{"id":3529,"date":"2015-01-20T13:03:44","date_gmt":"2015-01-20T13:03:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.livinghouse.co.uk\/blog\/?p=3529"},"modified":"2015-01-20T13:03:44","modified_gmt":"2015-01-20T13:03:44","slug":"avoid-frozen-burst-pipes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.livinghouse.co.uk\/blog\/avoid-frozen-burst-pipes\/","title":{"rendered":"How to avoid frozen and burst pipes this winter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>So the weather has taken a nosedive and we\u2019re being subjected to gales, rain and snow. Not only are we under attack as we go about our daily business, but our pipes are in danger of freezing as the cold weather well and truly takes hold.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-3550\" style=\"border: 0px;\" alt=\"burst-pipe\" src=\"https:\/\/www.livinghouse.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/burst-pipe-1.jpg\" width=\"411\" height=\"274\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.livinghouse.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/burst-pipe-1.jpg 2716w, https:\/\/www.livinghouse.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/burst-pipe-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.livinghouse.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/burst-pipe-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.livinghouse.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/burst-pipe-1-1024x682.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 411px) 100vw, 411px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We can\u2019t control the weather but we can take preventative measures to protect our homes from the chaos of frozen and burst pipes.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.water.org.uk\/consumers\/advice\/avoid-frozen-or-burst-pipes\" rel=\"nofollow\">Water.org.uk<\/a> suggests the following:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: muli;\">Insulate water tanks and lag pipes (lagging material is available from all good DIY stores). Make sure there are no gaps at bends, valves or fittings.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: muli;\">Pay special attention to water tanks and pipes in unheated areas like loft spaces and garages, and check insulation in any property likely to be unoccupied for long periods.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: muli;\">Fix dripping taps &#8211; even a small trickle can result in a frozen pipe.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: muli;\">Find your property&#8217;s internal stopcock or valve and make sure you can turn it off if necessary. Most stopcocks are fitted under the kitchen sink and close by turning clockwise.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: muli;\">Check your boiler has been serviced.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: muli;\">Minimise draughts from outside and close doors and windows to unheated parts of the property.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: muli;\">If you have tanks or pipes in the roof space, open the loft hatch to allow warm air to circulate.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: muli;\">Leave the heating on low when you are away and get a friend or neighbour to check the property regularly.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: muli;\">Keep a separate supply of drinking water for emergencies.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: muli;\">If a property is going to be unoccupied for long periods, turn off the water at the stopcock and consider draining down the system so there is no water left in the pipes.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In addition, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.homeserve.com\/help-advice\/plumbing-drains\/prevent-burst-pipes-in-winter\" rel=\"nofollow\">Homeserve.com<\/a> also suggests:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: muli;\">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. Check that this is working properly.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: muli;\">You may find it helpful to label the stopcock, so you can easily locate it if you&#8217;re in a panic.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: muli;\">Make sure to re-washer any dripping taps; if they freeze, they&#8217;ll block your pipes.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>So what do you do if the worst happens and your pipes freeze?<\/b><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Water.org.uk suggests the following:<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: muli;\">Turn off the water supply at the stopcock.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: muli;\">Check to see if the pipe has burst.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: muli;\">Slowly thaw the pipe with hot water bottles or a towel soaked in hot water, starting at the end nearest the tap.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: muli;\">You can also use a hair-dryer (lowest setting) but NOT a naked flame or blowlamp.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>They also advise that you \u2018don&#8217;t leave taps dripping or running as the water may not drain down the plughole if the pipe below is frozen.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>And if the pipe bursts:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: muli;\">Turn off the water supply at the stopcock.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: muli;\">Open all taps to reduce flooding.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: muli;\">Soak up\/block off escaping water with thick towels.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: muli;\">Call a qualified plumber.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: muli;\">Turn off taps once pipework is repaired to avoid further flooding.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For more seasonal tips and advice, take a look at our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.livinghouse.co.uk\/blog\/5-money-saving-winter-heating-tips\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">5 Money saving winter heating tips<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.livinghouse.co.uk\/blog\/how-to-fix-common-central-heating-problems\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">How to fix common central heating problems<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>So the weather has taken a nosedive and we\u2019re being subjected to gales, rain and snow. Not only are we under attack as we go about our daily business, but our pipes are in danger of freezing as the cold weather well and truly takes hold. We can\u2019t control the weather but we can take [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3550,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"twitterCardType":"summary","cardImageID":0,"cardImage":"","cardTitle":"","cardDesc":"","cardImageAlt":"","cardPlayer":"","cardPlayerWidth":0,"cardPlayerHeight":0,"cardPlayerStream":"","cardPlayerCodec":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[14,21],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.7.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to avoid frozen and burst pipes this winter - Livinghouse<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What to do if the cold weather causes a burst pipe in your home.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.livinghouse.co.uk\/blog\/avoid-frozen-burst-pipes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to avoid frozen and burst pipes this winter - 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