Cold nights and short days are, unfortunately, what makes a typical English winter. It’s a time to hole up in front of a roaring fire with a nice cup of hot chocolate (or something stronger), and wait for Spring to arrive, and let’s face it the last thing you want ins some unexpected plumbing emergency on the coldest day of the year and the potential costs that brings. So, here are our simple tips to ensure your pipes and plumbing survive the winter blues no matter what the weather.
- Avoid frozen pipes – Frozen pipes can be a disaster in the midst of a cold snap, when water freezes in the pipes, the ice molecules expand, putting pressure on the water between the ice and the (closed) tap until the pressure builds to such a degree that the pipe will burst. To avoid this situation ensure that you have your heating on a constant low temperature to avoid them freezing. It’s also a good idea to insulate your pipes using foam padding or insulating tape to stop them freezing. If your water supply is located in an unheated space, such as your loft, make sure that you eliminate any drafts that may further cool the area by the ingress of cold air from outside your home, and insulate any pipes in these areas where required.
- Guttering and blocked drains – A lot of winter problems arise from debris such as leaves filling up your guttering during winter and when all this debris freezes it can crack and break guttering and down pipes, so be sure to regularly clear dead leaves from your gutters before they become a problem, or invest in a drain guards which can easily be bought online, this will also stop leaves etc. causing blockages to your external drains.
- Disconnect external hoses – Do leave water-filled hoses outside in the winter, they will freeze at the first cold snap and this will damage the hose. If you leave it connected to an external tap the ice could back up the hose into your plumbing system causing damage to the pipes causing them to crack.
- Locate your Stop cock – Ensure you know where your stop cock is located and that it is good working order, so that should the worst happen and you do have a plumbing emergency you can quickly turn off the water supply.
We hope these winter tips help you have a trouble free winter.
Even using the above tips, sometimes things go wrong, so when they do remember HJZ Plumbing offer local plumbing services to Hull and the surrounding areas. Just call 01482 236483 for an accurate estimate, superior work and great service, any time you need emergency plumbing repair or installation work.
