10 guides
No water: what to check, in order
Nothing coming out of the taps, no hot water, pressure that has dropped, or water that has changed colour. What to check before you call, and who owns the pipe.
Nothing is coming out
What to check, and whether it is your pipe or theirs.
- Nothing from the faucets Try a second faucet, then check with a neighbor, then look at the main shut-off valve. Those three narrow it to the street, your supply, or something inside the house in about two minutes.
- No hot water If the cold runs fine, the supply is not the problem. Check the breaker or the pilot, then the thermostat, then the age of the tank, in that order, before calling anyone.
- Pressure has dropped Work out whether it is everywhere or one fixture, and whether it happened suddenly or slowly. Sudden and everywhere is usually the supply or a valve; slow and at one faucet is almost always an aerator or a cartridge.
- No water on a well Check the breaker, then the pressure gauge, then the pressure switch, in that order. A well is a machine you own end to end, and about half of no water calls on wells end at one of those three.
It is back, or it is partly back
Discoloured water, pressure that never returned, and what to do about it.
- Discolored water Run a cold faucet on the lowest floor for a few minutes and see if it clears. Brown after work on the mains is usually stirred up sediment. Cloudy white is almost always air. Neither is the same as a boil water notice.
- A planned shut off Fill containers and the bath before it goes, and switch the water heater off if the tank may empty. When it returns, bleed the air from the lowest faucet upward and then walk the house looking for leaks.
- It smells or tastes wrong Work out whether it is the hot side only, one faucet only, or everything, and whether it started suddenly. Rotten eggs on the hot side is the water heater. A fuel or solvent smell is a call to the utility, immediately.
- A drip or a running toilet A running toilet wastes far more than a dripping faucet, and it is usually a five dollar flapper. Put food coloring in the tank: if color reaches the bowl without flushing, that is where your bill went.
Who pays for the pipe
What a policy does with a supply line, and what the work costs.
- Who owns the water line? The utility usually owns the main and the meter, and you usually own the service line from the meter to the house, including the part under your yard. Call and confirm before anyone digs, because the boundary varies.
- What plumbing costs Ask whether the service call covers the first hour and whether diagnosis is separate. Access drives the price far more than the part does, and the most expensive plumbing job is the one that gets done twice.