Direct answer: If the kitchen sink only has hot water, the cold side is usually being blocked before it reaches the spout. Most often that means the cold shutoff valve under the sink is closed or stuck, the kitchen faucet cold supply hose is kinked or clogged, or the faucet itself is blocking cold flow.
Most likely: Start under the sink. A partly closed or failed cold shutoff valve is more common than a bad faucet body, especially if the problem showed up suddenly after work in the cabinet or after storing items under the sink.
Separate the lookalikes early: no cold water at all is different from weak cold water, and a faucet-only problem is different from a branch-line problem. Reality check: this is usually a simple blockage or valve issue, not a whole-house plumbing failure. Common wrong move: replacing the faucet before checking whether the cold shutoff is actually feeding water.
Don’t start with: Don’t start by buying a whole new kitchen faucet. First prove whether cold water is missing at the shutoff, the supply hose, or only at the faucet outlet.
Hot water runs normally, but the cold side gives nothing or just a dribble at the kitchen faucet while nearby fixtures still have normal cold water.
Start here: Check the cold shutoff valve under the sink first, then the cold supply hose.
The problem started after cleaning the cabinet, replacing a disposal, changing a filter, or moving stored items under the sink.
Start here: Look for a bumped shutoff handle, a kinked kitchen faucet cold supply hose, or a pinched pull-down hose.
The faucet may click, feel stiff, or have odd flow through the spray head while hot still works.
Start here: Remove the kitchen faucet aerator or spray head and check for debris, then suspect an internal faucet blockage if the cold side is still dead.
Cold flow got weaker over days or weeks before it quit, often after plumbing work or sediment disturbance.
Start here: Check the aerator for debris and then test whether cold water reaches the faucet from the shutoff valve.
This is the fastest, most common single-fixture cause, especially if the problem started suddenly or after someone moved items in the cabinet.
Quick check: Look at the cold shutoff handle under the sink and turn it gently to the fully open position. If it spins oddly, feels loose, or will not pass water during a supply test, the valve is the problem.
Pull-down and tight-cabinet setups can pinch the cold hose, and sediment can plug a hose or inlet after plumbing work.
Quick check: Trace the cold line from the shutoff to the faucet. Look for a sharp bend, flattening, or a hose that was twisted when something was moved under the sink.
If sediment broke loose upstream, it often lodges at the smallest passages first. Hot may still flow while cold gets choked off.
Quick check: Remove the aerator or spray head and test the faucet again. If cold returns with the outlet removed, the blockage is at the outlet, not in the wall.
When the shutoff and hose both pass cold water but the faucet still will not deliver it, the fault is usually inside the faucet body.
Quick check: After confirming good cold flow from the shutoff and through the disconnected supply line, reconnect and test. If cold still dies at the faucet, the faucet internals are the likely failure.
You want to know whether you’re chasing a local faucet issue or a wider cold-water problem before taking anything apart.
Next move: If other fixtures have normal cold water, stay focused on the kitchen sink shutoff, supply hose, aerator, and faucet. If cold water is missing or weak at multiple fixtures, this page is no longer the right path. Look for a house-side supply issue, frozen line, or a larger plumbing problem.
What to conclude: A single-fixture failure usually lives under the sink or inside the faucet. A whole-house pattern points away from the kitchen sink assembly.
A bumped, partly closed, or failed shutoff valve is the most common cause and the least destructive thing to verify.
Next move: If cold water returns after opening or repositioning the shutoff, cycle the faucet a few times and watch for drips at the valve stem and connections. If the shutoff is fully open and the faucet still has no cold water, move to the hose and outlet checks.
What to conclude: A working adjustment here points to a simple valve position issue. A valve that will not operate normally or will not pass water may have failed internally.
A pinched kitchen faucet cold supply hose or a debris-packed aerator can mimic a dead cold line, and both are easy to check safely.
Next move: If cold water comes back with the aerator or spray head removed, clean out the debris, rinse the parts, and reinstall. If there is still no cold flow and the hose is not kinked, test whether cold water is reaching the faucet from below.
This separates a bad shutoff valve or blocked supply line from a faucet-internal failure. Once you know where the water stops, the repair gets much clearer.
Next move: If the shutoff sends strong cold water, the faucet or its connected hose is blocking the cold side. If the shutoff does not send water, plan on a shutoff-valve repair or replacement. If you cannot safely disconnect the hose or the fittings are seized, stop before you create a leak you cannot control.
By now you should know whether the cold side dies at the shutoff or inside the faucet path. That keeps you from buying the wrong part.
A good result: If cold water returns normally and there are no leaks, the repair is done.
If not: If a confirmed-good shutoff and hose still do not restore cold water, the faucet body itself may be internally blocked or damaged, and replacement of the full kitchen faucet becomes the next reasonable move.
What to conclude: A shutoff failure and a faucet-internal failure can look almost identical from above the sink. The supply test is what separates them.
Repair Riot may earn a commission from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
Most of the time, the cold side is being blocked locally. The usual culprits are a closed or failed cold shutoff valve, a kinked or clogged kitchen faucet cold supply hose, debris in the aerator or spray head, or a stuck faucet cartridge.
Yes. If the cold shutoff sends good water to the faucet but nothing comes out on the cold setting, the kitchen faucet cartridge or internal faucet passage can absolutely be the problem.
No. A whole faucet replacement is often unnecessary. First prove whether the cold shutoff passes water and whether the aerator or hose is blocked. Those checks are faster and cheaper than swapping the entire faucet on a guess.
That is usually a different problem. Weak cold flow points more toward a partial blockage, dirty aerator, or restricted cold side rather than a complete no-cold-water failure. If that matches your sink, follow the low-pressure path instead.
Yes. After sediment gets stirred up, the smallest passages at the aerator or spray head can clog unevenly. Hot may still seem normal while cold gets choked down or disappears.
Then the valve may have failed internally or the branch feeding that valve may be blocked. If other fixtures still have cold water and the shutoff will not pass water during a direct test, the kitchen sink shutoff valve is the leading suspect.