A tough winter can be a challenge for any home to deal with, with ice, snow, and piercing cold winds. We all need to wrap up warm, and make sure our family homes and business properties are comfortable and cozy.
It’s really important in a particularly cold winter to have a functioning and efficient heating system. It’s certainly not the best time of year for things to go wrong, but if they do, you need to know what to do and where to get the right help.
You can also take steps to make sure things don’t go wrong in the first place. After all, prevention is the best cure. Making sure everything is working properly before winter sets in might mean you never have to make that emergency call.
Frozen or burst water pipes are one of the perils of a cold spell, and they can cause quite a bit of damage. If a pipe bursts in your home, you should take some immediate steps to minimize the damage, and then get a qualified plumber in for a proper fix-up.
As we all learned in our science lessons, water expands when frozen. When water freezes within the confines of a pipe, trouble can ensue. With all that expanding and contracting going on, pipes may burst, ice will melt, and the water may start flowing into all the wrong places. Staying calm in that situation is easier said than done, but there are some things you can do to minimize the damage.
Prevention
There are steps you can take to prevent frozen and burst pipes. Make sure that pipes located in cold areas of the building, such as the roof space, garage or cellar, are well insulated. When you leave your home for a period, set the timer so that the heating comes on at least once a day at a moderate temperature. Get a friend or neighbour to make regular checks of your home while you are away. Make sure your boiler is regularly serviced, and pipes are checked for weak fittings and other potential problems. Make sure your stop tap is working and is not too stiff to turn. You could save yourself a lot of trouble, stress and expense in the long run.
But if a pipe does burst, here’s what to do:
Start off by turning off the water supply. This is usually done by turning off the stop tap, sometimes called a stop cock. This is usually under the kitchen sink, but it may be in a cupboard, under the stairs, in a downstairs bathroom, or pretty much anywhere. You never know when you might need to turn it off in an emergency, so make sure you know where it’s located, that it’s working properly and that you can turn it off easily. Have it checked out by a plumber every six months or so, and before the worst of the winter weather sets in.
Next, make sure you turn off your boiler.
Drain the system by turning all the taps on. Collect some of the water in buckets or in your bath, so you will have some water to use while you are waiting for your plumber to arrive. You should at least have some water saved for hand washing, toilet flushing, and other essential needs. When the water stops running, turn off the taps.
Never try to thaw out a frozen pipe with a naked flame; it will damage the pipes and is potentially dangerous. Pipes are best thawed slowly. Hot water bottles or cloths soaked in hot water are a better and safer way to thaw the ice blockage.
Make sure to have plenty of towels to hand, and use them to soak up as much of the leaked water as possible. Turning off the stop tap promptly will reduce the amount of water leakage.
If water has leaked near electrical equipment, you should avoid touching it. If this happens, turn off the power at the main fuse box.
Call a trusted, qualified plumber who can deal with the damaged pipes and get your system up and running. It is important to use someone with the right training and knowledge.
Xgas offers a full range of plumbing services. If you have any problems with your heating or water system this winter, Xgas can help and advise you. Don’t hesitate to call, and they will be happy to advise.
You can find more information on how Xgas can help you here.
