Prevent burst pipes!

How to stop your pipes from freezing

If your pipes freeze, they could burst and cause major damage to your home. So follow our advice on how to stop your pipes from freezing this winter.

According to the Met Office, Britain is experiencing the coldest winter in 30 years. Ice, snow and sub-zero temperatures can really take their toll on your home and one of the most common winter ailments is burst pipes. "If you do have a pipe leak or burst, it is best to get a professional plumber in to fix it for you," says Jan Slade, who works for A&J Plumbing in Slough. "You should also make sure that you know where your stop tap is in advance"

A burst pipe can cause devastating damage to your home, so you should make sure you are covered by your insurer. When the cold snap of January 2009 hit, £40 million in claims were lodged because of burst pipes in the first six weeks of the year alone, says AA home insurance.

As well as checking that you are insured for burst pipes, why not try and make sure that they don't freeze in the first place? "You need to be careful in winter that your pipes don't freeze," agrees Jan. "It's especially important if you are going away. One thing you should do is leave the loft hatch open a little bit and the heating on just a touch so that the house stays warm," she adds.

How to prevent your pipes from freezing

• Make sure your loft and walls are insulated to keep your home warm.
• Insulate your cold and hot water pipes the whole year round.
• Insulate your water tank if you have one but leave the bottom uncovered so that warm air from below can help to warm the tank.
• In very cold weather leave the heating on low, especially if you are going away for a while.
• To stop water freezing in the tap, fix any leaks and replace faulty washers.
• Open your loft hatch a crack, this will allow hot air to circulate.
• Draught proof your home before temperatures drop.
• Disconnect your hose and turn off the inside valve, you can leave the outside valve open to allow water to drain out.

What to do if your pipes burst or freeze

• Turn off your water at the mains immediately. Stop taps are usually found under the kitchen sink or in the garage but you should find out where yours is in advance.
• Contact us if you have a burst pipe which needs repairing.
• If a frozen pipe is located next to a gas supply, always call a plumber. Do not attempt to thaw it yourself.
• If your pipes have frozen but not burst, take care to protect electrics around the pipe in case they do.
• You can try to thaw pipes yourself using a hairdryer, lamp, hot water bottle or towels drenched in hot water. Work from the tap towards the frozen part of the pipe.
• Do not heat too quickly or apply boiling water straight to the pipe - pressure from steam can cause the pipe to burst.
• Keep the tap to which the frozen pipe supplies water open, so when it starts to thaw, water can drip out.

Frozen condensate pipes are a real (and expencive) problem, talk to us about what can be done to prevent this.

 handy.man24@btinternet.com