7 things you should do to stop your pipes freezing
A frozen or burst pipe can cause a significant amount of damage to your property and is not cheap to repair. There are measures you can take prevent the pipes freezing and keep your home safe and dry over the colder months.
How to prevent freezing pipes
With the plummeting temperatures and frosty mornings comes more property maintenance jobs. Keeping your pipes warm is essential to stop them freezing and potentially flooding your home. There are steps you can take to stop pipes freezing and minimise the damage if a pipe does burst;
- Keep your heating on at regular intervals. It important to keep the water flowing and the pipes and water tanks above freezing temperature.
- Insulate water tanks and water pipes in the loft (you can buy lagging material online and from most DIY shops). You wouldn't go out in minus temperatures without a coat would you?
- Find your property’s stopcock or valve and make sure you can turn it off if necessary. It’s likely to be under the kitchen sink. If you cannot locate it, ask a neighbor or seek advice from a plumber.
- Make sure your boiler has been serviced recently and is in good working order.
- Try to minimise draughts from outside and close doors and windows, particularly in unheated parts of the property. You can buy draft excluders online for reasonable prices and it'll keep you warmer and save on the heating bills too!
- If you have pipes in the roof area, open the loft hatch to allow warm air to circulate.
- When going away, make sure to set a timer for your heating to come on periodically. If you are away for a long time, turn off the water at the stopcock too.
Heating must be used not only for your comfort and health but also for the protection of the property and contents. If you're unsure about anything or you need any help, you can get in touch with our office for further advice. Give us a call on 01970 636000.
What to do if a pipe does burst
If the worst happens and the pipe starts to leak here is what to do...
Immediately turn the water mains off via the stopcock. Wait for the pipes to warm up, or you can try and thaw them with a hot water bottle.
Do not attempt to dislodge the ice using a hammer or melt it with a blow touch, it is highly likely that this will cause more damage.
Move any possessions, such as furniture or clothing, which are near frozen pipes in case the pipe bursts.
If your pipe bursts then...
Turn off the water at the stopcock.
Switch off central heating and any other water heating installations.
Open all taps to drain the system.
Move any possessions, such as furniture or clothing, to prevent further damage to property.
Call a plumber, your home insurance company or if it's a rented property your estate agent's emergency number.