sometimes good pressure sometimes a trickle

[kkccarpenter]

I have an older 2 story home with a basement in Indianapolis, In. One minute a sink or shower on any of the 3 floors can have a trickle when turned on. If i shut it off and try again five or ten minutes later it can be working fine (or not). This happens at random times throughout the day. This is municipal water with no water filter or softener. Any ideas on what might be causing this ?

 

[Caduceus]

Could be part of a valve washer broken off and gets wedged into the valve opening. This would have to be on the main water pipe that enters the home to effect all of the fixtures.

 

[kkccarpenter]

Thanks for the input. To test this possibility without removing the valve stem I think I could try turning the valve off. If water still gets thru it would mean that the washer is atleast bad if not broken. Does this make sense ?

 

[Mr_David]

Do you have your own water meter?
You can shut that off and then take the Valve apart.
If your not handy call a pro.

Not sure what a type of valves are typically use in you area. Here they use gate valves and ball valve.
I was going to suggest doing a google image search but I just did that and "Woooh Nelly" that would be way to confusing.
A globe valve has a washer that can come loose and flop around.
A gate valve can easily be broken in the closed position so I would NOT close the valve if you are not sure what type you have.
Gates and globes look similar outside but are very different inside.
Ball valves have a lever handle and operate with a 1/4 turn.

Here's a couple pics of a globe vs a gate

 

[kkccarpenter]

This is actually my girlfriend's house. I took a look over the weekend and, believe it or not, they have the valve placed before the water meter so we would have to have the city shut the water off to change it. And, yes, can't really tell if it's a gate or globe valve without taking it off. I might be able to change it myself, but I asked her to have a plumber do it to be safe.

 

[Caduceus]

An update would be great once the problem is solved. That way the information can be passed on to help others. Good luck.