In the fall, before the first hard freeze
Disconnect every garden hose
This is the single most common cause of freeze damage we hear about. Most Utah homes have frost-free spigots, which keep the valve inside the warm house and drain the pipe when you shut them off. A hose left attached traps water in that pipe. It freezes and splits inside the wall, and nobody knows until the spigot gets turned on in spring and water pours into the basement ceiling.
Blow out the sprinkler system
Once irrigation water shuts off in the fall, have the lines blown out with compressed air, or do it yourself if you know how. Pay attention to the backflow preventer, usually near the foundation, and any valves close to the house. Those are the parts that crack and leak toward the basement.
Insulate exposed pipes
Foam sleeves are cheap and quick. Put them on pipes in the garage, crawlspace, unfinished basement walls and anywhere a pipe runs along an outside wall.
Seal the drafts
Cold air through gaps at the rim joist, around pipe and wire holes, and at dryer vents is enough to freeze a nearby line. Spray foam and caulk fix most of it.
Find your main water shutoff
Make sure it turns, and show everyone in the house where it is.
During a cold snap
- Keep the thermostat at the same temperature day and night.
- Open cabinet doors under sinks on outside walls so warm air reaches the pipes.
- Let faucets on outside walls drip slowly overnight. Moving water is less likely to freeze.
- Keep the garage door closed if pipes or a water heater are out there.
- If you leave town, keep the heat at 55 degrees or higher and ask someone to check the house. For longer trips, shut off the main water and drain the lines by opening the lowest faucet.
Cabins and second homes
Cabins up Ogden Canyon, in Eden and around Pineview have the most to lose, because a furnace failure can go unnoticed for weeks. Either keep the heat on with a remote temperature alert or fully winterize the plumbing: shut off the water, drain the lines and water heater, and put RV antifreeze in the traps. A leak detector with a phone alert costs far less than the cleanup.
If a pipe freezes
You will usually notice a faucet that only trickles or does not run at all.
- Keep that faucet open.
- Warm the pipe with a hair dryer, a space heater kept at a safe distance, or warm towels. Never use an open flame.
- Start near the faucet and work back toward the frozen section.
- If you cannot reach the frozen section, or you suspect it already split, shut off the main water and call a plumber.
If a pipe bursts
Shut off the main water right away, open a faucet on the lowest floor to drain the lines, turn off power to wet rooms if it is safe, and call. Water from a burst pipe gets into ceilings and walls quickly, and those areas need to be opened and dried. Call us and we will connect you with a local company that can start the same day.
Related services in Ogden
- Water extraction and removal: Pumps and extractors pull out standing water, then wet carpet pad and drywall come out.
- Frozen and burst pipe damage: Cleanup after a pipe splits in the cold, from wet ceilings to soaked basement carpet.
- Drying and mold prevention: Air movers, dehumidifiers and daily moisture readings until walls and floors are dry.