Frozen and Burst Pipe Repair in Northern Utah

Did a pipe freeze or burst in your Northern Utah home?

If a faucet gives nothing on a cold morning, a pipe has probably frozen; if water is spraying or pooling, shut off the main water valve first, then call (435) 730-2536; we offer 24/7 emergency plumbing. Find your main shutoff before winter comes. It is usually where the water line enters the house, often in the basement, a utility room or near the water heater. Turning the handle clockwise, or a quarter turn on a lever-style valve, stops water to the whole house. Our frozen pipe repair covers three jobs: thawing pipes safely, repairing pipes that split, and helping you keep it from happening again. It is part of our plumbing services, alongside the everyday leaks and fixes on our plumbing repair page.

Warning signs of a frozen or burst pipe

A faucet gives a trickle or nothing at all

When one faucet stops on a frigid morning while others still run, the pipe feeding it has an ice plug somewhere along its run, often where it passes through a cold wall or crawl space.

Frost or a bulge on an exposed pipe

Pipes you can see in a crawl space, garage or unfinished basement corner may show frost on the outside. A bulge or a hairline crack means the ice inside has already stretched the pipe.

Stains, drips or a hissing sound after a thaw

Many split pipes only leak once the ice melts. A new water stain on a ceiling or wall, a drip from a light fixture or a hiss inside a wall points to a burst pipe that needs attention.

A puddle that appears on a warmer afternoon

Water on the basement floor or under a sink after the temperature climbs is a common sign. The pipe froze overnight, split, and started leaking as it warmed up.

Common causes of frozen pipes

Pipes in outside walls, crawl spaces and garages

Water lines that run through unheated spaces or along exterior walls get the least warmth from the house. On sub-zero nights they freeze first.

Garden hoses left connected

A hose left on an outdoor faucet traps water in the faucet and the pipe behind it. That water freezes, and the split often happens inside the wall where you can't see it.

Drafts through gaps in the house

Cold air slips in around the rim of the foundation, through dryer vent openings and through holes where pipes and wires pass. A steady draft can freeze a pipe in an otherwise warm room.

A house that gets too cold

Heat turned way down while you travel, a furnace that stops overnight, or sink cabinet doors kept closed on an outside wall can all let pipes drop below freezing.

What to expect when we thaw and repair a pipe

While you wait for us: if a pipe has burst, shut off the main water valve, then open a faucet on the lowest floor to drain the lines. Move belongings out of the water and stay clear of wet areas near outlets. If a pipe is frozen but not leaking, open the faucet it feeds so water can move once it starts to thaw. Never use an open flame, a torch or a propane heater on a pipe. Then call us at (435) 730-2536; we offer 24/7 emergency plumbing.

Our technician traces the line back from the faucet that stopped to find the frozen section. We warm it slowly and evenly, then watch the pipe as water starts moving again, because a split often shows itself only after the ice melts. If a section has burst, we cut out the damaged piece, replace it, and check the nearby fittings and the rest of that run for damage. You get the price before any work starts, and repairs come with a warranty on parts and labor.

Keeping it from happening again

Once water is flowing, we look at why that pipe froze. The fix might be insulating exposed pipe, sealing the gaps where cold air gets in, adding heat cable to a stubborn run, swapping an outdoor faucet for a freeze-resistant model, or moving a line away from an outside wall. If the same part of the house has frozen or burst more than once, repiping that section may be the lasting answer.

A fall plumbing check is a good time to spot exposed pipe before the cold arrives. Our VIP Maintenance Plan costs $240 a year and includes one 2-hour visit a year covering an 88-point HVAC and plumbing inspection, a 1-inch filter replacement and a written report. Members also receive 10% off repairs and priority scheduling.

Frozen pipe repair across Northern Utah

Every town we serve gets cold winters with freeze-thaw cycles and sub-zero nights, so frozen pipes are a regional problem, worked from our Brigham City base.

Box Elder County. See frozen pipe repair in Brigham City and frozen pipe repair in Perry. We also help homes in Brigham City, Perry, Mantua up Sardine Canyon, Willard, Corinne and Tremonton.

Cache Valley. See frozen pipe repair in Hyrum, plus our pages for Hyrum, Nibley, Logan, North Logan and Smithfield. Long inversions can hold cold air in the valley for days at a time.

Weber and Davis County. North Ogden, Ogden, South Ogden and Layton. Older homes in established neighborhoods often have pipes in crawl spaces and outside walls, and newer homes can freeze where a garage or bonus room sits over an unheated space.

Related services

If a furnace that quit overnight let the house get cold, our furnace repair page explains how we track down the problem. A sump discharge line can freeze too; see sump pump installation and repair.

Call about a frozen or burst pipe

Call (435) 730-2536 Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 6 PM, and any time for 24/7 emergency service, or schedule online. Your Comfort Heating & Air is licensed and insured. If water is spraying, shut off the main water valve before you call.