There are lots of simple things you can do to protect your home in the winter.
If you want to know more about being water efficient you can request a copy of our booklet 'A guide to using water wisely' by calling our automated leaflet request line 0845 303 7711 or minicom 0808 143 1195.
Be prepared for cold weather
- Find your main stop valve and make sure you can turn it on and off. It will usually be somewhere on the ground floor of your home.
- Repair any dripping taps.
- Fully lag all pipes and tanks in the loft space, or anywhere else which may be liable to freezing.
- Use preformed pipe insulation on all pipe runs. Check with your local DIY store to see how thick this should be.
- Wrap bends or hard-to-get-at pipes with securely fixed strips of insulation material.
- On particularly cold days, open your loft trap door. This allows warm air from other parts of the house to circulate into the loft and will also help to prevent pipes from freezing.
- Ask a friend or relative to visit your home every day if you are away for an extended period. This will mean that if you do suffer a burst pipe it will be detected as soon as possible, and the damage caused will be minimised.
- Leave your heating on while you are away from home. In severe weather or if severe weather is forecast, you should leave your heating on day and night at your usual temperature setting, especially if you are going to be away from home for any length of time.
Insulating your water tanks
There are several methods of insulating hot and cold water tanks, depending on the size and shape:-
- A preformed plastic tank jacket filled with glass fibre matting;
- Rigid polystyrene sheeting at least 25mm (1") thick;
- Insulating matting, 150mm (6") thick.
- Do not insulate underneath any tank. If you place insulation material below the water tank warm air will be unable to rise from the rooms below and the tank is more likely to freeze. The only exception to this rule is header tanks (generally central heating header tanks), which are raised above the level of the joists in the roof space. These tanks should be completely enclosed in an insulating jacket.
- Check that your loft insulation is thick enough and still in good condition. Make sure it has not been damaged or distributed since you last looked at it.
- Make sure insulation is placed over any pipes which run between joists. This will enclose them in the insulation envelope of the house. If loft insulation material is placed under the pipes, no warm air will reach them from the rest of the house, and they are more likely to freeze.
What to do if a pipe or tank freezes
- Turn off the water at the main stop valve. If there is a stopcock fitted on the system side of the header tank (to stop water leaving the tank) this should also be turned off.
- Do this even if you only suspect your pipes are frozen, as they could also have burst. By turning off the water you will reduce the amount of water which can escape and therefore minimise damage to your home.
- Before you start to thaw the system do what you can to protect or remove anything which might be damaged by the thawing water running from the burst.
- Thaw the pipe using a hairdryer or hot water bottle - DO NOT USE A BLOW LAMP OR HEAT GUN.
- Open the tap closest to the frozen part of the pipe.
- Begin thawing the pipe from the tap side of the frozen area by heating it gently and work back towards the header tank.
If a pipe has burst
- Turn off the water at the main supply stop valve.
- Switch off the central heating and any other water heating insulations at the same stage to avoid further damage or even an explosion.
- Open all the taps to drain the system.
The do's and don'ts of leaks
- If water is coming through the ceiling collect it in buckets. If the ceiling starts to bulge pierce the plaster with a broom handle to let the water through.
- If your wiring or any electrical appliances have been affected do not touch them until they have been checked by a professional electrician. If in doubt turn off your electricity at the mains.
- If you suspect you have a leak outside on your property, we will arrange for one of our technicians to call.
After the flood
- Leave windows, doors and built-in cupboards open during the day, if possible.
- Keep affected rooms heated, but do not over-heat them, as this could result in further damage.