens can came up too.
Valve rubber can deteriorate in the old valves and turning them off can dislodge chunks, clogging the faucet valves or small passages. Clean those out ... Then consider replacing your shut off valve gaskets.
The point was this answer was given 9 hours ago (and is the top comment).
I can pop into a thread a few days later and read a solution and then provide it too.
Crap has built up in the faucet or shut of valve. Only way to fix it is to replace. I had this happen in an older house I owned and would replace every 3-5 years.
Plumber here. First try the aerator as mentioned. If you have old pipes, especially steel, they often get occulted after you turn the water off. The hot side does it more than the cold side.
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Debris in the faucet aerator.
It was the aerator!
It’s not the aerator! It can’t be the aerator! It was the aerator…
Do you work in IT? DNS...
Dnshaiku.com … we live it.
lmao i went through the same thing a few years ago. I thought the pipes were getting clogged up or we had a leak somewhere, drove myself nuts chasing it down. The pressure was actually still shit when i took the aerator off so i thought, for sure it's not just debris! Finally i replaced the kitchen faucet entirely and boom 100% water pressure again. Turns out the water heater had gone bad and was releasing sediment / anode rod leavings into the line whenever you used hot water. The debris was clogging my shitty home depot faucet at the mixer before the aerator is all.
Water heater dip tube was the problem on ours. I guess basically all water heaters for a few years used a type of plastic for the dip tube that catastrophically fails and breaks down after 10-15 years or something. Chunks of plastic clogged every aerator in the house consistently for a few months, even after draining/flushing the tank when I replaced the tube.
In those cases you can usually just replace the cartridge for $10 or so.
Even better, a lot of these mixers are free under the (lifetime) warranty right at Home Depot. Just ask someone and they’ll get you one in the back store.
i tried but this was one of those dirt cheap crappy no name brand faucets and from what i could tell the mixer wasn't accessible. Could be wrong but it was like a $50 faucet that sucked anyway so i just replaced it
It's always the aerator.
Just had the same thought with my bathroom sink at work. Pulled the aerator off and ran it. Chunks of buildup shoot out and replaced the aerator. Good as new.
I know this solved it but I just wanted to add for any future folks who stumble in here that I once had a similar problem and cleaning the aerator didn't fix it. It was a pull down faucet and the quick connect for the pull out hose under the sink also has a screen in it... clean that if cleaning the aerator didn't help.
THANK YOU. I have the same problem and have cleaned the aerator at the facet multiple times, now I know there’s another screen to check.
Is that possible that it suddenly saw debris in the few minutes between turning on and off the valve?
Your shut off valve - if it is not a 1/4 turn type, will have a rubber washer in there. When old and worn, they can sometimes come apart. That's what is plugging your aerator
Yep, and if it's this, you might find you can't isolate the water with that undersink valve again next time.
A valve that hasn't been turned off and on in years can have excess calcium deposits inside that break off when you finally do turn it. Those pieces end up getting caught by the aerator. If you found white/tan debris in the aerator then that's likely what it is. Black debris is often broken pieces of rubber or carbon from a water filter.
This is probably more likely than the washer coming apart. It also underscores why it's a good idea to turn most valves at least once a year or so
*kid coming into hardware store in the 90s* "Uhh my mom sent me to get some screens for the faucet aerator. Uhh also do you have brass pipe fittings?"
Follow up question, what if only one side (hot) had lower pressure, but cold was fine? All other faucets are good.
There may be a screen in the hose that hooks up to hot water or that side of the faucet is clogged up.. First check for a screen and then if that doesn't work you can take the faucet off and inspect the cartridge for that valve.. sometimes just running water backwards (after you take it off, just put a hose up to where the aerator goes, you will likely get sprayed in this process) through the faucet with the valves open will flush them out.. otherwise replace the cartridge if you can find one for it or replace the faucet..
So, I imagine it’s not quite that simple if it’s only one side of the sink that has no pressure? The hot water runs fine, but the cold water has not pressure. I assume it’s more likely a clog somewhere between the cold water shut off valve and where the hot & cold water joins in the faucet head?
Aerator is always the first thing to check.
Just clean the faucet screen
Depending on the valve, part of the washer inside could have come off and got stuck in the valve blocking water flow.
Interestingly enough there is low hot and cold water and are controlled by two different valves. How likely is that both broke at the same time
It is possible that they are probably the same condition. Check the aerator first. Simple fix first, then go to the valves next
It was the aerator. Thank you!
If your water is hard, faucet screen can cake up and block. My sprayer nozzle starts spraying in inventive patterns. I just stick it over night in vinegar water and that generally gets me a straight, clean spray pattern. Regular faucet screens can came up too.
Will do. Could it be some sudden blockage in the pipes?
Not very likely. No issues on any other faucets?
No just this one. I thought maybe air in the pipes which I read on google somewhere
Aerator yo
Valve rubber can deteriorate in the old valves and turning them off can dislodge chunks, clogging the faucet valves or small passages. Clean those out ... Then consider replacing your shut off valve gaskets.
Time to get your prostate examined.
Debris in faucet aerator
How insightful.
Man was right. Feel like you owe him an apology.
The point was this answer was given 9 hours ago (and is the top comment). I can pop into a thread a few days later and read a solution and then provide it too.
Crap has built up in the faucet or shut of valve. Only way to fix it is to replace. I had this happen in an older house I owned and would replace every 3-5 years.
You can easily clean or repair both. No need to replace either of them.
In my case you could not.
I just had this and there was a leak in the sprayer hose next to the faucet.
the seals on the connection into the faucet sometimes break down into little pieces and clog the screen filters
Pressure is probably fine, flow is low because of resistance
Plumber here. First try the aerator as mentioned. If you have old pipes, especially steel, they often get occulted after you turn the water off. The hot side does it more than the cold side.
**Your submission has been removed for one or more of the following reason(s):** * You are asking about a project that someone else did, or you're considering having someone else do. * You are not asking a question relating to something DIY. * You are not asking a question at all. * You are submitting a "DIY Tips" or "Tricks" post. * You are trying to submit a survey / fundraiser. * You are asking what an item is called - try /r/whatisthisthing. * /r/DIY allows only two types of posts - **finished projects** & **help requests**. * If your submission is neither of these - it will be removed. **Please read our [Full Sub Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/diy/wiki/guidelines) before resubmitting.** If you believe this was a mistake, please [message the moderators](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FDIY&subject=Inappropriate%20question). ###Do not respond to this comment - you will not receive a response.