Kitchen faucet issue...

[Thirdyfivepickup]

I am having pressure issues with my kitchen faucet. With no other water running my pressure is very low. If I spray the hose attachment the pressure spikes to an almost usable level then goes back to the low pressure. (I've added a picture of what my faucet looks like... its not this exact one) I'll mention that I do have a dishwasher.

All of the other faucets have a normal pressure to them.

I took the nozzle off and there was a cartridge in there that I cleaned out the best I could. While it was out I ran the water and the flow was no better with that part off.

I've looked online for a fix and didn't see much. I checked out the instructions and didn't see anything there.

Any ideas on what I can do other than buy a new unit?

 

[kbs2244]

Have you cleaned the end of the spout screen?
With it apart there may be a plastic restrictor washer whose only purpose is to slow down the flow.
Leave it out then you re-assemble.

 

[48RON54]

Was this recently installed? Sounds like a partial blockage.....maybe a ball of Teflon tape if recently installed.......maybe dirt/rock from city working on water lines if its been there awhile. I would redo water connections, and blow compressed air through the faucet to clear any possible clogs. Reassemble and test.

 

[CJ7VFR]

Have you cleaned the end of the spout screen?
With it apart there may be a plastic restrictor washer whose only purpose is to slow down the flow.
Leave it out then you re-assemble.

I will also suggest you do this as well.

When we bought this house in 2010, the upstairs bathroom sink had terrible water pressure. The shower/tub was fine, but the sink pressure sucked.

I thought maybe something was up with the water pressure in the whole house, but it was not. I took the faucet apart and cleaned everything, but that did not help at all.

Then for some reason I thought about the aerator screen that screws into the faucet where the water comes out, and that maybe that might be the problem.

So I took it off, and it looked ok. But just for the heck of it I took the aerator apart. Holy moly, almost every little tiny hole in the center plastic piece was clogged!!! You could not see this unless you took the plastic part out.

I took out the plastic piece, and put the aerator back in, and WOW, what a difference! The water pressure was great, and even my wife said that the water gets hotter faster now. The only real difference was that without the plastic piece with the tiny holes in it the water felt "hard" according to my wife.

So I went to HD, bought a new plastic piece that had larger holes than the original tiny hole one, and put that in the aerator. Now my wife says the water is "softer" again, so she is happy.

Even if your faucet it new, sometimes "junk" can get clogged into the aerator after you install the faucet. Most faucet manufactures recommend that when you install a new faucet that you remove the aerator before you turn the water on, and let the water run for a few minutes to flush out any junk that might be in the faucet after it was made.

Jim

 

[6768rogues]

One of my son's rentals did that. I unhooked the supply lines under the sink, put them in a bucket and turned the water on to demonstrate that normal flow was present. It was so I simply put a new faucet in. Unless it is expensive or nearly new, just replace it.

 

[Thirdyfivepickup]

Have you cleaned the end of the spout screen?
With it apart there may be a plastic restrictor washer whose only purpose is to slow down the flow.
Leave it out then you re-assemble.

All I did was unscrew the very end and take out the plastic cartridge. With nothing on the end of the faucet pressure didn't change.

Was this recently installed? Sounds like a partial blockage.....maybe a ball of Teflon tape if recently installed.......maybe dirt/rock from city working on water lines if its been there awhile. I would redo water connections, and blow compressed air through the faucet to clear any possible clogs. Reassemble and test.

It was in the house when I bought the place July of 2016. Pressure never seemed to have been correct.

 

[48RON54]

disconnect water lines at faucet and test to verify you have good flow. clean and apply new Teflon tape prior to reconnecting. Wrap Teflon tape in correct direction. With aerator on end of faucet removed, blow compressed air through faucet to clear any possible jams. Reconnect and test.

I say both of these because I had a similar issue with my kitchen faucet. It ended up being dirt/rocks in the line from local utility work. I had to clear it a few times before it worked right again.

Or, after you verify the water pressure coming from the wall is good, just replace it as someone else said. They aren't particularly expensive.

 

[sixty4]

Sounds like the diverter to me. If you have good pressure from one and not the other. Who makes the faucet, delta, by any chance?

 

[tre873]

Also make sure the shut-off valve is completely open.

 

[Thirdyfivepickup]

Sounds like the diverter to me. If you have good pressure from one and not the other. Who makes the faucet, delta, by any chance?

It's a Pfister faucet. The spraygun portion has good pressure. It always seems to consistent pressure. The faucet is low until I spray then it kicks up to a better pressure (not optimal) then slowly goes back to low pressure.

 

[sixty4]

It's a Pfister faucet. The spraygun portion has good pressure. It always seems to consistent pressure. The faucet is low until I spray then it kicks up to a better pressure (not optimal) then slowly goes back to low pressure.

Well two options, call Pfister and speak with tech support, or (no offense) change it out. Most faucets today unless high end we just change them out as parts and wait time is something most customers don't want.

https://www.pfisterfaucets.com/how-to-center/troubleshooting

Maybe this will help you out?

 

[Solpainter]

If you have shut offs below the sink try to turn them in and out a few times. Sometimes they clog up with junk. This worked for me a few times.

 

[Thirdyfivepickup]

Ok I’ll check it out tomorrow evening when I get home from work. I’m going to email Pfister tech support as well.

 

[isb cornbinder]

I am having pressure issues with my kitchen faucet. With no other water running my pressure is very low. If I spray the hose attachment the pressure spikes to an almost usable level then goes back to the low pressure. (I've added a picture of what my faucet looks like... its not this exact one) I'll mention that I do have a dishwasher.

All of the other faucets have a normal pressure to them.

I took the nozzle off and there was a cartridge in there that I cleaned out the best I could. While it was out I ran the water and the flow was no better with that part off.

I've looked online for a fix and didn't see much. I checked out the instructions and didn't see anything there.

Any ideas on what I can do other than buy a new unit?

We have the same faucet unit. It has all be shut down to a trickle. What caused our situation was a failing water heater. The lining in the water tank was flaking off and partially plugged the kitchen faucet and all of the other hot water taps in the house. Replacement if back-flushing does not fis out situation.

 

[Northislander]

Sounds like the diverter to me. If you have good pressure from one and not the other. Who makes the faucet, delta, by any chance?

i agree with sixty4 the diverter should be located at the base of the spout
here's a link to a you tube repair:

 

[Thirdyfivepickup]

I know you were all on the edge of your seat wondering what happened.

Got a new faucet. Pressure is great now. Took out the old model with brass internals and replaced it with a 'high quality' (ie expensive) Delta with plastic internals.

 

[48RON54]

i know you were all on the edge of your seat wondering what happened.

Got a new faucet. Pressure is great now. Took out the old model with brass internals and replaced it with a 'high quality' (ie expensive) delta with plastic internals.

lol......