Low water pressure in bathroom

[Lisa Rae]

So I think I have fixed 99.9% of my issues.  After cleaning the flow restrictors/pressure regulators that helped a lot but I decided to replace them with a hollow pipe (got it at Home Depot, I'm sure there were other ways to do this but this was simplest for me) so there is no restriction.  I purchased an external pressure regulator and have that set to 55psi and will use that going forward.  I also replaced the faucet head in the bathroom and I have great flow/pressure almost everywhere now.

 

The one place I think the flow/pressure could be better still is the toile.  I did try cleaning the filter/screen as was suggested in an earlier post, but I couldn't figure out how to get the filter/screen out so I poured vinegar down the tube and let it sit for a few hours but it didn't seem to help.  It's good enough though.  The bowl doesn't hold water for very long so have to look into that.

 

The last thing I found which I am sure contributed to a lot of my problems was the anode rod was way overdue to be replaced and water heater was full of scale/buildup.  I flushed out the hot water heater, which took a while for stuff to stop coming out and the water to be clear then put in the new anode rod and tested the system and everything is working like new again.

 

 

So what I have learned from all of this is it's very important to use a water softener and/or flush the lines regularly to avoid buildup.  As I said earlier, I do think the cleaning the  flow restrictors/pressure regulators made the most difference, when on city water, but I think its best to just replace them.  That's probably why they don't have them in the 2018 and newer units.  Be sure to use an adjustable external regulator just to be sure.  When using the internal water pump cleaning/replacing the screens on the faucets or the faucet head itself made the difference.    I did start with the faucets before moving onto anything else and that's what you need to do when diagnosing this kind of problem and remember to confirm you have the same problem on city water and you do with the water pump.  I hope this helps someone who finds themselves in a similar situation.  

 

[topgun2]

27 minutes ago, Lisa Rae said:

The bowl doesn't hold water for very long so have to look into that.

When you look into the toilet bowl you should see a black "ring/gasket" around the outside of the rounded part that moves when you step down on the pedal to flush.  This gasket can get "stuff" stuck to it.  "Stuff" can be all sorts of things to include mineral buildup.

After cleaning the toilet you should gently wipe that gasket feeling for any deposits.  If you can't get those deposits off and/or if the gasket is brittle then it can be replaced.  On the other hand - if it seems to come clean you can then put a small amount of plumber's grease on it to keep it mineral free.

Bill

[Mike and Carol]

1 minute ago, topgun2 said:

When you look into the toilet bowl you should see a black "ring/gasket" around the outside of the rounded part that moves when you step down on the pedal to flush.  This gasket can get "stuff" stuck to it.  "Stuff" can be all sorts of things to include mineral buildup.

After cleaning the toilet you should gently wipe that gasket feeling for any deposits.  If you can't get those deposits off and/or if the gasket is brittle then it can be replaced.  On the other hand - if it seems to come clean you can then put a small amount of plumber's grease on it to keep it mineral free.

The ring in the toilet is easy to replace and is available on Amazon.  We use a little Vaseline on both sides of it after we dump and clean.  Keeps it operating smoothly and helps it from drying out.  I’ve only replaced it once.  Mike

[wolfdds]

I am having the exact same issue...no pressure to the toilet or bathroom sink/shower. Was there a resolution to this issue? I did not see it in the thread?? I do not think my problem is a buildup of calcium or the screens as I have checked both??

Edited August 6, 2024 by wolfdds
Clarification

[wolfdds]

So it seems like the pressure to the toilet resolved but at the same time the valve stuck open. So I do think some debris has gotten in the water system which has effected the water faucet and the toilet valve. The toilet valve is easy to replace so I am going to do that...the faucet is not easy to replace so I am going to try the vinegar solution in the water lines to see if it will clear the faucet blockage.

[jd1923]

@wolfdds check out this post where she had no water flow to the bathroom sink and toilet.

 

[wolfdds]

On 8/13/2024 at 1:38 PM, wolfdds said:

So it seems like the pressure to the toilet resolved but at the same time the valve stuck open. So I do think some debris has gotten in the water system which has effected the water faucet and the toilet valve. The toilet valve is easy to replace so I am going to do that...the faucet is not easy to replace so I am going to try the vinegar solution in the water lines to see if it will clear the faucet blockage.

Here is the update: I did the vinegar treatment to my water system today with great success!. The bathroom faucet is working perfectly now. I was amazed how fast the treatment solved the problem, the vinegar was only running through the faucet for about 15 seconds when the pressure started improving. However the toilet valve remained stuck open. I changed it out and all is good. The toilet valve was filled with debris...but it was easy and cheap to replace.

[FloraFauna]

On 4/2/2024 at 11:31 AM, Lisa Rae said:

So I think I have fixed 99.9% of my issues.  After cleaning the flow restrictors/pressure regulators that helped a lot but I decided to replace them with a hollow pipe (got it at Home Depot, I'm sure there were other ways to do this but this was simplest for me) so there is no restriction.  I purchased an external pressure regulator and have that set to 55psi and will use that going forward.  I also replaced the faucet head in the bathroom and I have great flow/pressure almost everywhere now.

 

The one place I think the flow/pressure could be better still is the toile.  I did try cleaning the filter/screen as was suggested in an earlier post, but I couldn't figure out how to get the filter/screen out so I poured vinegar down the tube and let it sit for a few hours but it didn't seem to help.  It's good enough though.  The bowl doesn't hold water for very long so have to look into that.

 

The last thing I found which I am sure contributed to a lot of my problems was the anode rod was way overdue to be replaced and water heater was full of scale/buildup.  I flushed out the hot water heater, which took a while for stuff to stop coming out and the water to be clear then put in the new anode rod and tested the system and everything is working like new again.

 

 

So what I have learned from all of this is it's very important to use a water softener and/or flush the lines regularly to avoid buildup.  As I said earlier, I do think the cleaning the  flow restrictors/pressure regulators made the most difference, when on city water, but I think its best to just replace them.  That's probably why they don't have them in the 2018 and newer units.  Be sure to use an adjustable external regulator just to be sure.  When using the internal water pump cleaning/replacing the screens on the faucets or the faucet head itself made the difference.    I did start with the faucets before moving onto anything else and that's what you need to do when diagnosing this kind of problem and remember to confirm you have the same problem on city water and you do with the water pump.  I hope this helps someone who finds themselves in a similar situation.  

 

We have used soft water in our fresh water tank from day one.  It's a bit of a hassle to be limited to this.  Thank you for confirming that it is effort well spent.

[MAX Burner]

17 minutes ago, FloraFauna said:

We have used soft water in our fresh water tank from day one. 

Same here.  

We fill our FWT w/softened water from our well - to include our 7-gal spare water container that lives in the TV.  But on occasion, we find ourselves refilling with water of unknown pedigree while on the road - so we'll run a vinegar solution through the system (usually at some point over the winter months), FYI.

[Geronimo John]

On 3/20/2024 at 5:04 PM, Jason Foster said:

The next thing I would look at is more clogs.  These systems are great when they are kept up, but left in storage, mold and algae grow in the water lines and tanks as well as accumulated dirt and grime.  

Absent kinked or crushed hoses, Jason is spot on with "more clogs". 

Annual sanitization, vinegar de-scaling every three years, with full flushing the system of antifreeze has been the norm for many years.  Frequencies may vary due to water sources, but the idea is proven to pretty well keep biological "clogs" at bay. 

That said, we often see pipe and tank plastic caused clog problems.   they are a result of OTT not fully flushing out the new tanks and other items of the thread cuttings and other items before installation.  Those plastic clogs have to manually be removed as no non-destructive service procedure that I know of will do so.

In your case it would require you to incrementally disassemble water fittings and flow test your way down stream of your kitchen sink.   

One question that I did not see asked is the low flow in both the hot and cold side of the bathroom only?