Posted by Jack on December 13, 1997 at 16:45:55:
I live in a private 50-year old two-level home with an oil based heating system (two zone). About a year ago, the hot water flow at the kitchen sink diminished by about half. I lived with the condition for about 6 months, when I replaced the faucet. This cleared up the problem. But recently, it re-ocurred.
I found two stones, approximately 1/8" in diameter behind the screen at the terminus of the faucet spout. The same thing had happened with the old faucet. My question is: Where are the stones coming from?
Given the foregoing, I assume that the old faucet body (i.e., the cartridge ) was clogged with stone(s); I had never been able to dismantle it to establish this, but given that the new faucet cleared up the problem, this conclusion is reasonable.
The hot water system consists of a hot water coil in the boiler and a 50-gallon storage tank. The tank was replaced just prior to the initiation of the problem. I have forgotten why, but it was necessary for the installers to "back-flush" the lines. This may have caused the problem with the old faucet and is probably the cause of the current problem.
What can i do about it? I would appreciate any ideas.
Thanks,
Jack