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Topic: Blocked Flow to Fresh Water Lines/Faucets (Read 379 times) previous topic - next topic
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Blocked Flow to Fresh Water Lines/Faucets
Just de-winterized our 2015 MB and have a problem with the fresh water system which had been winterized by blowing out the lines with compressed air.  After filling the fresh water tank and turning on the water pump,  I get no flow or air from the galley sink or the sink in the head., both hot and cold.  I get flow to the hot water heater, the outside shower, both hot and cold, the toilet, the toilet spray,  and the shower, both hot and cold.

This winter in Seattle was cold, temperatures in the  upper twenties, so there was definite freezing.

Any thoughts as to how to solve this problem would be very welcome.

I have never used the city water connection, does it have any system of check valves to keep water from back flowing into the FW tank, which might have been clogged or?

Ian & Jean
"The Silver Fox"
Seattle

2015 MB
Re: fresh water plumbing problem
Reply #1 –
Did you check any aerators / screens at the faucets or the hoses that attach to the faucets to make sure they are not clogged with sediment? 
Jane & Scott
Currently have a 1989 TK  LD we did a lot of upgrades on.
Bigfoot 25RQ Twin on order with early summer 2024 ETA

Our smartphone autocorrects into very poor English.
 We disclaim the illusion of ignorance this creates as we have enough ignorance we rightly claim.
Re: fresh water plumbing problem
Reply #2 –
Checked for sediment and all clear!

Ian Walker
2015 MB
Re: fresh water plumbing problem
Reply #3 –
Living in So. Cal, I have never had the need to winterize, but I believe the procedure to be:  empty your fresh water tank, blow out your lines,  followed by the refilling your water lines with potable antifreeze to prevent the freezing of the remaining water.  Perhaps others that do this procedure routinely can chime in?

Gary
2007 30' TB
Re: fresh water plumbing problem
Reply #4 –
I had the same issue w/ my 01 MB earlier this year. No water in the bathroom sink. Mine turned out to be clogged aerators. In our MB, the lines that feed the galley sink, also feed the bathroom sink. It's pretty easy to disconnect the lines from the galley faucet. Might be worth trying to disconnect one and see if you get any  type of flow. That would narrow it down to the faucet or upstream line.
2001 MB
Re: fresh water plumbing problem
Reply #5 –
Ian and Jean, you have flow to the shower and toilet, both hot and cold, so the system to that point (pump, water heater, and feed lines) is good.  While there is always a slight chance that something, some way, might clog a feed line, I have never heard of it and don't see how it could happen.  I cannot imagine a blockage in both the hot and cold feed lines.

Here is what I suggest, starting from the easiest to the hardest.

1) Pull out the kitchen faucet head, unscrew the faucet head from the hose, point the hose into the sink and turn on the faucet.  If you have flow, the clog is in the faucet head.  Clean it by disassembling as much as you can, then use a jet of compressed air at the head to try to blow debris backward.  Soak the unit in white vinegar, then rinse and blow air through again. If there is no flow from the hose, the clog is somewhere in the faucet body.

2) Re-attach the faucet head and let the hose retract.  Turn off the pump.  With a small Allan wrench, remove the faucet handle, then disassemble the faucet and remove the cartridge.  Look for sediment in the top and bottom intakes of the cartridge.  Flakes of calcium there are somewhat common.  If you see any white particulate matter, clean it all out.  If they are clear,

3) This takes a bit of courage.  Cover the open cartridge enclosure with a wash cloth.  Flick the pump on and off.  If you got  a jet of water spraying into the wash cloth (and perhaps all over you and the kitchen) the problem is in either the cartridge or the outfeed to the faucet head.  If not, the obstruction is in each of the infeed lines.  A blockage at one or the other can happen but both - highly unlikely.  Assuming you got a jet of water, and the cartridge looks clear, you need to check where the faucet outfeed connects to the hose going to the faucet head.

4) Re-assemble the cartridge and faucet.  Under the sink, the infeed lines are on each side, and the outfeed line is in the center.  The outfeed usually can be removed without tools, by pushing it up against the faucet, then pulling down the nylon sleeve ring, then pull down the feed line.  I have seen a blockage in the start of that feed line twice.

5) If the outfeed is clear and you can blow air through it to the faucet head, the only thing left is a bad cartridge.  Replace it.

5) On to the bathroom sink.  Make sure the pump is off, then disassemble the faucet and check the cartridge, just like in the kitchen.  Clear?  Get the washcloth and an assistant.  Let the assistant hold the cloth in place while you flick the pump on and off, safely away from the geyser that hopefully will happen.  (PS - make sure your assistant has a sense of humor.)  If you get a geyser, the cartridge is blocked.  Replace it.  If no geyser,

6) The only remaining place for a clog at the bathroom sink is where the infeed lines attach to the faucet.  I have had them clog several times, and finally changed the faucet to one that did not have screens at the infeeds.  To clean them on the old faucet, I found it necessary to remove the faucet so I could see into the infeeds, then using a dental probe, I flicked out the accumulated calcium bits.

Have fun!

Ken F in NM

'08 MB
 
Re: Blocked Flow to Fresh Water Lines/Faucets
Reply #7 –
Andy, yep!  If the blockage is in the cartridge, that stands a fair chance of clearing it, as it turns the calcium flakes and lumps into sludge, which hopefully will wash out under pressure.

Ken F in NM
'08 MB