People tend to take many things for granted and only notice when something goes wrong if their usual routine is disrupted. If you woke up today and found out that there’s no water in your house, you know the feeling all too well. There are many reasons why you may have no access to water. To get it back on, you need to determine the cause and act accordingly.
However, it may feel like looking for a needle in a haystack, especially if you know nothing about plumbing. But don’t worry! In this article, you’ll find seven possible reasons why there’s no water in your property, along with some advice on what to do about it. Read on!
Check Another Tap
If you open a tap and realise there’s no water, you should check whether your whole property is affected. Sometimes only certain rooms have no water, which would indicate that there’s a problem with your internal plumbing. Also, if there’s no water in one faucet only, it may be a sign that there’s something wrong with that faucet.
If you experience problems with just one faucet, it could be clogged, dislodged, broken, or bent in some way. In the worst-case scenario, you’ll have to replace the entire water fixture, but the reason might also be very simple, like a closed sink valve that you’ll need to open.
Check Whether You Have Hot Water
You may have access to cold water in every faucet in your house. However, if you want to take a warm bath and you realise there’s no hot water, the most probable reason is that your water heater is malfunctioning. The heater might be leaking, blocked by sediment buildup, unplugged, or simply turned off.
In case your water heater is the reason why you have no hot water in your house, flush it and wait for a while until it heats back up. If there’s no improvement, you may need to replace your heater.
Check Your Water Mains
Sometimes there’s no water because someone had closed the water main. When that happens, not a drop will get through your faucets. It may sound like an event that’s too obvious to happen, but it won’t hurt checking if that’s really the case. To fix this issue, you need to open the main valve all the way. The water should start flowing in no time.
Check for a Stuck Valve
If you’ve been doing some pipework or working on your central heating system, for example repressurising or draining it, chances are there is a stuck valve somewhere. The water in the pipes may lose pressure while trying to move past the restricted opening and as a result, it can’t make it all the way through your faucets.
To fix this issue, find the valve which you have a hard time turning. If possible, try to open it – you can use a wrench or pliers. Try not to damage the valve further, and look for results.
Check With Your Neighbours
If you have no water in your house, chances are the problem is bigger than you think. Go outside and check with your neighbours if they also have no access to water. If they don’t, then it’s probably due to some external circumstances. Maybe there’s some plumbing or building work going on in your area, and the main water supply had to be shut off. However, in case you’re the only one with the problem, you should look for the cause elsewhere.
Look for Leaks
Damaged pipework is one of the most common reasons why you might have no water. A burst pipe or leaks steal water pressure, preventing water from getting where it’s supposed to be. If you want to look for leaks or other pipe damage, start in your basement and follow your water supply lines. The mainline is especially vulnerable to leaks or rupture because the pressure is always the strongest there.
Once you manage to find a leak, rupture, condensation, or any other signs of damage, you can fix it on your own with a plumber’s tape. However, if the damage is too severe, you should contact a professional who would fix it or replace a certain section.
Contact Your Water Company
Sometimes the fact that there’s no water in your home is not your fault. There may have been some incidents in your area, a burst water supply pipe down the road, or other plumbing malfunctions and supply interruptions happening in your city. It’s also possible that some companies are scheduled to perform maintenance checks in a specific area, and for that, they need to temporarily turn off the water supply.
If you can’t find any other reason why you may have no water in your faucets, contact your water company and ask them about the issue. In the case it’s their fault, you can also get an estimated time as to when you can expect the water to be turned on again.
The Bottom Line
As you can see, there are many reasons why you may have no water in your house. In some cases, you can try and fix the issue on your own. However, when it comes to more complex malfunctions, you may need to contact a professional or wait for the officials to deal with them.
Whatever the case, don’t forget about good maintenance practices and perform regular inspections on your water supply system. This way, you can ensure that it will be up and running for a long time, and you’ll also avoid costly repairs in the future.
Call a Professional
In case there’s no external reason why you have no access to water at home, you can always get in touch with a professional. An expert will help you diagnose the problem, give you helpful advice, and fix any plumbing-related issues, from burst water main to a clogged sink or downstairs toilet. It’s a good decision if you have no knowledge about plumbing whatsoever and would rather not risk performing any repairs on your own.
Contact B.Wilson Plumbing and Heating to help you with your plumbing. Our highly trained and qualified engineers are ready to help with all plumbing and heating emergencies.