It can be annoying if you get only cold water from a faucet or tap. Only getting lukewarm water from your cold tap is also not ideal.
During hot summer days, you often want some refreshing water. Luckily this is often quite easy to solve so that you can enjoy your cold water again. Let’s take a look at some common causes of this problem.
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No cold water in apartment or house: what to do
Let’s find out what is going wrong if you don’t have cold water in your house.
Something is wrong with the temperature setting of your faucet
If you notice that you are getting warm or even hot water from your cold faucet, then there may be something wrong with your water faucet. Check the faucet and the connections under the sink to make sure that nothing is wrong.
You can use the valve to close the hot water supply under the sink and see if there is an issue there. Faucets have to mix hot and cold water. If there is a problem, it is possible that it opens up the hot water line instead of the cold water line. The easiest solution is to replace the faucet if it is broken.
The cold and hot water pipes are laying too close to each other
If the cold and hot water pipes are too close to each other, the cold water can pick up heat from the hot water pipes and flow into your home at a warmer temperature. To prevent this from happening, keep the cold and hot water pipes at least two inches apart from each other. You can insulate the hot water pipe so that the heat doesn’t go to the cold water pipe.
If you have just used hot water, it can take some time for the water to lower in temperature as the faucet has to cool down as well. After 5-10 seconds the water should start to become colder.
Your cold water lines are running through a hot area
If your cold water lines are running through a hot area, such as an attic during the summer, then they can pick up heat and flow into your home at a warmer temperature. To solve this problem, move your cold water lines to a different area of your home. You can also replace copper pipes with PEX water pipes.
Depending on the source of your water (city water, rainwater, or well water), summer weather can have more or less impact. Well water can get quite hot during the summer while city water should remain quite cold.
Problems with your water heater
If the warm water is coming out of the cold faucet, then the problem may be with your water heater. The water heater may be on its last legs and is not heating the water up like it usually does. It might mix the cold and hot water instead of keeping them separate.
Normally there should be cold water on the bottom of your tank but if the tank is getting older, it might not be able to keep the water there. Check if there is a message on the display on your hot water heater. It should be maintained often to avoid issues. Your plumber might have to repair your heater or install a new one.
It is also possible that the settings on the water heater are wrong and that it is producing water that is too hot. It if gets mixed with the cold water, it can create a hotter result than expected. Check the temperature settings on your heater to make sure that it is not too hot.
Problems with your water pipes
There can be dirt and dust inside the water pipes. Your pipes can also be corroded. This can cause friction that heats up the water somewhat. This is not that easy to fix. A plumber might have to open your pipes to get them cleaned.
It is also possible that there is an air pocket in the water pipes. You can fix this by opening all the faucets. Air should come out one of them. Once the air has been removed, your faucets should work again.
If you have a lot of air in your drains, you should contact a plumber to get it checked out.
Check if your faucet is in the right position
Some faucets are installed wrong and the hot stand actually gives cold water. Distracted plumbers can mix the supply lines and cause problems in this way. This happens more often than you think! Just set the faucet on the hot stand to get cold water if this happens. You can turn the sticker on your faucet so that it indicates the water temperature correctly.
It is quite easy to switch these pipes under the sink as well as you just have to turn off the water supply and remove the drains with a wrench. Once this is done, you can reattach them again. The final step is to open the water supply valve again and check if there are no leaks.
Modern faucets can be quite confusing to use. They have often designer elements that make it harder to set them correctly. Sometimes you need to push a button to get colder water. Some people don’t want to be surprised by very cold water and some manufacturers add a button to make sure that the water is within the standard range. Check the faucet to make sure that it is in the cold stand.
Other tips
You can measure the temperature of the water throughout the house with a thermometer. If you notice that it is only hot in a certain area, you can look around and see what is going on. Follow the pipes and check if you see anything unusual.
A lot of things can go wrong in a plumbing system so it is difficult to discuss all the problems here. If none of these things help, you can contact your plumber for a more in-depth check of the problem. Most plumbers have advanced tools such as infrared tools to check the temperature of water pipes throughout the home.
To conclude, we can state that there are multiple reasons that you can get lukewarm water from a cold faucet. From issues with your water heater, and the pipes to your faucet. All of these can require quite some work to get fixed. Your plumber can help you with these if needed.
Some problems are harder to find and solve than others. Hot weather can increase the temperature of your water, making it harder to get cold water during hot summer days.
