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 Mysterious cold water line problem
Author: MrsMBarnes (AL)

Only on the kitchen side of our home, the cold water flows at a trickling rate. Kitchen sink, clothes washing machine, and an outdoor spigot. The hot water flow is perfect and hot. The water heater is located on the kitchen side of our home and doesn't seem to have trouble filling up. Home is one story built on a slab in 1992 in Alabama. We have hard water and have found chipped up mineral deposit pieces collecting at the appliances in the hoses, like filling the hoses for who knows how far, but I'm not sure that is the problem. I had a plumber come today to blow air back through the lines to see if something would dislodge but it didn't work, nothing changed with the slow flowing cold water. What could be stuck? Are the pipes accessible to check joints and splits? It has been like this for at least 3 years.
Thanks!

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 Re: Mysterious cold water line problem
Author: srloren (CA)

Do you have 2 handles for the sink faucet? I you do, Check the angle stop under your sink at the wall. Sounds like debris has created a partial blockage in the valve or the flex connector or it could be on the cold side of the faucet.

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 Re: Mysterious cold water line problem
Author: MrsMBarnes (AL)

It's a one handle kitchen sink faucet. I have checked as far as I can without cutting sheetrock and found nothing. I have even replaced the valve in the handle, thinking it was causing the slow cold water but it did not change. The washing machine and outdoor spigot have same problem and are clustered together on one side of our home. Water heater is also nearby in garage, but I don't think the supply water is slow to fill it. Wish I had the diagram of plumbing for this house!

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 Re: Mysterious cold water line problem
Author: srloren (CA)

What brand is the faucet? Can you send a photo of it and how it connects under the sink?

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 Re: Mysterious cold water line problem
Author: Paul48 (CT)

Hire a plumber that is capable of finding the problem. If he tried one thing and gave up, he/she is not a very good plumber. Just a guess, but the line may be closed down to a pin-hole with mineral deposits.



Edited 1 times.

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 Re: Mysterious cold water line problem
Author: MrsMBarnes (AL)

Two different plumbers have attempted and failed and charged for it. Trying to see if there are any masterful plumbing geniuses on here with better ideas! The guys that have come over say we'll have to re-route pipes for a few thousand $$$. I would much prefer some unconventional out-of-the-pipes type ideas to try before having to go into big debt. Are there any weird plumbing parts between water heater and sink, washing machine, spigot, maybe even dishwasher?? that could have broken something inside that travels through the cold lines and stops it up? If mineral deposit pinhole, is there such a thing as a vinegar backflush??? The rest of the house has perfect cold and hot flow.
Thanks! : )

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 Re: Mysterious cold water line problem
Author: sum (FL)

Is this a sudden occurrence? Has it been working fine all along and suddenly one day the flow became restricted? Or this is a house you just moved into and it has been an issue on day one?

Not a plumber here but just based on what you described it's either a problem in a section of your cold supply pipe that is upstream of the three fixtures you are having this issue with (washing machine, kitchen faucet, outside spigot), or you have the same problem close to each fixture. If it was me the very first thing I would try is to pick a fixture, the easiest one would probably be the outside spigot, and remove the spigot down to just the pipe, and see if the flow out of the pipe is slow. If so, try flushing back and forth from there. I am sure your plumber has already tried that. To try and isolate the source of the issue would take experience, patience as well as knowledge of the existing piping schematics.

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 Re: Mysterious cold water line problem
Author: Paul48 (CT)

I'd fill the line to the spigot with vinegar and let it sit over night. Add a boiler drain on the cold feed before the water heater. Open the spigot and blow the line out with compressed air. Put a hose on the new boiler drain and bring the end of it above the level of the spigot.Put a hose on the spigot and raise its end above the spigot. Use a funnel and pour gallons of cheap vinegar into one hose, until it comes out the other. It'll take some time but it saves the cost of a pump.

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