Subject: [Spridgets] REALLY OT - plumbing question

From: Rick Bastedo <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 28 Dec 2012 11:44:49 -0800

As a few of you may know I have been remodeling / rebuilding the bathroom
in my 86 year old home - since July.
Ok, I am not fast. Granted.
This has been a weekends only job for the most part and has included
rebuilding the superstructure as well as the internal workings.
Yesterday I connected the hot and cold supplies and the drain to our new
shower alcove, which is now about 90% finished.
I ran both lines open into a 5 gallon bucket before connecting and noticed
I have a lot less pressure on the hot side that I have on the cold side.
I also see this at the kitchen sink and the bathroom vanity.
This home is all electric so I have the big 50 gallon hot water tank
located between the bath and the kitchen.

Last August I attached a hose to the bottom of the tank and drained it and
saw a lot of white material draining out with the water.

Could the pressure problem be due to having deposits in the tank or at the
output side of the tank? If so how do I fix this?

Is there something else I could try or examine to find the cause of this
problem?

It's such a simple system I really don't see a lot that could go wrong here.
Of course I have a combination of newer copper pipes and older steel pipes,
and I know the steel could be getting rusty inside, however the cold supply
to the new shower is steel and has full pressure.

Thanks, this group is the most knowledgeable group I know of so that is why
I am asking the question here.

BTW my Midget is back on the road after BillM sent me a replacement drive
shaft with all new replaceable U-joints. My Datsun shaft finally hit end of
life.

Rick (Need More Power - er Pressure) Bastedo
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Archive: http://www.team.net/archive

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From: Michael MacLean <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 28 Dec 2012 12:45:43 -0800 (PST)

I once asked a plumber what kind of job he did most often.  He told it was
fixing the homeowner amateur plumber's mistakes and half finished jobs. I like
to save money too, but maybe it's time to call in the experts.
Mike MacLean
60 Sprite
56 BN2
02 Heritage Springer

--- On Fri, 12/28/12, Rick Bastedo <[email-masked]> wrote:

From: Rick Bastedo <[email-masked]>
Subject: [Spridgets] REALLY OT - plumbing question
To: "Spridgets" <[email-masked]>
Date: Friday, December 28, 2012, 7:44 PM

[email-masked]

Archive: http://www.team.net/archive
http://autox.team.net/mailman/options/spridgets/[email-masked]
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From: Rick Bastedo <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 28 Dec 2012 19:56:59 -0800

Thanks to everyone who emailed and called.
I guess next to the LBC this community has a lot to say about plumbing!

I started out by removing the feed and output lines from the hot water tank.
Visually everything looked fine.
I connected a hose to the drain and drained the tank (all after turning off
the big fat breaker of course).
There was zero sediment this time, the hot water all emptied out clean and
clear.

Thinking (and answering emails) while this was draining I decided next to
get a ball valve and some compression fittings and put a valve on the inlet
side of the WH.
After completing this I was able to turn house water back on, much to the
delight of my family.

Next I looked at the 3/4 inch nipple coming out of the hot side and
wondered if a garden hose would fit - as some of you already know it does
fit exactly.
So I connected my drain hose to the Hot side nipple and turned off the
drain valve, then opened the cold inlet side and let the tank fill.
Once it filled I found very good pressure exiting the back door via my
garden hose.
So - no restriction in the WH.

Next I hooked up the WH completely and turned it back on, of course there
was the obligatory clean up from all the water I had let escape while I
wasn't looking and I have to publicly praise my better half as she dug
right in and helped me with the resulting sea of water that used to be her
laundry room.

Next I decided to take a closer look at the kitchen sink, having turned on
the water in the bathroom vanity and having found very good pressure there.
The kitchen sink had even less pressure than before, and what had been only
the hot side was now both hot and cold trickling out with the valves wide
open.

So I took it apart.

When I got back from Lowe's with the really nice pretty Delta kitchen
faucet it was a simple matter of refitting is the reverse of removal.

I am happy to report the problem is solved.

So - again I thank you all and this issue is done and done!

(Still have to get the shower finished, but that's just grouting the
ceiling, attaching the shower panel. calking and installing the 60" x 72"
shower door.
Childs play compared to today!

Rick (feelin' the pressure once again) Bastedo

On Fri, Dec 28, 2012 at 11:44 AM, Rick Bastedo <[email-masked]> wrote:

> Ok, I am not fast. Granted...
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