low water pressure after neighbors accident!

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fldjs

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hey all,
I live in a 29 unit condo with about 10 units full at this time. it is a 2 story building and i live on a second floor unit. a few days ago, a neighbor of mine who also lives on the 2nd floor and about 6 units away had a huge flood in his condo while remodeling his kitchen, he cut a pipe(which he said was to prevent knocking) in his kitchen and flooded his unit for a good half hour before the main shut off valve outside was finally found and turned of untill pipe in condo was fixed. my water supply as was for everyone in the building was shut off for several hours. upon having fixed the pipe in his condo and then returning the valve outside wide open, i have had little to non existant water pressure which comes and goes. sometimes its bad pressure and sometimes in really really bad. in the shower, upon first turning on, will be ok for 10 seconds then the pressure becomes realy really bad and accompnied with a loud sound from the pipes as if there is air in the lines or something. also in the shower, i will get better pressure when i turn the knob all the way to its hottest setting but off course i cannot shower with scolding water nor should it have to turned that way to get good pressure. this has never happened before and started after the main water valve outside was reopened. i have cleaned out heads in case they may have been clogged but that isnt the problem. he has told me that he fixed it like it was before but its obvious the problem stems from the day all this happened.

why is this happening and how do i get this fixed.

Please help me figure this out. i am not a plumber and just cant figure this out. thanks
 

Markts30

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What type of valve was the shutoff?
Could it be a bad gate valve...
Could be a PRV valve going bad...
Does anyone else have the problem...
Can you check adjacent vacant units?
What are the lines made of? (copper or galvanized?)
 

fldjs

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What type of valve was the shutoff?
Could it be a bad gate valve...
Could be a PRV valve going bad...
Does anyone else have the problem...
Can you check adjacent vacant units?
What are the lines made of? (copper or galvanized?)

no one else has complained about the low pressure but myself and the 2 units nearest to me are vacant and locked. not sure what kind of valve it is or what the lines are made of but when we checked the main sut off valve to see if perhaps it was not opened all the way it looked to me like copper in color and required an inch wide wrench to twist on/off the entire size of the valve was approx, the size of joining both index and thumb fingers together to make a circle and the knob at about 1 inch wide. it has to be his fault but what can it be a result of? thanks again
 

Bob NH

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It is possible that the disturbance caused by cutting the pipe, or its repair, loosened up some junk that is floating around in the pipe. When your water comes on that junk could be getting into your shower valve or outlet, virtually plugging it.

It may take removing the shower valve cartridge and running water until it clears.
 

Fidodie

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If it is a common hot water supply, there is probably a circulating loop that needs to be purged.

already answered Q removed.

you'll need some more data for analysis - especially results in other condos - if it is only yours, and you are downstream, then the gunk theory is good - and you got the gunk when you turned on the fixtures in your place, so other downstreamers
won't get any.....

gl

pat

1/25 i failed to mention that unless it is just clogged aerators, a pro should be hired to diagnose/fix this. check your bylaws for who to call.
 
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MACPLUMB

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Low Water Pressure

Contact your property mgr's,
they should call their on call plumber out to correct the problem and bill the tenent
who first caused the problem "IF" it's his fualt. !!

i have done this for condo assc's many times to resolve plumbing problems

you want the mangment involved because they are the only one's that collect from the home owner ! !

MACPLUMB MASTERPLUMBER:D
 

Jadnashua

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Condominiums don't necessarily have any paid management company, and there may not be any tenants. A condominium is a form of ownership parts are called limited private areas, and then there are some common areas. You own the limited private areas AND the common areas, but only have a voting say about the common areas. There is usually a board that is chosen to make operational decisions, but it may not do much. They could employ a managing agent. There are usually some form of fees to pay for common things like roofs, exterior, hallways, and maybe sewer, water, and heating. In my condo, I pay for all of my individually metered utilities, but the fee pays for trash removal, snow removal, cutting the grass, etc.

To me, the bigger question is did the guy follow the rules about modifications? In the city where I live it is illegal to make any changes to electrical or plumbing in a multi-family dwelling unless you pull a permit and are licensed by the state. It's one thing to mess something up in your single family home, but another to mess up something in your building for potentially numerous people. Sounds like to me the guy is liable for any damages (and not having water is one of them!). This city may be interested to know about the situation, too.
 

fldjs

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what to do and who to call first?

well i dont know who to call here! basically the pressure is better at times but overall still low and when its low, i hear a loud sound coming from the wall as if air is the problem but how can this be if he capped of the leak? i know that in the shower when i turn it on full hot, it has much better pressure than full cold. help guys.

should i call the city first since its free? then a plumber? im in fort lauderdale florida by the beach. can anyone recommend me an honest plumber in my area? thanks.
 

GrumpyPlumber

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Remove all Aerators and the shower head, clean them.
Very common for debris to dislodge when a curb main is closed/opened.
 
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