No tap water? Here's what to do

Reading time: ~11 minutes

You turn on the tap and nothing comes out. Or only a sputtering trickle. It's one of those moments when you realize how self-sufficient your household is actually not: no tea, no toilet flushing, no boiling a pot. Households in the Netherlands use an average of 119.1 liters of drinking water per person per day, so as soon as the tap runs dry, it's immediately noticeable.

The good news: in most cases, the cause is simple and quickly found. In this guide, we walk you step-by-step through what to do when there's no tap water, how to know within a minute if it's an outage or a problem in your own home, how emergency drinking water works in the Netherlands, and what you need to know about brown water and boil water advisories after service is restored.

1. What exactly does "no tap water" mean?

This distinction is important because it determines who solves the problem. In case of an outage in the pipeline network, it's up to your drinking water company, and you can only wait. If the problem is behind the water meter, it's your installation, and you can often deal with it yourself or with a plumber.

If there's a partial outage, you'll usually notice it as low water pressure instead of no water at all: the tap sputters, the shower weakens, and the toilet fills slowly. This often indicates maintenance or an outage further down the street, which can also cause brown water as iron and manganese are dislodged from the pipes.

2. Step-by-step plan: what to do if no water comes out of the tap

Follow these five steps in order. In practice, you'll have clarity within a few minutes.

Step 1: check if an outage is known

On waterstoring.nl, you'll find an up-to-date, national overview of outages and maintenance work by drinking water companies. Enter your postcode or city. If your address is listed, you'll usually also see an estimated resolution time, and you don't need to do anything further.

Step 2: ask your neighbors

Is there no outage listed on the map? Then ask if your neighbors have water. If they also have none, it's almost certainly an outage in the street or neighborhood that hasn't been reported yet. If they do have water, the problem is in or around your home, and you proceed to step 3.

Step 3: check main tap, intermediate taps, and strainers

According to the Waternet step-by-step plan, check the following:

• Main tap: is it fully open? The main tap is usually next to the water meter in the meter cupboard, boiler cupboard, or crawl space.
• Intermediate taps: these also need to be fully open. Sometimes a tap remains closed after a repair or move.
• Strainers in the tap: a clogged strainer (the aerator nozzle) gives little or no water from one tap, while other taps work fine.
• Only no hot water? Then the problem is in your boiler, water heater, or central heating unit, not in the water supply.

Step 4: do you live in an apartment building?

In taller buildings, a hydrophore (a pressure pump) ensures sufficient water pressure everywhere. If this pump fails, for example due to a power outage, no water will come out of the taps in the upper dwellings, even though the main water network in the street is working fine. In that case, contact the building manager or homeowners association (VvE), not the drinking water company.

Step 5: report the outage

If the outage is not yet known and the problem is not in your house, report it to your drinking water company. This can be done 24 hours a day, including via waterstoring.nl. Vitens has the free number 0800 0359, which is available 24 hours a day, and Waternet has the number 088 939 40 95, option 1.

3. Is it an outage or is the problem in your house?

This table helps you quickly identify the cause based on what you observe.

4. Where to report a water outage per drinking water company?

The Netherlands has ten regional drinking water companies. Which company supplies your water depends on your place of residence. The national overview on waterstoring.nl bundles reports from all companies, but each company also has its own outage page.

If you live in an area served by PWN, Dunea, WMD, or Oasen, you can also find your outages via the national overview on waterstoring.nl. There, you can also report an outage yourself, which is useful outside office hours.

5. How long does a water outage last and when will emergency drinking water be provided?

Most outages are resolved within a few hours: a burst pipe is shut off, repaired, and the network is repressurized. For planned maintenance, you will be notified in advance and will know how long the tap will be dry.

If it lasts longer, the Netherlands scales up its response. According to the Denk vooruit campaign by the Ministry of Justice and Security, if there is no drinking water from the tap for longer than 24 hours, drinking water companies will supply emergency drinking water to customers. This involves at least 3 liters per person per day, of which 2 liters for drinking and 1 liter for preparing food.

This emergency drinking water will not be delivered to your door. It is distributed via mobile water tanks with taps at distribution points designated by the municipality. You pick it up yourself, so bring your own jerrycan, bottle, or pan. Drinking water companies advise to first boil the emergency drinking water for 3 minutes and let it cool, because your own jerrycan or bucket is not sterile.

6. Water in the house for 3 days: how to build up a supply

The government advises to be self-reliant for at least 72 hours in case of utility outages such as electricity, internet, or drinking water. For water, this means, according to Vewin, the association of water companies in the Netherlands, a minimum of 3 liters per person per day in your emergency kit. For a family of four, that's 36 liters.

You can buy bottled water from the supermarket for this, but Dutch tap water is of high quality and can also be included in the emergency kit. Vewin advises the following procedure:

• Clean bottles: use clean, well-sealing, preferably glass bottles or containers.
• Clean hands: ensure clean hands, a clean tap, and a clean sink when filling.
• Seal airtight: close the bottles as airtight as possible.
• Store in a cool, dark place: a cool, dark place prevents bacterial growth.
• Refresh every six months: check the smell and taste and replace the water twice a year, following the same steps.

Also consider pets, water for washing your hands, and a bucket or jerrycan to collect emergency drinking water. If you are often on the go, our guide on a portable water filter for travel explains which solutions work and don't work outdoors, as these are very different filters from a home system.

7. After the outage: brown water, air in the pipes and flushing

When the water returns, it is often not fresh at first. You hear air in the pipes, the tap sputters, and the water can be brown or whitish. This is normal and usually harmless.

Brown water: iron and manganese

According to Vitens, brown water is caused by iron and manganese particles that are naturally present in the water and accumulate in the pipes. During an outage or maintenance, the flow rate changes, and these particles detach. It may not look fresh, but Vitens states it is safe to drink. To be safe, Vitens does advise against brown water for the elderly and babies.

To flush: turn on the tap closest to your water meter and let the water run vigorously for about 10 minutes until the color disappears. This way, clean water enters your home. If it remains brown, repeat after an hour. If it doesn't clear up, call your drinking water company. If you want to know where these particles come from, read our explanation on filtering iron from tap water and on manganese in tap water.

White or milky water

Milky water that rises from bottom to top in the glass after half a minute is air. This is completely harmless and disappears on its own once the pipes are fully refilled.

Stagnant water in your pipes

If no water has flowed through your pipes for a long time, let the tap run until the water is noticeably cold. Stagnant water has had longer contact with pipe material and may contain more metals, which is especially relevant in older buildings with lead or copper pipes. You should also briefly flush your replacement filter or water filter after an outage before drawing water again.

8. Boiling advice: when should you boil tap water first?

Sometimes a boiling advisory follows an outage. This is a precautionary measure, not a moment of panic. During maintenance or a broken pipe, human or animal feces can enter the drinking water. Drinking water companies therefore regularly check for E. coli and enterococci. If these bacteria are found, the company takes measures, and a boiling advisory is one of them.

According to the RIVM, if there's a boiling advisory, you should boil water you want to drink for three minutes first. After boiling, all pathogens are removed from the water. The advisory remains valid until controls show that the drinking water is no longer contaminated.

Important to know: according to the RIVM, it is not dangerous to use unboiled water for showering, brushing teeth, or washing dishes. It specifically concerns water you drink or use to prepare food. In case of a national or regional problem with water quality, according to Denk vooruit, you will receive an NL-Alert advising you to boil tap water for 3 minutes, let it cool, and only then use it.

9. Does a water filter help if there is no tap water?

Honest answer: no. An under-sink water filter is connected to the cold water pipe and filters the water flowing through it. If no water enters the house, even the best filter has nothing to do. For outages, an emergency supply is the solution, not a filter.

Where filtration DOES make a difference is the period after an outage and in daily use thereafter. At PureFilter, we see that customers, especially after an outage or a period with brown water, start thinking about the quality of their tap water: what exactly was in that brown water, and what about lead, PFAS, and pharmaceutical residues that you can't see?

The PureFilter Mineral+ is an under-sink filter that, through five stages, removes over 100 contaminants, including PFAS, microplastics, heavy metals, nitrate, pharmaceutical residues, and chlorine, and then adds calcium, magnesium, and potassium back in via Swedish Mineral Rock™. The system is NSF 42, 53, 61, and 372 certified, one cartridge lasts up to 12 months, and installation takes 5 to 10 minutes without a plumber. Those looking for a water filter for home use usually compare this type with filter jugs and with an under-sink water filter from other brands.

Do you want to know what's actually in Dutch tap water before you buy anything? Read our evidence-based analysis on whether tap water is healthy, or compare the options in our overview of the best water filter.

10. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)