When it comes to using your home’s water, finding the right temperature is one of the most important things. It doesn’t matter if you are showering, washing dishes, watering the gardening, or something else; having water that is too hot or too cold can be undesirable. When it comes to not having hot water, the culprit is almost always your hot water heater; however, if you have no cold water, the cause may not be quite as easy to diagnose.

We are going to review some common causes for your home to be lacking cold water.

Why do I Have no Cold Water?

To determine what could be causing your Buffalo home to have no cold water, you need to troubleshoot.

First, Try Other Faucets in Your Home. Step one to diagnosing why you don’t have cold water, is determining if the problem is only in one faucet or your entire home. Go around your house and check other faucets for cold water. If you have discovered that the problem is limited to one faucet, there is likely a specific issue with that particular faucet and you can move to step three below. If the issue is happening throughout your home, follow the below next step.

Second, Check the Main Water Supply Line Shutoff Valve. One of the most common reasons that people find themselves without cold water is because the shutoff valve was turned off. The main shutoff valve allows a full flow of water through the pipe when it’s open. Turning off this valve (by turning it clockwise) cuts off the water supply to the entire house and can cause only hot water, or none at all. Confirm this valve is open.

Third, Check the Individual Shutoff Valve. The plumbing to each sink in your home is equipped with individual shutoff valves, which allow the water supply to be stopped locally without affecting the rest of your house. Similar to the main water shutoff valve, confirm that it is open by turning it counterclockwise.

If you have taken the above steps and still have no cold water, we recommend contacting a Buffalo plumbing professional to diagnose the cause of the problem and resolve the issue.

Is your Shower Without Cold Water?

If your shower is the area of your home that is lacking cold water, you likely have a defective pressure balancing valve within your shower faucet. The pressure balancing valve is a valve, typically located in the faucet of the shower, which regulates the pressure and ratio of cold and hot water coming from the showerhead.

This shower component can break down over time. If your shower isn’t used on a regular basis or if the water quality is low, there is a high probability for mineral buildup or corrosion in the cartridge holding the pressure balancing valve. This clog and deterioration may stop the cold water from reaching your showerhead.

Replacing a pressure balancing valve requires some effort and you basically need to disassemble your entire shower faucet to do so. We recommend contacting a Buffalo bathroom plumbing expert to help you resolve this issue.

Buffalo Plumbing Help

Anytime that your home’s water is not the temperature you desire, it’s a problem. Reimer Home Services can help. Whether you have no cold water or no hot water, we’re your 24-hour plumber in Buffalo and Western New York.

Our certified and experienced plumbers are ready to help with just about any plumbing problem, from shower problems to a broken water heater. When you need a Buffalo emergency plumber, look no further than Reimer Home Services. Contact us today.