Protect your pipes

How to Protect Your Pipes Against the Winter Freeze

If you don’t take steps to protect your home against the winter freeze, there’s a possibility your Christmas could be spoiled by a burst pipe. If you’ve made the decision that you are going to protect your pipes from the cold, here are a few tips to get you started.

Tip One: Clear your Guttering

You should start clearing your guttering during autumn, when the leaves are falling. Blocked guttering can cause problems with your pipes, so it’s best to do this more than once a year.

Tip Two: Check Your Boiler Pipework

The boiler is your source of heating and hot water. It’s always important to get it checked, at least annually. Your main boiler may have some of the pipework out in the open. Check the pipes at least a couple of times before winter sets in, and make sure that these are properly lagged. Don’t leave it to chance or you could face a difficult few days without the benefits of central heating and hot running water.

Tip Three: Check All Pipework

The pipes outside your property are at their most vulnerable during very cold spells, so make sure that they are protected first. You may also find it’s a good idea to lag indoor pipes that are against an outside wall. Check all of your indoor and outdoor pipework; if you suspect a problem then lag them. All that lagging involves is wrapping some old sacking around exposed or vulnerable pipes. All this may seem tedious, but a bit of preparation before winter sets in could save you a lot of pain.

Tip Five: Constantly Dripping Overflow

If your overflow is dripping it may need a professional eye to find out whether it needs some attention before the worst of the weather starts.

And finally, always make sure that you, and anyone else who lives at the property, knows where to find the stopcock. If you do have a plumbing emergency, then it’s essential to turn off the water as soon as you realise there is a problem.