No water from any tap in the house is alarming, but it is usually diagnosable in a few minutes. The key question is simple: is it just your house, or the whole street? Answering that first tells you whether to call the water utility or start checking your own plumbing.
Step 1: Check whether your neighbors have water
Ask a neighbor or look for signs of utility work on your street — trucks, cones, a torn-up roadway. If neighbors are also dry, the problem is almost certainly on the municipal side: a main break, planned maintenance, or a system-wide pressure issue. Call your water utility’s emergency line (the number is on your water bill) to confirm and get an estimated restoration time. There is nothing to fix on your end; just keep a faucet slightly open so you know when service returns, and avoid running the water heater dry for extended periods.
If the neighbors have water and you do not, the problem is in your house or your service line. Keep going.
Step 2: Check the main shutoff valve
Every home has a main shutoff valve that controls all water entering the house. It is usually where the water line enters — in the basement, crawlspace, garage, or utility closet in colder climates; often in an exterior meter box or near an outside wall in warmer climates. The valve may have been bumped closed during recent work, or a lever-style (ball) valve may have been left partially closed.
- Ball valve (lever handle): the lever should be parallel to the pipe when open. A quarter turn closes it.
- Gate valve (round wheel handle): turn counterclockwise to open. These corrode with age and can seize — if it will not budge, do not force it with tools; a broken gate valve becomes an emergency of its own.
Also check whether the water meter itself shows the utility’s valve closed — if you were behind on the bill, service may have been shut off at the meter. That is a call to the utility, not a plumbing repair.
Step 3: Check the pressure reducing valve (PRV)
Many homes have a PRV — a bell-shaped device on the main line where it enters the house — that steps high street pressure down to safe household levels. When a PRV fails, it typically fails closed or nearly closed, and water flow drops to a trickle or stops entirely throughout the house. If you have a PRV and the shutoff is open but nothing flows, a failed PRV is a prime suspect. PRV replacement typically costs $300–$600 installed nationally. This is plumber territory: the valve is on your main line and the house must be depressurized to swap it.
Step 4: If you are on a well, check the pump system
Well owners have a separate set of suspects:
- Check the breaker. The well pump has a dedicated circuit breaker. If it tripped, reset it once — if it trips again, do not keep resetting; there is an electrical fault or a seized pump.
- Check the pressure tank. Look at the pressure gauge on the tank. If it reads zero and the pump is not running, the pump may have failed or lost prime (jet pumps) or the pressure switch may be stuck.
- Listen for the pump. A pump running constantly without building pressure suggests a leak in the drop pipe or a failed pump — turn it off to avoid burning out the motor and call a well specialist.
- Consider the water level. In drought conditions or with an aging well, the water table can drop below the pump intake, especially in summer.
Well pump service calls typically run $150–$300 nationally for diagnosis; pump replacement runs $1,000–$2,500+ depending on depth and pump type.
Step 5: Rule out frozen pipes
In freezing weather, a sudden loss of water — especially to one section of the house while the rest works — often means a frozen pipe. Pipes in exterior walls, crawlspaces, attics, and garages are the usual victims. Signs: no flow or a trickle from affected faucets, sometimes with frost visible on exposed pipe.
If you suspect a freeze: open the affected faucet slightly, then warm the pipe gently with a hair dryer or heating pad, working from the faucet back toward the colder section. Never use an open flame. Leave cabinet doors open and let faucets drip during cold snaps to prevent refreezing. If a frozen pipe has burst, you will know when it thaws — shut off the main valve immediately and call a plumber. Burst-pipe repairs typically run $200–$1,000+ nationally depending on location and damage.
Quick reference: who to call
- Neighbors also dry → water utility.
- Shutoff valve closed or broken, PRV failure, burst pipe → plumber.
- Well pump or pressure tank issue → well pump specialist.
- Shut off at the meter for nonpayment → water utility billing.
A sudden total loss of water feels like an emergency, and sometimes it is — a burst main line flooding a crawlspace cannot wait. But most cases resolve to one of the causes above, and ten minutes of methodical checking usually identifies which one before you spend a dollar.
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