Water piping to our kitchen was recently replaced using 1/2″ copper for the hot and 1/2″ PEX for the cold. Now, when the kitchen faucet is run the cold water flow is noticibly lower than the hot. The fixture is only a few years old, and the flow change was immediate with the new piping. It’s not a dribble, but it’s just barely enough to run the garbage disposer with.
The pipes were elbowed around a corner and over a door, and I saw that with the copper, the pipe goes into the elbow, but with the PEX, the elbows are squeezed into the pipe.
Does anyone know, do the PEX elbows reduce the ID and therefore the flow inside the pipe, or is something else going on?
Insights appreciated!
Thanks,
RandL
Replies
Depends on the fittings used, and how they're attached. But in general PEX is going to be a little smaller than copper for the same "size".
without a paddle
Rand, without knowing your plumber, and not being aware of the situation prior to your plumber doing any work it sounds like you are in a mess. No one likes to be called out on a bad job so be prepared to put the gloves on a fight for what you paid for.
Assuming you didnt have your house re plumbed because of the issues you are questioning now, I would assume it is time for you to contact the plumbing company and demand they come out, evaluate your situation and come up with a solution.
The cold water issue you had questions about and now low pressure (if new issuses) should be repaired ,IMHO, immediatly.
Easy way to determine if the problems you are having are a direct result of the house being re plumbed:
Did you have the cold water issue prior to the work being done.
Was there a low pressure issue (anywhere in the house) prior to work being done.
aerator clean?
I know it's basic, but have you checked to make sure your kitchen faucet aerator is clean. Sometimes upstream plumbing work debris (burrs, dirt, etc.) can get into lines and get clogged in fixture aerators.
Pex Flow
Probably something else. As we renovate our house we are replacing copper with pex and there has been no noticeable reduction in flow. Other than the aerator suggestion, I would try to follow the pex run to see if there is a kink because of a too sharp turn or some other physical problem.
I'd suspect a tight bend that has kinked, a valve that isn't completely open or crap in the line that's partially blocking the faucet valve.