What it usually means, the likely causes in order, what to safely try first, what a pro charges in Canada, and when to stop and call one.
This guide covers the common cases. Describe your exact problem and get a personalized diagnosis — free to start, with a DIY vs. call-a-pro verdict and a real cost estimate.
No water from a fixture at all — not weak, not slow, nothing — almost always means something is closed, frozen, or failed shut between the street and that tap. The cause list is short, which makes this one of the most diagnosable plumbing problems: a shut-off valve that isn't open, a failed cartridge or valve inside the fixture, or a supply problem affecting more than this one fixture. The first checks are really one question asked three ways: is it just this fixture, this room, or the whole house? The answer tells you whether you're fixing a tap or calling the city.
No water at one fixture is an inconvenience you can work around. No water anywhere in the house is urgent in the practical sense — you have no supply — and if it arrives in very cold weather alongside the suspicion of a frozen pipe, act the same day: a frozen pipe that thaws and has split will leak until someone shuts the water off. If neighbours have also lost water, it's a municipal outage and there's nothing in your house to fix.
Fixture valves under sinks and behind toilets get knocked, or get closed during another repair and never fully reopened. A valve can also fail internally — the handle turns but the washer inside has detached and blocks flow. It's the first check because it costs nothing.
Single-handle faucets rely on a cartridge that can seize or clog with sediment, especially after the water has been off and debris gets stirred up. The fixture gets no water (or only hot or only cold) while everything around it works.
Sediment and mineral scale usually cause low pressure, but a neglected aerator can block flow entirely, particularly after municipal work nearby sends debris through the lines. If unscrewing the aerator restores a full stream, you've found it.
In cold weather, a pipe in an exterior wall, crawlspace, or unheated garage can freeze solid and cut off everything downstream of it. Often only the fixtures fed through that run are affected, which is why 'no water in winter, one area of the house' is a classic frozen-pipe signature.
A partly closed main valve, a failing pressure issue upstream, or city work on your street can cut supply to the whole house. This is the 'check other fixtures and ask a neighbour' branch of the diagnosis.
| Job size | Typical estimate (CAD) |
|---|---|
| Simple fix — the straightforward version of this repair | $120–$250 |
| Major job — complex, hidden, or replacement-level work | $400–$1,200 |
Estimates only, calibrated to Greater Toronto Area trade rates and adjusted by region on this site — not a quote. Your exact price depends on the cause, parts, and access. A personalized diagnosis narrows this range using your specific symptom.
Valves, aerators, and a faucet cartridge are fair DIY — all done with the fixture's shut-off closed and basic tools. Call a pro when the whole house is dry and the city says it's not them, when a pipe has frozen or burst in a wall or ceiling you can't access, when the main shut-off itself is seized or leaking (that's the one valve you don't want to force), or when a new fixture gets no water after a renovation, which suggests a line was never connected or was capped.
That isolates it to the hot side of that fixture or its supply: a closed hot shut-off under the sink, or a hot-side cartridge/port clogged with sediment — sometimes debris that broke loose from the water heater. Other fixtures having hot water rules out the heater itself and points squarely at this tap's hot path.
Possibly. Water that returns on its own can mean a partial freeze that thawed, a municipal interruption that ended, or debris that shifted. If it happens in cold weather, treat it as a freeze warning and insulate that pipe run. If it recurs in mild weather, have the fixture valve and your main valve checked before it fails in the closed position for good.
It's usually where the supply line enters the house — often in the basement on the street-facing wall, near the water meter, or in a utility area. It may be a round wheel valve or a lever ball valve. Finding it on a calm day, confirming it turns, and making sure everyone in the house knows where it is, is some of the cheapest insurance a homeowner can have.
If the whole house is out, valves are open, and neighbours have water, the municipality is the right first call — they can confirm outages, planned work, and meter or supply problems on their side. A plumber can't fix a supply that isn't reaching the house, so rule that out before paying for a visit.
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