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Shaking Faucet

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Old Jan 4, 2005 | 08:24 PM
  #1  
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Shaking Faucet

This may sound a little odd but hopefully one of you do-it-yourself gurus have an answer for me. My kitchen faucet, which is only about 2.5 years old, started giving me fits. It's a single handle faucet and when you turn the handle a good bit towards the hot water the faucet after a few short seconds loses pressure drastically then the faucet starts vibrating & shaking real bad. Once you glide the handle over to more cold water the shaking & vibrations stop. The bad thing is that even if you have it at a slightly mild temperature once you tilt the handle back for maximum pressure you lose even more heat. You can only wash dishes at a real mild temperature and just below decent pressure. I want to tackle that this weekend but I don't know where I should start. Holler back if you have a solution and I appreciate any help.
 
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Old Jan 4, 2005 | 08:31 PM
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I have the same problem with a toilet, I don't have a clue. Anybody?
 
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Old Jan 4, 2005 | 08:36 PM
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My outside faucets also shake really bad unless they're turned on all the way.

Sounds like a problem with the hot water, since the cold water is fine. Check out the hot water heater...its probably the source of the problem, if all the faucets are acting up. If so, try flushing it out. If the kitchen sink is the only one that is acting up, then the problem may be with the copper, or flex pipes under the sink. Check for leaks and sharp bends, then make sure that the water is turned on under the sink at the right level. Hope this helps.
 
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Old Jan 4, 2005 | 08:42 PM
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I would have to say from experience that it is the faucet that is bad. We replaced our old one in the kitchen several years ago, and the one that we put in there had intermittent problems. Sometimes, water would come out, other time it would not. You could push the handle (it was a single handle as well) all the way up and hope water would come it. It also had fits of vibrating when it did work. We took it back to the store and got another one. It worked ok for awhile, and since it's about 10 years old, sometimes the pressue is lacking.
One of our old faucets in the bathroom had a vibrating fit one morning when I was little and brushing my teeth. My mom said "Stop playing with the sink or you'll wake dad up." I started laughing by that time, because I hadn't done anything. Just turned on the water and got all this rumbling. Again, replaced the faucet and have had no problems.

What brand of faucet is this by the way??
 
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Old Jan 4, 2005 | 08:51 PM
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I'm not sure but I think it's an American Standard. NDrum2005 hit the nail on the head it was the valve underneath the sink. There were no leaks and once I turned the vavle for more pressure the hot water & pressure came pouring out. That was it thank God it was something so simple. I was ready to take the whole thing apart this weekend. Thanks everyone for your input.
 
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Old Jan 4, 2005 | 08:56 PM
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If it does it again, it may be that the faucet washers have gone bad....THose are pretty easy to replace...just a few rubber washers. Be sure and check the valve under the sink to make sure that it hasnt started leaking since you adjusted it.
 
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Old Jan 5, 2005 | 06:37 AM
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Sounds like a washer or seal.
 
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Old Jan 5, 2005 | 06:50 AM
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Hot water expands the seal in the faucet. When they are on the way out they do what you describe. The shaking toilet is proboly a leak somewhere in the flush assembly. Does it shake when other things are turned on in the house?
 
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Old Jan 5, 2005 | 04:14 PM
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From: Lenexa, KS
Originally Posted by sharpshooter
This may sound a little odd but hopefully one of you do-it-yourself gurus have an answer for me. My kitchen faucet, which is only about 2.5 years old, started giving me fits. It's a single handle faucet and when you turn the handle a good bit towards the hot water the faucet after a few short seconds loses pressure drastically then the faucet starts vibrating & shaking real bad. Once you glide the handle over to more cold water the shaking & vibrations stop. The bad thing is that even if you have it at a slightly mild temperature once you tilt the handle back for maximum pressure you lose even more heat. You can only wash dishes at a real mild temperature and just below decent pressure. I want to tackle that this weekend but I don't know where I should start. Holler back if you have a solution and I appreciate any help.
I would take the brand and model off the faucet and get either a replacement seal kit or an entirely new faucet cartridge. It sounds to me like the seal on the hot side is bad. Remember to shut the water off under the sink before removing the cartridge to reseal or replace. Shut off both hot and cold!!!!!!!!
 
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Old Jan 5, 2005 | 07:24 PM
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The whole set up is only 2 years old do you really think the seals can bad that quickly?
 
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Old Jan 5, 2005 | 07:54 PM
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Originally Posted by Greg250
Hot water expands the seal in the faucet. When they are on the way out they do what you describe. The shaking toilet is proboly a leak somewhere in the flush assembly. Does it shake when other things are turned on in the house?
Yep, turn on the washer and the toilet shakes!
 
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Old Jan 5, 2005 | 08:04 PM
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Is this the only faucet that does this? If so it would be a problem with the faucet or it could be a piping problem.
 
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Old Jan 5, 2005 | 08:04 PM
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Not sure about the sink, but...As far as the toilet that was an easy one here. Just bend down the rod that is attached to the big plastic float a little. Just enough to lower the water in the tank abou a 1/2 inch. Fixed mine right away.
 
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Old Jan 5, 2005 | 09:40 PM
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From: Lenexa, KS
Originally Posted by sharpshooter
The whole set up is only 2 years old do you really think the seals can bad that quickly?
Water quality and pressure probably impact seal life more than age. The seal may have been damaged when the faucet was first assembled. Replacing the seals or the entire cartridge are an easy, cheaper alternative to just replacing the faucet. I'd definitely try that first.
 
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Old Jan 5, 2005 | 09:47 PM
  #15  
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From: Lenexa, KS
Originally Posted by vancouverpower
Yep, turn on the washer and the toilet shakes!
This problem sounds like a condition known as "water hammer" that occurs, I believe when air gets trapped in the pipes as a result of turning the water off very quickly, as happens when selonoid controlled valves close on washing machines or dishwashers. This causes the pipes to vibrate or shake violently. Typically, air chambers are installed in conjunction with these fixtures to act as shock absorbers.
 
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