Rusty pipes / bad water pressure

[samrogue]

Hi,
My wife and I just moved into our first home. It was a bank property and has been winterized for a year or so. As such, the plumbing has attained a good amount of rust. Most of the sinks and bath are working well with good water pressure with all the rust having washed out within a minute of running. However the Bathroom sink and toilet, but not the bath, are getting almost no water - barely a trickle. I checked the valves under the sink and and checked the basement for any additional valves that might be turned off. The home inspector suggested rust might be clogging the pipes. Since the problem is with the water coming to the facilities, I can't use Drano to clear clogs If that's the case.

Any suggestions of what might be causing this?

Also, the inspector mentioned a 'purge', but I'm not sure what that is...

[HayZee518]

your house has galvanized iron pipes which is causing the blockage. the inside and outside of the pipes are hot dipped in zinc to prolong their life, but in your case they have given up life!. purging or forced cleaning may not do the trick. I would be looking to change all the plumbing in the house with PEX if its approved in your jurisdiction. PEX can be "fished" through walls just like electrical wires. next would be copper pipes and sweat soldered fittings. drain cleaners are for drains NOT domestic water lines.

[Redwood]

I would agree with everything Hay Zee has told you.
While it may be possible to backflush a line and get it working it would only be temporary at best. I would consider a PEX repipe to be an excellent choice.