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hot water only lasts a couple of seconds

2K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  Thurman 
#1 ·
Hi, I just installed a new tub faucet. When I run the hot water it only lasts a couple of seconds. I could get hot water from the previous faucet by slow the flow, this isn't possible with the new faucet. It's either on or off. I don't know what the part is called, the hot and cold water supply leads into it and the faucet attaches to it. The supply lines are 1/2 in diameter. Can I decrease the size of the supply line to 1/4 inch to get the hot water to work correctly? Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
 
#3 ·
Since the old faucet did not act normally, I suspect you have a blockage in one water supply line. Are all shutoff valves fully open?? A pressure balance faucet is designed to shut off the hot if the pressure is not about equal on both lines, so if the cold side is lower the hot side shuts down. That prevents scalding. Changing the line size does not change the pressure, only the flow. Find the problem. It could be a partially closed shutoff, or a partial blockage in the line from calcium deposits or a solder glob.
 
#4 ·
I'm wondering if you may have a separate thermal mixing valve which is not operating properly. Not common in most homes though. Is there any type of odd looking valve which the hot and cold water lines go to before the pipes go to your old then new tub faucet? IF there is one, hopefully it is not installed within the wall itself, that makes them difficult to find and hard to service for sure. I also agree that you may have some type of blockage in you piping. Start all the way back at the water heater and trace the hot water line to the tub, looking for anything odd. Trace the cold water line also just to make sure there is nothing that looks out-of-place. As mentioned, make sure that all of your control valves are fully open. Keep us posted on this one, Good Luck, David
 
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