No Water in the House? Check These 5 Things First

No water in the house: what to check

Short answer

If no faucet has water, check outside the house first: ask a neighbor or check your utility's outage notices for a main break or planned work. If it's only your home, check that the main valve is fully open, look for frozen pipes in cold weather, and on a private well check the pump's breaker and pressure tank gauge.

Narrow it down

If Neighbors have no water either: Utility outage or main break. Check the utility's site or call its line. Nothing to fix at your house.
If Only your house, city water: Main valve closed or failed, a service line leak, a frozen pipe, or a utility shutoff. Check the meter and valves.
If Only hot water is out: A water heater valve is closed or the heater has a problem. See no hot water.
If Private well: Pump, pressure switch or tank. Check the breaker and the gauge.
If Below freezing and only some faucets: Frozen pipes. See frozen pipe repair.

Checks, in order

The main valve
Make sure it's fully open. After a repair, someone may have left it partly closed. See how to find your shutoff.
The meter
If the meter's dial spins fast with no water reaching the house, there may be a large break between the meter and the house.
Frozen pipes
In cold weather, check pipes in crawl spaces, garages and exterior walls. Thaw gently, never with an open flame.
Well systems
Check the pump breaker. A pressure gauge reading near zero with the pump running points to the pump, switch or a loss of prime.

When water comes back

After an outage, run cold water at the bathtub first to clear air and sediment, then each fixture. If the utility issues a boil-water notice, follow it until it's lifted. Watch for leaks when pressure returns, especially after a freeze; a split pipe often shows itself only when the water is back on.

Utility shutoffs and curb stops

If the meter isn't moving and neighbors have water, the utility may have closed the curb stop, either for nonpayment or for work on your service. The curb stop is the utility's valve, usually in a small box near the meter; don't operate it yourself. Call the utility to confirm the status of your account and service.

When to call a plumber

The main valve is broken or won't open.
You suspect a frozen or burst pipe.
The well pump runs but the pressure doesn't build.
The meter shows a big flow you can't account for.