Preventing burst pipes
If a burst pipe leaks and water comes gushing
through the ceiling, it can wreak real damage on your home and its
contents. Even worse, burst pipes and leaks can be complicated to
fix, repair work may also involve digging up your lawn, tarmac or
paving.
You can avoid this kind of damage by
preventing burst pipes and leaks in the first place.
As frozen pipes often burst, winter care is
crucial. Try the following care tips:
- Insulate your loft and the sides of your
water tanks.
- Insulate all your pipes.
- Open the loft trap door on cold days to let
heat in.
- If you're away for awhile, spending winter
somewhere warmer perhaps, then ask a friend or relative to check on
your home and make sure pipes haven't burst or frozen.
- Re-washer dripping taps because if they
freeze they'll block the pipe. This will also it will save up to a
litre of water a day and your money if it's a hot tap.
- Make sure you know where your stop tap is and
check regularly that you can turn it off easily in an emergency.
It's handy to label it so you remember where it is in a panic.
- In very cold weather the heating will need to
be on low, or set to come on a couple of times a day, especially if
you're going away. Most modern boilers have a frost protection
thermostat, which turns on automatically if the temperature drops
to a level that will cause your pipes to freeze.