No Water Coming Out of Any Tap? Check These in Order

A house with no water at all is alarming, but it is actually one of the easier plumbing problems to narrow down, because every fixture going dry at once means the problem is upstream of all of them. There are only a few places that can be. Here is the order we would check.

1. Is it just you?

Ask a neighbour, or check your city or utility district's outage page. Water main breaks and planned maintenance take whole streets off at a time, and in the fast-growing parts of Rockwall County and Collin County, construction crews cut lines more often than anyone would like. If the neighbours are dry too, it is not your plumbing.

2. Is the main valve open?

Find the main shutoff where the supply enters the house, and the valve at the meter box near the street. It is surprising how often a valve gets bumped, or was closed by someone working on the house and never fully reopened. A ball valve is open when the handle lines up with the pipe. A gate valve should be turned fully counter-clockwise. If either is partly closed, open it and check a tap.

3. Is the meter running?

Lift the meter box lid. If the meter has a small leak indicator or a sweep hand and it is spinning with every tap in the house closed, water is entering your property but not reaching the fixtures: you have a major leak between the meter and the house, usually a service line break. If the meter is dead still with a tap open, no water is reaching the meter and the problem is on the utility side or at the meter valve.

4. Has anything frozen?

In winter, if the outdoor temperature has been well below freezing overnight, the most likely cause is a frozen section of pipe. Common spots in our area are the supply where it comes up through an exterior wall, a run through an unheated garage, and any pipe in an attic. A frozen pipe has not necessarily burst, but it may have. Close the main, open the taps to relieve pressure, and see our guide on thawing pipes safely before applying any heat.

5. Is it the pressure reducing valve?

Most homes here have a pressure reducing valve on the main line, usually a bell-shaped brass fitting near the shutoff. When one fails it usually fails toward high pressure, but occasionally the internal diaphragm collapses and the valve closes almost completely. The symptom is a trickle rather than nothing, and it often comes on gradually. If the water has been weakening for weeks and has now stopped, this is a likely candidate.

6. Well water: is the pump running?

For homes on a private well in Hunt, Kaufman or the rural edges of Collin County, no water usually means the pump is not running or the pressure tank has failed. Check the breaker for the pump first. If the pressure switch is clicking rapidly or the tank is waterlogged, the pump may be running but unable to build pressure. A pump that hums but does not deliver is a call, not a reset.

Once the water comes back

Open the taps slowly and expect sputtering as air clears. Run cold water at a bath tap until it is clear before using the hot side, so any sediment stirred up by the pressure change goes down a drain rather than into the water heater. If the water was off for more than a few hours and you have an electric water heater, make sure the tank is full before power is restored to it.

Family-owned in Rockwall, licensed and insured, and the phone is answered around the clock. TX Master Plumber TXM11693. (469) 338-5533.