Thread: Hot water from cold water pipes???

Hello. I'm looking for help with answering a old client's question. He tells me that he is only receiving hot water from either side. What is the cause of this? Any and all comments would be appreciated.

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Originally Posted by Thomas Thayer

Hello. I'm looking for help with answering a old client's question. He tells me that he is only receiving hot water from either side. What is the cause of this? Any and all comments would be appreciated.

Thomas,

We need more information, but I will take a guess based on what *I think* you are talking about.

A single handle faucet.

Let's say you shut the cold water off to a single handle faucet (or the cold water valve become clogged in some manner). You now have no cold supply to the single handle faucet, only hot supply to it.

The faucet opens only to cold water all the way to cold, when turned away from full cold, the faucet is designed to mix hot and cold water together, and turning to full hot still leaves the cold supply open to some extent to avoid scalding hot water it the hot water were not mixed with cold (this is on most single handle faucets I've seen, I've seen a few which went to hot only when turned to full hot).

That means that unless the faucet is 'full cold' there will be both hot and cold water flowing, and if there is not cold water (shut off, blocked, etc.) then only hot water will flow regardless where the handle is turned.

The flow and pressure of the hot water flow will reduce when over toward cold, but it will still be hot water.

Jerry - Thanks for the insight. Is there only one cold water valve that for the complete system? And where would you guess that its located? Is there any other possible causes fro this?

A bit of additional information - This is a 2nd story townhouse built in '04. Water heater is located at garage, approx. 50' away from the unit.

Thanks!

There should be a cold water shut off valve under the fixture, or at a manifold if plumbed as a manifold system.

It could be something as simple as debris caught in a valve and blocking the small hole the valve has.

It could also be that the valve closed and when the valved was next opened the valve did not actually open, the valve seat may have stuck in place (although this is unlikely on such a new building).