Why Is There No Water Coming Out of My Faucet? 11 Causes and Fixes

If you turn on a faucet and no water comes out at all, the fastest way to find the problem is not to start taking the faucet apart. First, check whether the problem affects one faucet, only the hot or cold side, several fixtures, or your entire home. That one check can quickly tell you whether you are dealing with a clogged faucet, a closed valve, a supply-line problem, a frozen pipe, a leak, or an interruption to your home’s main water supply.

Figure Out Which Type of Water Problem You Have

Before I would loosen a single plumbing fitting, I would run this short diagnosis. Public water utilities use the same basic logic when helping customers distinguish a fixture problem from a building-wide or supply-side problem: compare different faucets and compare hot with cold water. Portland Water Bureau’s troubleshooting guidance follows this approach as well.

That distinction matters because zero flow and low flow are not exactly the same problem. Water pressure is the force moving the water, while flow is the amount of water actually leaving the faucet. A clogged faucet can have poor flow even when the home’s incoming pressure is normal.

If Only One Faucet Has No Water, Start at the Fixture

When the kitchen faucet is dry but the bathroom sink, shower, and toilet still have water, the main water supply is obviously reaching your home. That makes a problem at or immediately before the affected faucet much more likely.

1. Check the shutoff valves under the sink

Look underneath the sink for the hot and cold supply lines. Each line will normally have its own shutoff valve. A valve may have been closed during a repair, cleaning job, appliance installation, or other plumbing work and never fully reopened.

For a typical round-handle stop valve, opening generally means turning the handle counterclockwise. For a quarter-turn ball-style valve, the handle is normally open when it is aligned with the pipe or tubing. Do not force an old, corroded, leaking, or seized valve. A valve that feels as though it may break is better left to a plumber.

If someone recently worked on the plumbing, checking the valves should be one of your first steps. The City of Ann Arbor similarly advises checking whether water valves are open when a tap suddenly produces no water. See the city’s drinking-water troubleshooting guidance.

2. Remove the aerator and test the faucet again

The aerator is the small screened fitting at the end of many faucet spouts. Sediment, scale, rust particles, or debris can collect in it and reduce the stream from normal flow to a trickle. In a severe blockage, very little water may escape.

1. Close the faucet.
2. Unscrew the aerator carefully. Protect decorative finishes if you need pliers.
3. Place the aerator aside and briefly turn on the faucet.
4. If normal flow returns, the restriction is in the aerator or faucet head.
5. Clean out loose debris and mineral deposits, rinse the parts, and reinstall them.

The U.S. EPA’s WaterSense program recommends periodically checking faucets for scaling or calcium buildup and removing deposits that may restrict flow. WaterSense home-maintenance guidance also covers faucet and aerator care.

3. Look for a kinked or damaged supply line

Flexible supply lines run from the shutoff valves to the faucet. Look for a line that is sharply bent, twisted, crushed, leaking, or trapped behind something stored under the sink. A severe kink can restrict water before it reaches the faucet.

If the line is visibly damaged or leaking, shut off that fixture’s water supply rather than trying to straighten a deteriorated line under pressure. Replacement is usually a safer solution.

4. Suspect the cartridge or internal faucet valve

If water reaches the supply lines but still cannot pass through the faucet, an internal cartridge, stem, valve, or other faucet component may be blocked or damaged. Sediment can enter a fixture after plumbing work or utility maintenance, while internal parts can also wear out with age.

Different faucet designs come apart differently. Single-handle faucets may use cartridge, ball, or ceramic-disc mechanisms, while two-handle models may use cartridges or compression stems. If you plan to disassemble the faucet, identify the model first and turn off its water supply. This faucet-cartridge guide illustrates why identifying the faucet type matters before taking it apart.

Check Hot and Cold Water Separately

This is one of the most useful tests because a single faucet can receive hot and cold water through separate supply paths.

Cold water works, but no water comes out on hot

If the cold side flows normally, your home’s main water supply has not disappeared. Check the hot shutoff valve beneath the sink first. If other fixtures also have no hot-water flow, the issue may be farther upstream in the hot-water plumbing or at the water heater.

There is an important distinction between water that comes out but stays cold and no water flowing from the hot side at all. The first points more directly toward a heating problem; the second can involve a closed valve, restriction, frozen hot-water line, fixture blockage, or another supply problem.

Hot water works, but the cold side is dry

Focus on the cold-side valve, cold supply line, and any section of piping serving that fixture. In freezing weather, a cold-water line in an exterior wall, crawl space, garage, or other unheated area deserves particular attention.

Neither hot nor cold works at one faucet

If both sides fail while nearby fixtures still work, look for something shared by both sides of that faucet: the faucet’s outlet, mixing cartridge, sensor or solenoid on an electronic model, or local installation issue.

What If the Faucet Turns but No Water Comes Out?

A handle that moves normally does not prove that water is reaching or passing through the faucet. The handle may still operate even when a shutoff valve is closed, an internal cartridge has failed, or the outlet is blocked.

I would work backward from the outlet:

1. Remove the aerator and test for flow.
2. Confirm both fixture shutoff valves are open.
3. Inspect the flexible supply lines.
4. Compare hot and cold.
5. Investigate the faucet cartridge or internal valve if water should be reaching the fixture but cannot pass through it.

If Several Faucets Have No Water, Move Upstream

When multiple fixtures stop at roughly the same time, repeatedly cleaning faucet aerators is unlikely to solve the real problem. Now you need to determine whether water is reaching the home at all.

Check whether the main shutoff valve is open

The main shutoff controls the home’s water supply. Its location varies by property and climate, but it is commonly found where the service line enters the building, near a water meter, in a basement or utility area, or in an exterior meter or valve box.

If you have a lever-style ball valve, the lever is typically open when it runs parallel with the pipe and closed when it is perpendicular. Older multi-turn valves operate differently. If you are unsure which valve belongs to you—or it is corroded, damaged, or utility-owned—do not force it.

Ask whether your neighbors have water

If you use municipal water and nearby homes are dry too, the problem may be outside your property. A water-main break, scheduled maintenance, emergency repair, or other utility disruption can temporarily interrupt service.

Check your local water provider’s outage or alert page or contact the utility directly. If you live in an apartment or condominium, ask the property manager whether the problem affects other units.

Look for evidence of a significant leak

Water escaping through a damaged supply pipe can leave you with weak or missing flow at fixtures. Look and listen for signs such as:

• water where it should not be;
• wet walls, ceilings, floors, cabinets, or soil;
• the sound of water running when fixtures are off;
• a sudden unexplained increase in water use;
• movement at the water meter when you believe everything is turned off.

The EPA recommends checking a water meter when no water is being used and checking it again later; movement can indicate a leak. EPA WaterSense explains this leak-checking method.

Could the Pipe Be Frozen?

If the faucet stopped working during freezing weather, especially when its supply pipes run through an exterior wall, crawl space, garage, basement, or another poorly heated area, a frozen section is a realistic possibility.

A developing freeze may first produce only a trickle. A complete ice blockage can stop flow. Check other faucets too, because more than one section of plumbing may be affected.

The American Red Cross recommends keeping the affected faucet open and applying gentle heat with options such as an electric heating pad, hair dryer, safe portable space heater, or hot-water-soaked towels. It specifically warns against open-flame devices. Read the Red Cross frozen-pipe guidance.

Is It Really “No Water,” or Is the Flow Just Extremely Low?

This distinction can save you from troubleshooting the wrong system. Remove the aerator from the affected faucet and test again. If a strong stream returns, you have found a local flow restriction. If the faucet remains weak and other fixtures are weak too, check the wider plumbing system.

A pressure gauge on a suitable hose bib can help diagnose a whole-home pressure problem. EPA WaterSense says household fixtures generally operate best with incoming service pressure around 45 to 60 psi, although the actual supply conditions and local plumbing system vary.

A very low reading does not identify the cause by itself. The problem could still involve a leak, partially closed valve, pressure-regulating valve, utility-side condition, filter, or restriction. Treat the gauge as a diagnostic clue rather than a complete diagnosis.

What If You Have a Private Well?

If every faucet is dry and your home uses a private well, checking the city water utility will obviously not help. The problem may instead involve the well pump, electrical supply, pressure switch, pressure tank, control equipment, or the well itself.

You can check whether the well-pump circuit breaker has tripped, but repeated breaker trips should not simply be reset over and over. They can indicate an electrical or mechanical fault. If the pump is not building pressure, is behaving unusually, or you are unfamiliar with well systems, a qualified well or plumbing professional is the safer next step.

What About Touchless and Pull-Down Faucets?

Not every dry faucet is a conventional plumbing blockage. Electronic and specialty faucets add components that traditional troubleshooting guides can miss.

Touchless or sensor faucet

If other fixtures have water but a touchless faucet suddenly stops, check the manufacturer’s troubleshooting instructions for batteries or power, sensor operation, control box, wiring connections, filters, and solenoid operation. Do not assume a dry electronic faucet means the house has lost water.

Pull-down or pull-out kitchen faucet

If removing the spray head changes the flow, the restriction may be in the spray head or its screen rather than in the home’s pipes. Also inspect the flexible hose beneath the sink for an obvious kink or pinch point.

Use the Way the Problem Started as a Clue

I would not diagnose a faucet from one symptom alone, but the timing can tell you where to look next.

The Order I Would Troubleshoot a Dry Faucet

If you want one sequence to follow, use this one. It moves from the quickest observations to the checks that require more plumbing knowledge.

1. Try several fixtures. Include another sink and, if possible, a fixture elsewhere in the house.
2. Compare hot and cold. Note whether one side works.
3. Decide whether you have zero flow or just a weak trickle.
4. If one faucet is affected, check its shutoff valves.
5. Remove the aerator or detachable faucet head and test again.
6. Inspect accessible supply lines.
7. If many fixtures are affected, check the main shutoff and utility status.
8. Look for leaks or signs of freezing.
9. For a private well, check the well-system power and pressure equipment.
10. Call a professional when the problem is upstream, hidden, unsafe, or still unexplained.

Common Mistakes That Can Make the Problem Worse

• Taking the faucet apart before checking other fixtures. You may dismantle a perfectly good faucet when the real problem is the home’s supply.
• Forcing an old shutoff valve. A corroded valve can begin leaking or break.
• Assuming “no hot water” always means a failed water heater. First decide whether water is flowing but cold, or whether the hot side has no flow whatsoever.
• Confusing poor flow with low water pressure. A clogged aerator can create weak flow at one fixture even when household pressure is normal.
• Using an open flame on a frozen pipe. Use safe, gradual heating methods instead.
• Ignoring signs of a hidden leak. Water damage can become much more expensive than the original plumbing repair.

When You Should Stop Troubleshooting and Call a Plumber

Cleaning an aerator or reopening a fixture shutoff can be reasonable DIY work. Other situations deserve professional diagnosis sooner rather than later.

I would call a licensed plumber or appropriate specialist if:

• you see a burst, split, bulging, or actively leaking pipe;
• water is appearing inside walls, ceilings, floors, or cabinets;
• the main shutoff valve is damaged, leaking, or will not operate safely;
• the problem affects multiple fixtures and the utility reports no outage;
• you suspect a frozen pipe but cannot locate or safely thaw it;
• a well pump, pressure switch, pressure tank, or electrical component appears to have failed;
• the water meter suggests flow when every fixture is supposed to be off;
• you complete the simple checks but still cannot determine why water is not reaching the faucet.

How to Reduce the Chance of It Happening Again

You cannot prevent a municipal outage, but you can reduce several common household causes of poor or missing faucet flow.

• Clean faucet aerators when you notice scale or a gradual loss of flow.
• Know where your fixture shutoffs and main water shutoff are before an emergency occurs.
• Inspect under sinks periodically for damp fittings, corroded valves, and damaged supply hoses.
• Address unusual changes in household water pressure rather than ignoring them.
• Protect vulnerable pipes from freezing and keep appropriate parts of the home heated during severe cold.
• Pay attention to unexpected changes in your water bill or meter readings that might reveal a hidden leak.

Questions Homeowners Often Have

Why would one faucet suddenly stop working while all the others are fine?

A problem isolated to one faucet usually points to that fixture or its local supply. Check the hot and cold shutoff valves, aerator, flexible supply lines, and faucet cartridge or internal valve before investigating the whole-house supply.

Why is no water coming out of my kitchen faucet but the bathroom works?

That pattern strongly narrows the issue to the kitchen fixture or the plumbing serving it. Check the kitchen faucet’s valves, aerator or spray head, supply hoses, and internal cartridge. If both hot and cold are affected, look for a component they share.

Why does my toilet work but no water comes out of the faucet?

If the toilet refills normally, water is reaching at least part of your home’s plumbing. A single dry faucet is therefore more likely to have a local valve, supply-line, aerator, cartridge, or fixture problem than a complete municipal outage.

What if I have no water after turning the supply back on?

Confirm that the correct valve is actually fully open and check other fixtures. If only one fixture remains dry, debris may have moved into its aerator or cartridge during the shutoff. If the entire home stays dry, recheck the main supply and contact your utility or plumber as appropriate.

Can a clogged aerator completely stop a faucet?

Heavy debris or mineral buildup can severely restrict an aerator, although complete zero flow can also indicate a blockage or failure elsewhere. Removing the aerator and briefly testing the faucet is a simple way to separate an outlet restriction from a deeper problem.

Should I call the water company or a plumber?

If every cold-water faucet in your home is dry and neighbors are affected too, contact your water utility or check its outage information. If neighbors have water but your entire home does not, check your main shutoff and then contact a plumber if the cause is not obvious. If only one faucet is affected, start with that fixture rather than the utility.

The Most Useful First Check

When you are wondering, “Why is there no water coming out of my faucet?” the most useful first question is actually: Where else do I still have water?

If other fixtures work, keep your troubleshooting local to the dry faucet: valves, aerator, supply lines, and internal components. If several fixtures or the whole house are dry, move upstream to the main shutoff, leaks, freezing, utility service, pressure equipment, or a private well system. That simple branch keeps you from replacing faucet parts when the problem is somewhere completely different—and helps you recognize sooner when the safest fix is professional help.

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