Plumbing Issue Question

Groesbeck Hurricane · 01-04-2020, 05:59 PM

Just wondering if anyone may have a suggestion. Prior to this situation we had great water pressure and could run three showers at once with more than enough pressure and hot water from the on-demand hot water heater.

The water company had a main line break about 1.5 miles up flow from my house. I am on the first branch (90 degree right turn) down flow from the break. There are no other customers between me and the break. To be neighborly, the water company never informed us of the line break or repair.

Started with some debris noted in the line and a noted reduction in flow. The water company came out, we have 30 pounds of pressure at the meter. This is down from 35/40. In the middle of the house we had three (3) pounds of pressure at the faucet. We average about one gallon per minute.

Today I dug up our line prior to going into the house. I cut the line so I could test water flow each direction. We have pressure on the line. I filled up five gallons in less than two minutes. There was a 90 degree angle prior to going into the house, there was a small rock stopped in the line that I knocked out.

Pushing from the beginning of the cold and hot side of the line I was filling up five gallons in about six minutes. Pushing back from the farthest point in the house there was zero flow backwards.

So we are averaging a water flow of one gallon per minute in the majority of our system. The farthest shower does not have adequate flow to kick on the central hot water heater. Could not run a bath in the tub for the little kids.

The lines are PEX, not PVC. The house is about 3 years old. We had great pressure up until the main line water repair mentioned above.

The builder and first plumber ignored the requirement to put the inbound plumbing in the walls and ceiling, they buried it under the slab. Yes, they are out of business. No recourse there.

What does the brain trust think is a good path forward? What options are available?

unclebilly · unclebilly's Garage

Pull the shower head off of that far shower and clean it out.

I have well water and every so often I have to decalcify the kitchen sink faucet because it doesn’t have enough flow for the rennai. In your case, I bet you have debris in the jets of your shower head.

Run it a while with the shower head off, I bet it gets hot.

URY914 · 01-04-2020, 06:27 PM

^^ Agree. you have crap in the lines. City should have told you to flush everything out.

unclebilly · unclebilly's Garage

There may also be little plastic filters in your sink faucets and shower heads, these will be plugged with grit.

wdfifteen · wdfifteen's Garage

+1 on all these replies. It does sound like dirt in the lines. The smallest orifices are in the devices at the ends of the lines (shower heads, etc) so those are the most likely to get stopped up.

Groesbeck Hurricane · 01-04-2020, 06:59 PM

Back flushed it today. The back flush flowed as slowly or slower than the new normal run. The shower fixtures do not allow reverse water flow.

Yes, filters/screens removed and cleaned. Water flow is through open lines without restrictions.

Rural water, no cities/townships.

I am speculating there is a small rock in the line which does not wish to dislodge. Thoughts? I thought flushing in reverse would help. It did not. I did have some small debris flush out backwards but most of the flow was good water, just very, very slow with no real pressure.

wdfifteen · wdfifteen's Garage

How are you backflushing? Where are you getting the water from and at what pressure? 35 psi is terrible water pressure. You should have 50 plus.
I would start looking at valves, ells, and so forth. The least likely place for a stoppage is in a straight run of pipe.

Groesbeck Hurricane · 01-04-2020, 07:14 PM

When I cut the line going into the house I put a temporary faucet behind the cut-off valve. This is about five feet from the house. I then put a heavy duty water hose at this point. The pressure was fairly good at this point. I then put the water hose to various valves within the home so the water could flow backwards back to the place where the water goes into the house.

The minimum allowable pressure is 30 PSI, recommended is 50 PSI. Yes, 3 PSI at the first faucet in the house is an issue.

Bill Douglas · 01-04-2020, 07:20 PM

It happened straight after the water company had a problem, a stone was found...

I think the water company should put it right at their expense. Mention you may get a layer involved if they aren't being accommodating.

greglepore · 01-05-2020, 05:47 AM

Are you sure there's not a check valve or backflow preventer in the house keeping you from an adequate backflush?

I agree with above that there is likely something trapped in an elbow or t somewhere.

I'm also assuming you don't have a filter anywhere in the system...

Gretch · 01-05-2020, 05:59 AM

water hammer the lines........... limit the back pressure to 50PSI........... use an air compressor. keep air PSI at 50 and toggle water feed on and off in a cadence that gets longer as the system flushes out.

dad911 · 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Groesbeck Hurricane

Just wondering if anyone may have a suggestion. Prior to this situation we had great water pressure and could run three showers at once withmore than enough pressure and hot water from the on-demand hot water heater.

3 showers is 6-7 gallons per minute.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Groesbeck Hurricane

.......Started with some debris noted in the line and a noted reduction in flow. The water company came out,
.........
Today I dug up our line prior to going into the house. I cut the line so I could test water flow each direction. We have pressure on the line. I filled up five gallons in less than two minutes.

That's about 2-3 gallons per minute, barely enough for 1 shower. I think they still have an issue in the service line. I get almost 10 gpm from my well.

I'd be all over the water company. What did they say when they came out? You need to go higher up the chain with them.

How about homeowners insurance policy? I wonder if there is any coverage.

Did water co. change/clean the water meter?

BK911 · BK911's Garage

Being one of the first customers, you probably have a pressure regulator or reducer at the incoming service. You can adjust, or pull out and clean then adjust.

john70t · 01-05-2020, 12:34 PM

Anything upstream of the meter should be someone else's problem, in the city at least.

Groesbeck Hurricane · 01-11-2020, 05:23 PM

Thanks to all!

So I have been at the water department several times. They have come out and we have gone over the issues with their engineer. We got the pressure up to 60 at the meter and were able to run two showers without issue. Then the pressure dropped off below 30 again. The water department installed some new in-line meters to detect water flow. They found two other breaks, one just above our place. The break above us is apparently rather large. It is scheduled to be repaired next week. Yay!

We shall see what the new week brings.

wdfifteen · wdfifteen's Garage

Yaaahhh! Weak showers suck.

Bill Douglas · 01-11-2020, 05:34 PM

Thanks to you because they wouldn't have known otherwise, and lost a lot of the city's water. If the break occurred on your property and they are saying it's your cost remind them that it was fine until they did their upgrade.

masraum · 01-11-2020, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

Thanks to you because they wouldn't have known otherwise, and lost a lot of the city's water. If the break occurred on your property and they are saying it's your cost remind them that it was fine until they did their upgrade.

and eventually, possibly had a sink hole.