No pressure and CLUNKING in faucet

[jonkovach]

Hi,

I have a one handle kitchen faucet - the kind that you just lift up, and it's sort of on a ball and socket... to the left is hot, right is cold.... further higher you rotate it, more pressure you get, etc....

Anyway... when I first turn it on, there is loads of pressure and about 3-4 loud clunks.... this lasts for about 1-2 seconds.... then the pressure drops WAY down and the clunking stops.... but it will still clunk once every 15-20 seconds or so....

The pressure throughout the house is pretty low, but we deal with it. We have a regulator on the water line, and I have turned it up a little bit.... (I THINK.... I unscrewed the screw on it counter clockwise.... that might not have been right)... when we bought the house we were told there were pressure regulations to keep from busting the washing machines and to conserve water and such.... but I want pressure!

The clunking is my first concern, however. Any ideas?

Thanks guys - you are always a great help!

jon

[Plumber2000]

Clockwise to increase the pressure.

Rebuild the kitchen faucet see if that helps, sounds like it's a delta style faucet.

[Pilot Dane]

I'm guessing here, but it sounds like you have air in your plumbing lines. Do you get your water from a well or city water? Do you get the clunking from all the fixtures in the house or just the kitchen faucet?

You can sometimes hear a ticking or mild clunking when you turn on the hot water as the pipes in the wall expand.

[jonkovach]

I don't know if it would be air in the lines or not... We get our water from the city water. The clunking only comes from the kitchen faucet.
The clunking comes from the faucet - if you have your hand on it you can actually feel it.... so it doesn't sound like it's coming from a pipe, or behind the wall, or under the sink or anything......
I will take the faucet apart this weekend (the wife will love that)... and clean it and see if there's anything majorly wrong with it. Maybe it's just dirty??????
Clockwise, gotcha. Thanks. Delta style sounds right.

Thanks guys. I'll post back when I have something new.
jon

[jonkovach]

So I took the faucet all apart, checked all the water lines, everything looked good, everything looked fine....
Put it back together, STILL clunks.
Maybe it is time for a new faucet? Might that solve the problem? I don't know how old the faucet is, but it's at least 2-3 years old.... Not very old.
Thanks,
jon

[Plumber2000]

If you get a new faucet, go with Moen or American Standard Brand

[arkayassoc]

If it is a Delta, did you rebuild it while you had it apart, i.e. replace the springs and washers? I'd rebuild it before I replace it.

Also, did you increase your water pressure?

[jonkovach]

It is a Delta, and no I did not replace springs and washers and such. I have no idea how to do that. I am still young and stupid. I didn't see any way to get the actual faucet to come apart, and I didn't want to break it for fear of death from the wifey.
I did increase the water pressure, but not much at all.
Thanks,
jon

[arkayassoc]

It is a Delta, and no I did not replace springs and washers and such. I have no idea how to do that. I am still young and stupid. I didn't see any way to get the actual faucet to come apart, and I didn't want to break it for fear of death from the wifey.
I did increase the water pressure, but not much at all.
Thanks,
jon

Jon,

Check this link for detailed instructions and photos.

http://deltacom.deltafaucet.com/wps/portal/CustomerSupport?bmsdurl=http%3A%2F%2Fdeltaportal.deltafaucet.com%2Fcustomersupport%2Fentry.jspa%3FentryID%3D202%26amp%3BcategoryID%3D20

Post back if you need more help.