Any way to "clean" or "snake"plumbing?

lendaddy · 12-03-2007, 11:45 AM

I have very hard water and I'm convinced I have some blockages. Everything is copper except 1" galv from the well.

My shower is my main concern. It recently dropped pressure so I pulled and cleaned the cartridge(great fun without proper tools), no help.

I have good pressure at some faucets and bad at others so I have to believe I have a blockage or buildup somewhere. Any ideas?

Rot 911 · 12-03-2007, 11:56 AM

Did you do the obvious like check to see if the shower head was clogged up?

legion · 12-03-2007, 11:58 AM

I have the same problem in my upstairs bathroom...

Subscribed....

lendaddy · 12-03-2007, 12:00 PM

I have cleaned the shower head, yes. After I pulled the cartridge I let her rip for a few minutes to clean the supply lines out and the flow even then was unimpressive. I will say I was shocked at the narrow diameter of the orifices inside the shower manifold but alas they were unobstructed.

lendaddy · 12-03-2007, 12:11 PM

Tonight I'm going to try this:

This is not for the faint of heart.
This can be effective in removing loose sediment from the hot water pipes but does not normally improve water pressure.
This back-flush process involves back-flowing cold water through the hot water pipes in the house and blowing it out through the hot water heater drain at the base of the water heater. It requires the water heater to have a valve shut-off on the cold side water supply pipe of the water heater.
First: Shut off the water heater by either turning the gas thermostat on the side of the heater to "off" and turning off the gas shutoff at the heater for safety, or for an electric heater turn “off” the electric breaker in the electric panel.
Second: Prepare for pressured water to forcefully drain out of the water heater drain at the base of the water heater. This may include connecting a short garden hose to the drain and routing it into a floor drain. Put the drain hose in the floor drain and not on the floor as the water can forcefully spray a long distance and make a mess. Then open the drain at the bottom of the water heater. Confirm that water is draining out of the heater or this whole exercise will not work.
Third: Turn off the cold water inlet valve to the water heater so fresh water is not supplied into the water heater from the cold side.
Fourth: Find the sink faucet furthest from the water heater, perhaps on the second floor of the house. Plug the faucet spout with some sort of a stop to prevent water flowing into the sink by removing the aerator screwed onto the faucet spout. Insert a soft rubber disc or gasket into the aerator to block water flow from the spout. Screw the aerator back onto the faucet with the gasket or rubber disc in the spout. This keeps water from coming out of the spout.
Fifth: Check all your connections to assure no leaks or mishaps.
Sixth: Turn on the cold water at the plugged faucet and let it run for about forty minutes. Make sure you turn on the cold only. This will flow cold water back through the blocked faucet into the hot water pipes and drain out the base of the water heater. This flushes all pipes between the plugged faucet and the water heater.
Seventh: Do the same thing at the laundry connection.
Eighth: Turn the faucet off and remove all plugs and hoses. Return the shut-offs to the original position, fill the water heater full of water, turn it back on or re-light the gas pilot and adjust the thermostat to your desired setting.
Ninth: Clean all aerators in the house as loose sediment and granules can become lodged in the aerators and can block the water flow. You are now finished.

This can be effective in removing loose sediment from the hot water pipes but does not normally improve water pressure. Doing this annually in geographic locations that have high sediment or hard water areas is valuable.

Zeke · 12-03-2007, 12:27 PM

Water pressure and water volume are two different things and most get them reversed in importance.

That process you describe seems a little over the top to me. If you want the flush the bottom of your WH, just open the valve at the base. At best, you will rid the heater of any sediment, make it bait more efficient and make it last longer. If you have any volume of flow at all, I doubt if you have any standing sediments in any piping.

Also, most people don;t know that you need to operate your wall shut offs, or angle stops, once a year while the faucet is open. This frees deposits on the valve which can be restricting and./or cause the valve to not close when you NEED to close it in an emergency (broken supply line). If they leak when closing them, tighten the packing or replace.

lendaddy · 12-03-2007, 12:32 PM

Milt, it probably is a volume issue more so than pressure.

widgeon13 · 12-03-2007, 12:56 PM

Are you operating from a well? If so, you probably have an expansion tank and the bladder inside the tank can develop a leak, as a result your water pressure will drop, eventually it will have to be replaced. Don't know if that helps but just an idea.

billwagnon · 12-03-2007, 01:08 PM

In my opinion, anything other than new pipes is just delaying the inevitable and increasing the frustration.

when I bought my last house, the shower head DRIPPED at full-on. so they did that pipe-ramming thing or something as a contingency before closing, which made the shower usable at best. all the pipes were steel or whatever, and a cross-section looked like atherosclerosis.

I put up with it for a couple years, then I put in new copper and the flow was sweet! Taking out the old pipes was the hard part.

The Roto-Rooter would be a good idea. Maybe you can flow an abrasive through the plumbing like the guy did with sand through his intake manifold.

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

I used to have to acid wash out my combination furnace/hot water heater, but only the hot water side.

This was in a very hard water area of Western Massachusettes

Moneyguy1 · 12-03-2007, 01:57 PM

I have never seen copper pipe develop "hardening of the arteries" like the old galvanized pipes. Are there any left-over galavanized piping in your home? Wherever the two are "married" there is a galvanic action that accelerated deterioration of the iron pipe and a LOT of buildup. Exercising the wall shut offs like milt says is important about once a year. Since it is a well...have you checked the pump output? The pipe from the pump is galvanized? What size?

Good luck.

Porsche-O-Phile · Porsche-O-Phile's Garage

Sounds like a job for zeolite.

lendaddy · 12-03-2007, 03:00 PM

Thanks guys,

It's an all copper system (with some pvc add on). I have one faucet that runs a gallon in less than 15 seconds! But all the other suck, more like 1/3 gallon in 20 seconds. looking at the plumbing I cannot see a reason for the one that performs so well as it shares the same main. ????