I think this has more to do with the distance from your hot water heater than anything else, especially if your basement gets good hot water pressure. We moved our hot water heater as part of our kitchen remodel---it used to be in the center of the house and was pretty close to the kitchen, and now it's on an outside wall, pretty much as far as possible from the two hot water sources (augh---but code required it for venting!) The hot water slowed way down in both the kitchen and the bathroom after the move. However, the overall pressure went way up in the kitchen after we replaced the old pipes---touching nothing from the street, just pipes within the house. I assume this is because the old pipes were corroded and blocking the water flow, and the new ones don't have any of that yet.

So just a couple of things to think about---if you have the option of moving your hot water heater closer to the kitchen, that might help, and just replacing any older pipes may be useful to ensure that everything is at maximum efficiency. Some people also use tankless hot water heaters dedicated for the kitchen if they have a long distance from the main water heater, so that could also be an option. HTH!

More often it is pipe size and distance.

Remember the hot water has to "push" out all of the cold water in the pipes before it gets to your faucet. SO , if you have 3/4" pipes and they are 50'+ from your heater - it's going to take a bit for all the cold water to get expunged from the lines.

You could look into smaller lines, but that has to be part of an overall plan that works because smaller lines could solve one problem but create another.

You could look into a recirculation system or pump with a timer that would keep hot water at/near the kitchen during normal business hours. This will waste less water but use electricity/gas.

Or - you could get a second heater and place it near the kitchen.

Might take this over to the GW plumbing group and ask them.

as antss said it is a distance problem. You cannot call it a pressure problem.

they make little tanks (e,g, 4, 8, 10, 12, and 15 gallon tanks) that you can install under the kitchen sink or nearby. The water that goes into the new nearby tank can be from the main hot water line, so if you did drain your closeby tank, it would still hold hot water from the distant tank. While the cold or lukewarm source water was arriving, it would be mixed with the tank's hot water and your tap's hot water would not be too cold when it comes out the spout.

tankless is not good for a kitchen because there are many times when your average use is a sprinkle here and a sprinkle there, which is not what tankless is designed for. Tankless is for bigger flow needs.

One other option is an IHW, a point of use instant boiling hot tank (5/8 gallon). It's hot enough for coffee, tea, etc. A few drops of this boiling hot water on your sponge or microfiber cloth and you can clean anything.

If it is indeed a pressure problem, you may need to change your pressure regulator. It's usually located outside, right where the water comes into the house. We had been having pressure problems and my husband happened to talk to a guy from the water company who was working down the street. Pressure regulator? Who knew? They need to be changed. Who knew? LOL. It definitely did the trick. Lots of pressure now.

It's congenital in these old houses. You gotta face the music. Get in a real plumber and have a talk. My mother's 1947 house had decreasing water pressure. It was worse in second story but kitchen suffered also.

I learned so much. There was a bi-metal "innovative" piece that was typically put into lines of pipes in the 50s? 60s? that was supposed to counteract deposition. Instead it increased deposition of minerals. The knuckles of right-angle pipes we saw removed from our basement pipes were incredible--full of deposits so awful that there was less than a straw-width of opening!

The plumber was able to remove sufficient blockages that we were able to sell the house. If this hadn't sufficed we needed to burrow into the wall at top of stairs adjacent to upstairs bathroom.

Trust me--these things don't solve themselves and they don't go away.

I called the water company and they are coming on Monday to check the pressure. I don't give it much hope but its worth a try! Next the plumber to further investigate. Thanks for the help.

Please keep us apprised of the progress of your detective work. This is an important question and your experience will help others.

OK, i take it back.

1st.
Before the copper pipe in the house, you may have galvanized pipe outdoors. The municipality has to replace it. ( "... i think its more a problem from the street as neighbors complain as well..." ) If the entire house was a low-flow (or low pressure) problem, this is the cause. It will be felt as a low pressure problem because of the restricted flow. This is called dynamic pressure. But before you turn on the tap, the pressure might be (static pressure). A pressure mater is inexpensive, easy to get at a hardware store, and easy to install. It will help you identify your problem more clearly. Or, you could just ask the city to change the supply pipes, since you and several neighbors all have the same problem.

You have to let a fairly large quantity of water flow, in any case, to get really hot water to the sink "for cleaning pots and pans"

The need is to get Hot Water to the kitchen.
This does not depend on the 1st thing above.

If the flow and pressure are low, it will increase the time you have to wait.

But nothing will change this for the better.
Except one thing: new city supply pipes (outside).

The Distance between the kitchen and the hot water source is what determines the amount of wasted water before you get hot water. That, and whether the pipe is 1/2" or 3/4". Where is your tank?

It is normal for the first several seconds to feel warm water, not hot. This is because the heat is being lost to the pipe at first. Once the pipe itself gets warmed up, the water temperature at the faucet is much higher.

Hope this helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: pressure versus volume, in 3/4in. or 1/2in. pipe

I'm curious about the city's reaction. I have the same problem with my 1978 house. As do my neighbors in their homes. I just had some plumbing work done (a tankless water heater installed), and asked the plumber if there was anything they could do to fix the problem. They did replace the original pressure regulator (located right next to the main shut off valve in the basement), and bumped it from 3/4" up to 1". But the pressure still measures 60...which is the best I can get. Even my sprinkler in the yard doesn't have enough water pressure, and I have to use a 3/4 horse power pump to get the automatic sprinkler system to work properly....as do my neighbors.

Since I purchased the house in 1989, I've been told the problem is with the city. My house is at the top of a HUGE hill, so perhaps the problem is I'm at the end of a run, or the water has to run up this hill or ???? All I know is my neighbors have the same problem and we have learned to live with the lower flow.

It's not really bothersome unless you want to use the pulsating shower head, and then it's a weak output. Of course, I can't have those multiple shower heads in the shower.

I've never thought about asking the city if this could be improved.....So, I'll be interested in your experience, and then I might approach my neighbors about fixing.

(I guess I've justified accepting the lower pressure, thinking it might be water conservation in action. Not sure if that's true or not....)

I had city water come out and they agreed it was low but basically there is nothng to be done about it. They said they are going street by street and upgrading water lines to the house but don't hold my breath!