SV reX said:
In reply to preach :
My apologies for the disctraction.
It added fun to my unshowered condition.
Mark, I will go berkeley with it now. Sorry I did not reply to your text.
EDIT I just tried both the 3/8s allen one, opening it until water came out, then tightened it until it closed and pushed a little water out of the threads at the bottom of the valve (blue tape).
I also took the mixer and went full hot and full warm a couple times. Locked it back at a low 115*.
I had the kitchen HW on so Mrs. preach could stomp on the floor if the flow got better. It did not.
Oh, and the trickle in the kitchen is hot. Just would take a year to do some dishes.
That really stinks. Not you, but the situation.
Since you know your way around piping, I'd start tearing it apart, starting with the cold water supply to the WH. If it's not going in, it can't come out. Then take out the mix valve, see what the flow is. You could make a temporary pex hose with a shark bite fitting to run it to a drain or bucket. Definitely sounds like blockage, but hard to tell where it starts.
Edit: You said there is a ball valve above the mixing valve. Prime suspect, and redundant. You should only need a valve on the cold supply side. See above.
Oh, and you should kill the power to it. No point in continuously heating water you can't use. Water pressure won't be affected.
So after texting with 11GTCS and a plumber from work I had at the situation for the last couple of days for 5 mins or so. I was getting ready to say berkeley it and let the plumber take care of it on tuesday, but went after it again this morning.
I was told to check for a screen in the mixing valve so I popped it open. No screen. So, doing what one does in these situations in my line of work, I started beating on the valve with my Leatherman after I had put it together again.
Water pressure!
It was still weak but I got my head shaved and had a HW shower for the first time in a week.
So, I went down again. With a hammer...
Beat the valve pretty good with a rubber mallet, enough so that it started leaking from the mediocre install on the screw joints. Tightened them back up and seem gtg.
WP is back to install pressure. While not great, it works. Our gas WH had way better pressure for some reason.
When I can get to it, or it becomes a problem, I will remake all of those joints properly and probably flush the valve out well before install.
Did your old water heater have a mixing valve on it? My house doesnt have one, lots of hot water, keep that puppy at 135 and get those nice hot showers.
I would get rid of that valve unless it is required by code.
Under pressure again.
Clogged mixer valve and, I assume, bad expansion tank. Mrs. preach said "oh, and something about a balloon".
All good in the 'hood now. This morning was my first full pressure shower since this started. It was nice.
I could still have a warm shower it was just a barely adequate trickle though.
