Weak pressure of water? Coarse filter clogged

The slow flow of water from the tap in the bathtub or in the kitchen, as well as the long filling of the toilet bowl, causes irritation, spoils the mood, and can be late for work, study or a meeting. As luck would have it, this often happens in the morning or evening, when every minute is expensive.
There are several reasons for this unpleasant phenomenon: blockage of the aerator mesh on the tap, narrowing of the riser or water supply pipe, a general decrease in the water supply pressure in the system, incorrect choice of the diameter and length of the water main, simultaneous consumption of water by a large number of people, etc.
Below we will consider the case of clogging of the coarse filter (most often this happens on the cold water supply pipe), which can also be one of the reasons for the low flow of water from the tap or mixer.
For work, we need an adjustable wrench and, just in case, some of the materials sealing the thread: tow soaked in a water-repellent composition, FUM tape, special sealant, etc.

Procedure for cleaning the coarse filter

For steel (metal) pipes, it represents a device consisting of an inlet and outlet pipe, as well as a predominantly oblique reservoir, which, in fact, is a housing for the filter element - a micro-mesh stainless steel mesh with mesh sizes of 50-400 microns depending on the model . The grid is closed from above by a stopper with the help of a thread through a sealing gasket or winding.
This filter can become clogged with impurities in the water, scale particles formed on the inner surface of the pipes, fibers of the sealing material, etc. Sometimes, the cause of this undesirable phenomenon is the repair of water pipes by neighbors that are located upstream of you.
In such cases, you can not do without removing the coarse filter mesh and removing accumulated debris from it. In order for the process to go without complications, it is necessary to first shut off the cold and hot water supply taps. It doesn’t hurt to place a tray under the filter, because when the cork is unscrewed, the water remaining in the filter housing and the adjacent pipe part will flow.
We unscrew the plug holding the strainer in the housing using an adjustable wrench, after setting its size to fit the nut on the plug. The process may be somewhat more complicated due to debris accumulating in the filter housing getting onto the thread.
We take out the cork together with the strainer, which at one end enters the recess from its back side.
Despite the fact that these two parts are not mechanically interconnected, it is not easy to separate them from each other due to accumulated debris.
With some effort, we disconnect the cork from the grid, and visually make sure how much different debris has accumulated outside and inside the strainer. Moreover, it is so compacted that it is not so easy to remove.
You have to use a screwdriver to pick out the trash inside and shake it out, while tapping the filter with something solid. The resulting litter pile is impressive in both volume and content. What is there: sand, dirt, fibers, oil-fatty substances and much more.
In the future, we wash the mesh and cork with water, if necessary, then with the use of detergents. When these parts get their original appearance, they can be put in place.
Before tightening the cork, make sure the gasket is intact, and if it is damaged, use new or sealing means in compliance with the prescribed rules for the use of these materials.
First, screw the cork in with our hands until it is possible. Then you need to use an adjustable wrench and tighten the plug until it stops. Now it remains only to turn on the tap that shuts off the water and make sure that there is no water leak.

In custody

To increase reliability and extend the life of the filter without cleaning, it is necessary to open the tap before installing the mesh and cork, so that a stream of water can remove any particles remaining in the pipe from the pipe.
If this filter is installed in front of the water meter, then its nut is usually sealed with a water meter. Therefore, to clean the filter mesh, it is imperative to invite a representative of the organization that sealed the meter.