# Cold Water Stopped Working in Kitchen - PLEASE HELP ME!!



## annadrew (Feb 25, 2011)

I have a brand new kitchen about 6 months old. All new plumbing was put in. Kitchen sink was brand new also.

Temps have been between 35 to 65 degrees the past week.

Everything has worked fine every day for the past six months.

Went out of town for 7 days.

Came home and the cold water does not work in the sink. (The hot water works fine.)

The cold water works everywhere else in the house except for the outside hose which is the closest connection to the kitchen sink.

Nothing has been turned off either on purpose of accidentally. 

What could it possibly be??? (I thought it might be frozen??? but it's been pouring rain and 60 degrees for the past couple of days)????

Please help me with some possible ideas.

Thanks!


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## Steeler99 (Jan 30, 2011)

is the cold water not working properly or 100% completely off? Both with the inside sink and the outside hose bibb 
Call a plumber.


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## Firemouth (Feb 25, 2011)

If nothing was changed, it's possible the line is clogged with something. Another remote possibility is there was a leak somewhere, and you have a stop leak valve that closes when the flow becomes too great. I've only ever heard of such a valve with an ice maker though. The guy at home depot didn't like them because sometimes they would trip when there wasn't a leak, and then he would have to shut the line off and drain the line to disengage the lock.

I would start where the cold water splits off towards the kitchen sink and make sure all of the valves are open between that split and the sink. 

If you've verified all of them are open and you don't have any valves that would engage to stop a leak, then I think you've got a clogged line.


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## Steeler99 (Jan 30, 2011)

not disagreeing with you firemouth, but what could clog an incoming water line?


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## Firemouth (Feb 25, 2011)

I have no clue what could possibly clog it. Other than the reasons listed before (valve closed / leak protection) I can't think of any other possibilities that two outlets would not have any flow.

His supply is good because other outlets are working.

I sincerely doubt it's clogged myself (because like you said, how would it get in there) but what else could prevent the flow if all the valves are open and the house has water (IE his supply isn't shut off). The most likely possibility in my mind is the line is frozen but he said it's been in the 60's so its probably thawed by now.


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## Steeler99 (Jan 30, 2011)

yeah, my first thought was a broken pipe causing a leak somewhere.

Could you verify that by watching the meter with everything turned off? I wonder if it would spin enough to notice it...I've never seen mine, so I don't know.
Did you pay your water bill????


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## Mudman (Feb 24, 2011)

If it is a frozen pipe I'm sure you would be able to locate a leak in the basement. Could it be your faucet? Have you verified that both the outside hose bib and kitchen cold are the same line?


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## annadrew (Feb 25, 2011)

*More Input*

Thank you both for your comments and help. My first thought was a frozen pipe also as it is very close to the outer brick wall. It may have worked perfectly for the past six months through winter as I've used the water in the kitchen sink every day multiple times so it never got a chance to freeze?? Now that I went away for a week and didn't use it regularly it became the first time it had the chance to freeze. It has been warm and raining during the day the past few days and will continue to be warm the next few days (mid to upper 50's) but it still gets chilly each night. 

Do you think I might just give it a couple more days before calling a plumber in case it did freeze?? How long should it take to thaw out? It's hard for me to think it got clogged too for the same reasons you have mentioned. I don't think there is a leak either or I would have seen it or started to smell musty wet smell eh?

Thanks again for all your help and if you have any other ideas I will continue to keep checking.


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## annadrew (Feb 25, 2011)

yes Mudman the outside hose and the kitchen sink are for sure on the same line and actually break off the main line right behind the kitchen sink. After checking all the other lines I checked went outside to check the hose just to verify it wasn't the faucet. It was a pricey sink/faucet though so I hoped it wasn't that.


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## Steeler99 (Jan 30, 2011)

I'd try to follow the line from the sink/hose bibb split through the basement and see where it goes. If it froze in a 90 degree bend on the outside wall, then potentially it could be leaking outside and you may not know it.

Like I said, I'd try to watch the water meter if you can...see if it's running when everything's turned off...that may give you and indication.

My guess is any freezing would have been thawed given your weather conditions.
OR
You didn't pay your water bill.


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## annadrew (Feb 25, 2011)

Steeler99 said:


> My guess is any freezing would have been thawed given your weather conditions.
> OR
> You didn't pay your water bill.


:confused1: I didn't know the city had that much power to be able to shut off just the cold water to my kitchen sink but let me keep getting water everywhere else in the house....if they do then I think it's best for me to move out of this community pretty quick....


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## Steeler99 (Jan 30, 2011)

I'm sorry, I had to run to the store...my girlfriend revised my post about the water bill...., I guess she assumed that because you didn't have water, the bill wasn't paid. I apologize


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## annadrew (Feb 25, 2011)

Steeler99 said:


> I'm sorry, I had to run to the store...my girlfriend revised my post about the water bill...., I guess she assumed that because you didn't have water, the bill wasn't paid. I apologize


:laughing:no worries...thanks for all your help and others help too...:laughing:


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## Mudman (Feb 24, 2011)

The problem with freezing is that the water expands when frozen and can split the pipe. You wont know until it thaws in areas that aren't visible but you might see a bulge in the line. 

I'm not sure if this is good advice so if anyone is a plumber please advise but could you heat the line with a heat gun or even hair dryer where you think it's frozen and watch for leaks. If the line is warm and you still don't have water than freezing might not be the problem. 

In which case you'll prob have to drain the house and replace the line. If that's the solution than I would run the new line away from the wall. Weird its not freezing temperatures outside. 

If you find out what the problem is be sure to post it! Im really interested as to how a blockage could occur!v


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## Mudman (Feb 24, 2011)

If the pipe is fully thawed and there is a leak you would know. Serious water coming out! 

I did a bit of googling and clogged pipes do happen. If they are copper pipes I would assume the blockage would be at the elbow. Probably due to too much solder in the joint and mineral deposits building up there. Regardless you would drain the system and cut before the elbow. Hold a bucket up, have someone open the main a tiny bit and verify you have flow before you repair. Good luck


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## annadrew (Feb 25, 2011)

Mudman said:


> If the pipe is fully thawed and there is a leak you would know. Serious water coming out!
> 
> I did a bit of googling and clogged pipes do happen. If they are copper pipes I would assume the blockage would be at the elbow. Probably due to too much solder in the joint and mineral deposits building up there. Regardless you would drain the system and cut before the elbow. Hold a bucket up, have someone open the main a tiny bit and verify you have flow before you repair. Good luck


This could be more likely if it was my house previous to the remodel. Now the entire line leading up to the kitchen sink is PVC pipe. Does this change your thoughts at all?:confused1::confused1:


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## Mudman (Feb 24, 2011)

If only water lines were see-through!!


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## Steeler99 (Jan 30, 2011)

um, what do you mean all the pipes leading in are pvc? Your incoming water lines are pvc? I've never heard of that, which is why I'm asking


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## COLDIRON (Mar 15, 2009)

Shut the water off to the Kitchen sink, disconnect the cold water line , put it in a bucket turn the water back on. Water Yes or No?


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## secutanudu (Mar 15, 2009)

PVC pipe is not used for drinking water...CPVC (more tan colored than white) can be. 

I am curious what the actual type of piping is that you have.


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## handy andy (Feb 25, 2011)

*Check under the sink.*

I have had 2 cases where a water line got clogged due to an obstruction. both cases a valve washer coming apart. BUT these were in old-old plumbing and there was some water but not the flow that we want! 

Because nothing else makes sense, I suggest you try the following. Disconnect the cold feeder line to the kitchen faucet, (after shutting off the valve of course), then slowly turn on the valve. If you get water coming out, then the blockage is in the faucet.

Now another thing occurs to me. Sometimes the shutoff for an outside tap is in the undersink cabinet. Is it possible that someone shut off the cold water valve for the sink instead of the one for the outside tap?


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## annadrew (Feb 25, 2011)

*Thanks - /Water Works - ??*

Well, just to update folks.

I called my plumber and left a message to get his idea also as he was the one who just recently put the plumbing in.

His ideas were similar to yours but it turns out that I didn't need his help with it either as .....

...while I was waiting for him to reply to me I was in the kitchen cooking dinner when I heard a sort of soft whistling noise or a slow drawn out whooshing noise.

I didn't know what it was as it was a background noise at the time not very loud. But when I looked around to see if it came the kitchen or maybe from outside I caught my wife looking also.

Then it hit me that it sounded a little bit like air or water going through a pipe.

I went outside and turned on the hose. Water came flowing out like normal. I went back to the kitchen sink and tried it and the water now worked like a charm.

Thanks for your ideas.

It worked out all by itself.

Thanks


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## xcodyx (Jan 10, 2015)

I lost my first account info and don't have that email anymore so I had to make up a new account. I'll just add onto this thread since my problem is same except for the outside bibb is working fine. There was an icicle hanging from it, but when I turned it on water came out as usual. Temperatures here have been below zero this week and I guess I just didn't have the cold water flow on quite enough to prevent a freeze. The only water supply I'm having trouble with is the cold supply for the kitchen sink which is directly behind the outside bibb. I've been heating up every area that's ever frozen before and had a salamander going in the crawl for an hour (yeah I know I know). The only thing I haven't tried is putting the salamander outside on the bibb. Any ideas?


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## xcodyx (Jan 10, 2015)

Well I gave up and called a plumber. There was a spot in the crawl where the pipe was still pvc and not pex. That spot was where the ice blockage was.


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## Ghostmaker (Mar 2, 2013)

And plumbers ***** at me when I make them remove water from outside walls. GEEZ.


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