Why My Single Handle Faucet No Cold Water [Solved]

Dealing with a single handle faucet with no cold water can be scary if you don’t know whether serious damage is behind it or not. Don’t get worried right yet.

You see, according to what I found out, these underlying issues are easy to isolate and also quite solvable.

But of course, you need to determine what reason exactly is causing this situation. Exactly why is there no cold water coming out of a faucet?

Most of the time, cold water fails to come out of a faucet due to cartridge failure. The water supply line could be turned off too. And sometimes, other components can be responsible such as a spray nozzle or pipeline damage.

Let’s dig deeper to find solutions.

Key Takeaways

A Single Handle Faucet With No Cold Water Is Often a Result of Bad Cartridge

If you are dealing with a single handle kitchen faucet with no cold water, then the first place to check would be cartridges. This part going bad can trigger a lot of problems, including leakages in faucets as well as noisy faucets.

There’s a mechanism that helps to mix cold and hot water that keeps these faucets running. Once the cartridge goes bad, there’s a good chance of cross-feeding.

A good sign is discovering lukewarm water from the cold tap. This happens when there’s a leak in hot and cold water.

To stop warm water from coming out from the fixture’s cold side, replacing the cartridge will be necessary.

It is also possible that the cold side is experiencing grip clogs. This interrupts normal functioning, and as a result, you deal with cold water not coming out of the faucet.

Here the fix is pretty straightforward. You just need to remove the cartridge and clean it carefully.

However, to ensure the part does not fail any time sooner, you can also consider simply replacing it. Faucet cartridge replacements are not that expensive.

If you have a cartridge puller at home, then replacing it yourself is also a valid option.

But my safest bet would be hiring a plumber if you don’t have much idea about how these replacements work.

Also, some issues need professionals. For example, if the situation has a burst pipe that needs repairing.

Plus, the removal of debris from the clogged line could be a complicated repair that experienced individuals should handle only.

The Shutoff Valve Might Be Turned off

Exactly why is hot water working but not cold water in a faucet? A very general error (more like a mistake) could be the cause. And it’s regarding the shutoff valve.

If throughout a home the hot water is working but not cold water, then most probably the shutoff valve is turned off accidentally. In such a case, just turning the valve on would get everything back to normal.

But you may wonder how such a thing happens accidentally. If you have little kids or pets at home, think again. These little darlings can get curious and bump the shutoff valve.

To fix this problem, you want to make sure the cold-water valve is entirely open. Rotate it in a counterclockwise direction as far as it goes. Most sinks have valves located right beneath them.

Stuck Spray Nozzle Could Be the Reason

When the cold-water tap is not working, but the hot one is doing fine, it could be a result of a stuck spray nozzle if the faucet comes with a separate one.

The attachment comes with a stutter valve. And its job is to make sure the water is diverting towards the nozzle during the open position.

This stutter valve can get stuck and lead to such a situation. To confirm this is the problem, you need to run water through the spray valve a couple of times.

Observe what happens. If the water is flowing simply fine, unlike the faucet, then the blame is quite sure on the stutter valve.

To fix the problem, you simply need to turn the sink’s water flow off by closing the shutoff valve. Then turn on the spray nozzle as well as the faucet at the same time.

You want to open the shutoff valve back to retrain water flow. The flow will disengage any vapor lock in the nozzle, and cold water should flow to the faucet without a problem.

A Frozen Pipe Can Obstacle Cold Water Flow

If you are experiencing no cold water in the kitchen tap during winter, then the chances of a frozen pipe being the reason are quite high.

This happens a lot at homes that don’t have winterized pipes. Keeping the cabinet door open can help a little heat reach the sink pipes if those are behind the cabinet.

Some people also go ahead and use a portable heater to melt the frozen solid and rescue this situation back to normal.

You can also use a hairdryer, but make sure there’s enough space for that action to take place safely.

You Can Try

Wrapping Up

And there you have it! These were the most common reasons behind the failure of a single handle faucet with no cold water. But things can be serious.

So as soon as you guess that there is severe damage behind the problem, don’t wait and consult with a professional plumber for help.

I will see you again soon. Take care!