What to Do if Water Is Not Coming Out of the Tap?

There’s nothing more annoying than stepping into the shower in the morning only to find that water won’t come out of your faucet.

Is your sink not working? Here are some major steps you should take when water isn’t coming out of your faucet.

Check Other Taps

Emergency situations quite naturally induce the feeling of panic among those who are not experienced or knowledgeable. Instead of letting panic interfere with your thinking process, your first step should be to check the other taps in your house. If one tap is not working properly, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the house’s plumbing system has shut down.

If your bathroom and kitchen taps are working correctly and the problem is only with one tap of the house, then you have only a minor issue to deal with. Perhaps, the tap is faulty or broken and needs to be replaced. However, if all the taps in your house are running dry, it could indicate a more serious problem.

Check Your Hot/Cold Water

By checking both hot and cold water, you will be able to determine the cause of your plumbing problem.

If cold water is running but stops flowing when turning hot, it means the problem lies with your water heater. Water heaters can sometimes malfunction. When you don’t get hot water, the problem can stem from a faulty electric thermostat, lack of power or a faulty heating element. You may then want to call a professional plumber to fix the issue.

Or, if you’ve been using the water heater for a very long time, try to schedule a maintenance checkup for your hot water heater with a reliable expert.

Check the Water Main

There are many who shut off their main water supply when they are planning to be away for more than 24 hours. When they come back and see that water isn’t coming out of the faucet, they start panicking without realizing that they forgot to open the water main. If you’ve just come back from a weekend break, go and check if your water main is open or not. No water will run through the mainline and the faucets if it is closed.

If the valve is on, then it is not the source of your problem.

Check for a Stuck Valve

Most homeowners don’t pay much attention to their plumbing fixtures, like the main water valve around their house. When water is not running in your house, you will have to check the main valve and maybe you might find it stuck in a partially open position. In this case, as the water struggles to flow past the valve’s restricted opening, it will lose pressure in the process. If too much pressure is used to flow past the partial opening, the water might not have enough pressure to make it all the way to your taps.

You may then suddenly find yourself trying to open the valve completely, but as it’s been a few years since you’ve touched that water valve, it may not budge. This is very common with old plumbing fixtures. However, before you start rolling your shirt’s sleeves and putting all of your muscles into opening the valve, keep in mind that brutal force might actually damage the valve.

You could use a plier or wrench and turn it with patience. Or, call a certified plumber to fix this issue.

Check for Signs of a Large Leak

If there’s no water coming out of your taps, then try to look for signs of a large leak.

A large leak or a huge dent in a pipe can lower water pressure and keep water from getting where it’s supposed to. Leaks are hands-down the most worrisome scenario for any homeowner. However, don’t be tense and try to inspect your plumbing water supply from the main water line up and check all the pipes for dripping, dents or condensation.

Check with your Local Water Utility Company

If there are no leaks, no frozen pipes and all valves are open and there is still no water running, ask your local water utility company. It’s possible that this plumbing problem isn’t your problem at all. Maybe a major municipal plumbing pipe broke or was damaged and as a result, the water company turned off the entire line. So, call the water company or have a look at their website or social media page to check for any reported water issues.