How to Prevent Frozen Pipes in Utah

To prevent frozen pipes in Utah, disconnect garden hoses before the first freeze, have your sprinkler system blown out, insulate pipes in unheated spaces, and keep the house at 55 degrees or warmer when you are away. During a hard freeze, open cabinet doors under sinks on exterior walls and let those faucets drip.

Fall checklist

• Disconnect and drain garden hoses. A connected hose is the most common cause of a split hose bib
• Have the sprinkler system blown out and shut off
• Insulate pipes in the garage, crawl space, attic and along exterior walls
• Seal gaps where pipes pass through outside walls
• Find your main water shutoff and make sure it turns
• If you have a high-efficiency furnace, know where the plastic vent pipes exit so you can keep snow off them

During a cold snap

Keep the thermostat steady day and night. Open the cabinet doors under kitchen and bathroom sinks on exterior walls so warm air reaches the pipes. Let a thin stream of water run from faucets fed by exposed pipes. Keep the garage door closed if water lines run through the garage.

If you are leaving town

Leave the heat on at 55 degrees or higher. For a vacation home or cabin that will sit empty, shut off the water at the main and drain the lines, or have it winterized. This matters most in Summit County, where empty second homes freeze every winter.

If a pipe freezes

Open the faucet it feeds. Warm the pipe with a hair dryer or heating pad, starting at the faucet end. Never use a torch or open flame. If you cannot find or reach the frozen section, or the pipe has split, shut off the main and call.