Why does my kitchen faucet cut out intermittently?

Question

Sometimes when I'm running water from my kitchen faucet, it will cut out for no apparent reason. It doesn't seem to matter if I'm running hot or cold water (or a mixture), but does seem to happen more often if I'm running the faucet fully open.

I can usually fix it by closing and opening the faucet a couple of times. If that doesn't work, pulling the trigger on the -- separate -- pull-out spray nozzle often does it, and if that doesn't work, just turning it off and leaving it for a while will do it.

What is causing this behavior and what can I do to prevent it from occurring in the future?

score 8 · Accepted Answer · answered Jul 29 '10 at 00:55

I may be way off base here but have you tried removing the aerator on the faucet and letting it run on both hot and cold fully open (separately)? It's possible that the aerator could be clogging up and causing pressure buildup.

If you do not have copper pipes then it's possible that the buildup would be caused by rusting or oxidization in the pipes. Full pressure should knock it loose I think.

derobert · Answer 2 · 2013-12-19T17:34:22.710

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The valve that diverts the water to the spray nozzle may be (partially) clogged or defective. Or the valve on your spray nozzle.

edited Dec 19 '13 at 17:34

answered Jul 29 '10 at 21:49

derobert

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score 4 · Answer 3 · edited Apr 18 '12 at 13:10

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I had the same problem. The hose that connects the water supply, where the on off valve is to the faucet has a valve inside that shuts the water off in the case where a hose would burst causing a flood. Scratched my head for a while before I figured that out. Replaced the hose problem solved.

edited Apr 18 '12 at 13:10

Steven

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answered Apr 17 '12 at 19:29

Terry C

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score 2 · Answer 4 · answered Mar 13 '17 at 16:16

same problem - hot water kept slamming off only at kitchen sink. I tried shutting off main valve and draining all lines--did not work. cleaned aerator...clogged, but didn't help. took off cartridge and cleaned debris, but still same problem. I did notice lots of small white plastic/tape like pieces in cartridge, so i kept putting the cartridge back on and running water until it slammed off...2 seconds, and then taking off and cleaning. Finally a big piece of this white plastic (size of fingernail) came out. Everything working great now. not sure when next piece will work its way up, or what it is from, but i think this was the problem!

score 2 · Answer 5 · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:22

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Cleaning the valve (aerator) that Joe Philllips recommended was a great trick. If your faucet also has spray hose, you may need to clean (or replace) the diverter.

edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:22

Community

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answered Nov 18 '12 at 04:59

Mookie Wilson

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score 1 · Answer 6 · answered Dec 18 '13 at 18:37

Similar problem: All other water faucets work fine, so I took off the kitchen sink aerator to figure out what it was. Water flowed out the sink without the aerator on, then I felt like an idiot, because the aerator was equipped with a separate on/off lever. Saved myself some embarrassment in front of a plumber.

Why does my kitchen faucet cut out intermittently?

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