You know, rodents chewing through pipes does sound pretty far-fetched... but honestly, I've seen some weird stuff during renovations. One time, I was helping a friend redo their bathroom, and we found a pipe that had tiny little teeth marks all over it—no joke. It hadn't fully punctured the pipe, but it was close enough to cause a slow leak behind the wall. So yeah, rodents can definitely mess things up in unexpected ways.
But back to your faucet issue—have you checked if the debris is gritty or more like flakes? If it's gritty, I'd lean toward sediment buildup from your water heater tank. Flaky stuff usually points toward mineral deposits breaking loose from inside the pipes themselves. Either way, flushing your water heater or installing a simple inline filter could help clear things up.
Also, have you noticed if it's happening at every faucet or just one specific tap? If it's isolated to one fixture, it might just be the aerator screen getting clogged. Those little screens catch everything—sediment, rust particles, even tiny bits of plumbing tape someone forgot to trim off (been there...). Unscrew it and see what's trapped inside; sometimes that's all it takes.
Anyway, faucets seem simple until you start troubleshooting them... then suddenly you're down a rabbit hole of plumbing mysteries. Good luck figuring this one out!
Rodents chewing pipes isn't as uncommon as you'd think. I've seen mice gnaw through plastic PEX lines more than once—especially in older homes or rural areas. But about the faucet debris, another thing to consider is your water pressure. High pressure can sometimes knock loose sediment or scale buildup inside pipes. Have you checked your home's water pressure lately? Might be worth a quick test...
Good points about rodents and pressure checks—both common culprits. I'd also toss in checking your aerators. Sometimes debris just builds up there, especially if you've had recent plumbing work or city maintenance nearby. Quick clean-out usually does the trick...
Had a similar thing happen after the city replaced some pipes nearby. Water was barely trickling out—thought my faucet was toast. Turns out, aerator was jam-packed with grit. Quick rinse and good as new... wish I'd checked there first, lol.
Good catch on the aerator—it's often overlooked. I've noticed that debris buildup is pretty common after municipal pipe work. Makes me wonder, has anyone checked their cartridge valves after similar incidents? Those can clog up too and cause flow issues...
