Kitchen problem with faucet

[licia]

This doesn't have much to do with cooking except it is about to drive me batty. When I turn on either hot or cold water in the kitchen it takes a while for water to start and I begin to think nothing is coming out. I've told my dh and he says nothing is wrong, but the other faucets produce water the second they are turned on. He almost never uses the kitchen faucets so I think he just doesn't understand. Help!

 

[Andy M.]

Hmmm, interesting.

If your kitchen faucet is the type where the on/off handle is separate from the nozzle where the water comes out, that could explain it. The on/off handle is connected to the nozzle under the sink via flexible hoses, when you turn the water on or off it's stopped at the handle. when you turn it back on, the water has to fill the hose before it can come out the nozzle. That is also the reason it would take a long time for the water temp to change from hot to cold or vice versa.

If the on/off handle is part of the nozzle assembly, ignore all of the above.

 

[roadfix]

But if you have good water pressure that short length of hose shouldn't matter. How is the water pressure throughout the house?
Once water starts flowing, how is the pressure?

 

[Snip 13]

My husband says it's an air blockage but I haven't got a clue what that is lol! I have that problem if our water was off and then comes back on, it takes a while for the air to get out of the pipes.

 

[licia]

Andy, it's the kind with a cold water on one side, hot water on the other and the faucet in the middle. It didn't used to take so long for the water to come out, that is why I thought something must be wrong. Also, the other faucets in the bathrooms and even in the garage come out as soon as the handle is turned on.
Thanks to all who've tried to help. This really puzzles me. For a bit, I think no water is going to come out. Sorry to bring such a problem to the board. I'm wondering if perhaps I need a new faucet or there could be a leak that I can't see. The faucet I have is about 2 years old.

 

[Timothy]

There is air leaking INTO the line from either the junction of the main line to the sink or at the point where the hot and cold separate.

The worst part of this is that while the water is on, WATER is leaking from that same point.

You need to get a plumber in to fix it before it ruins something where the water is coming out.

 

[dcSaute]

does it have a spray hose &nozzle?

if that is dripping, hopefully into the sink,,, that might take a split second to fill up, block off water flow to the now not open spray nozzle, and then go to the faucet.

a big goose neck could be doing the same thing - dripping/leaking at the base making the goose neck "empty"

but indeed it does sound like something is leaking and the question is where is that water going....
the leak would have to be 'down stream' of the shut off valves under the sink - ie between the shut off valves and where the hoses/pipes attach to the faucet.

 

[pacanis]

This is about the weirdest thing I've heard of. If there was any air in the line or the water was seeping out of those hoses somehow, there would be a big splat as the incoming water pushes the air out of the line. Anyone who has drained their water lines to repair something knows what I'm talking about. The OP didn't mention anything other than it taking a while to start up. It sure seems like it's leaking somehow though. Either that or both faucets somehow got stripped at the same time and require more turning to open the valve.
This is weird.

 

[Timothy]

Let's not complicate things. Water is leaking out of the line and air is being pulled into the line.

Your best bet is to eat the cost of the plumber and get one in to find the leak and fix it.

 

[jabbur]

Depending on how old the faucet is, I'd try replacing it. I had a similar problem although mine was a single handle kind. There was wear on the valve and it wouldn't open but a tiny bit. Water would dribble and gain pressure but never get really flowing well. No drips anywhere. We (DH) put in a new faucet and that solved the problem.

 

[Uncle Bob]

This doesn't have much to do with cooking except it is about to drive me batty. When I turn on either hot or cold water in the kitchen it takes a while for water to start and I begin to think nothing is coming out. I've told my dh and he says nothing is wrong, but the other faucets produce water the second they are turned on. He almost never uses the kitchen faucets so I think he just doesn't understand. Help!

Licia....did you ever solve the "mystery"??

 

[licia]

I've looked underneath the sink and can see no signs of water leakage. It hasn't seemed as bad today, but nothing has been done so I'm at a loss as to what else to do. Dh doesn't seem to think there is a problem, but he doesn't do much in the kitchen except make coffee and ice cream cones.

 

[jabbur]

I know what you mean licia. I got my new faucet when DH went to make coffee one morning and couldn't get any water. I went over and slammed the handle up and got it going. He said "okay, go pick out a new one!"

 

[licia]

I found what was causing the problem. The spray attachment had loosened and was making a little stream of water when the faucet was turned on. Dh tightened it and everything is up to snuff now.

Thanks for all the answers.

 

[Timothy]

Let's not complicate things. Water is leaking out of the line and air is being pulled into the line.

Your best bet is to eat the cost of the plumber and get one in to find the leak and fix it.

I found what was causing the problem. The spray attachment had loosened and was making a little stream of water when the faucet was turned on. Dh tightened it and everything is up to snuff now.

Thanks for all the answers.

I'm glad you found it without having to pay a plumber! Way better with no damage also!