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Hi there,
I've been searching all morning for answers on this and maybe I just don't know the right terminology... but I'm having no luck.
Have a generic AmStandard single handle kitchen faucet. It doesn't run 100% hot or cold and it's fairly noticeable. IE - the cold water from our 2 handle bathroom faucet is a good 10+ degrees colder and tastes better (we're in milwaukee, ground water is super cold). In the kitchen, it's closer to room temperature and is far saltier, from the water heater tank mixing in.
I know about the anti-scald adjustments, but since this is a problem in both directions, I'm assuming the answer lies somewhere else. Maybe it's just a garbage faucet and should be replaced?
Turn off the hot water shutoff under the sink and see how cold the water is from the faucet at that point. If it's cold, that tells you what you need to know, which is that it's time for a new faucet.
Turn off the hot water shutoff under the sink and see how cold the water is from the faucet at that point. If it's cold, that tells you what you need to know, which is that it's time for a new faucet.
I did that, and the water got much colder. What does this mean though? What parts are actually failing/wearing that causes this? I'd like to be able to learn more about this stuff, so any help is appreciated.
The Big Box hardware stores all have replacement innards for such faucets - should be no need to replace the whole faucet, though that IS a way to get the Latest Thang in fashion.
I did that, and the water got much colder. What does this mean though? What parts are actually failing/wearing that causes this? I'd like to be able to learn more about this stuff, so any help is appreciated.
Generally speaking, it means the internals of the faucet are broken/worn which is allowing unintentional mixing of the hot and cold water. My understanding is that it's a common failure of those types of faucets.
My house has a utility sink in the garage which had an old single-lever faucet. It was clearly a kitchen faucet (complete with sprayer). I suspect it was moved there from the kitchen by the previous owner, as the kitchen faucet was brand-new. The first time I went to use it after we moved in I found that the water temperature was the same (warm) no matter what. I just replaced the faucet because it was kinda beat up.
Sounds like you're getting blow-by on the valve.
You can either replace the springs and rubber seats are just replace the whole valve (which comes with new springs and seats). That's a whole lot cheaper than replacing the whole fixture- when there's really nothing "wrong" with it.
Seats and springs don't last forever- it's an easy 30-40min job!
The faucet has a cartridge which does the apportioning of the water between hot and cold. It is leaking between the two. It has to be replaced. You can open it up and take the cartridge to a big box or a good plumbing supply shop for a replacement.
The cartridges often cost half or more the cost of the fixture...so it may be a good time to replace it.
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