Keep your pipes warm for a happy home

There are few experiences that can be as bad as coming home and finding your house flooded. In fact, it’s every householder’s nightmare.

The risk of flooding during the winter months is higher because of the danger of frozen pipes, which can burst and cause a significant amount of damage. Imagine all your clothes and carpets soaked, your electrical goods damaged beyond repair and your favourite photographs and books floating in a pool of water.

It doesn’t bear thinking about does it? Yet, take some time to prevent it and it needn’t happen to you.

The first thing to do is know where your stop-tap is and how to turn it off in an emergency, so if you do have a flood, you can stop the water supply at source.

Don’t forget the loft space. Most loft areas in houses contain water tanks and pipes so you will need to insulate these. Look at any insulation that is already there. If it is damaged or very thin, you should improve it, or replace it.

Use pre-formed pipe insulation on any water pipes. This should be at least 50mm thick, but if you can get it, 75 mm would be even better. Wrap bends or hard-to-get-at pipes with securely fixed strips of insulation material.

When it comes to water tanks there are several options. Insulate the top and sides of the tank with one of these:

• A preformed plastic tank jacket filled with glass fibre matting
• Rigid polystyrene sheeting at least 25mm (1") thick
• Insulation matting, 150mm (6") thick

Don’t insulate under a water tank, as this will prevent warm air from getting to it and helping to keep it from freezing. The exception is header tanks, generally used for central heating. These should be insulated all year round.

Generally, loft insulation is a good thing, preventing heat escaping through your roof, but it also means that little warm air will be circulating in your roof space, warming the pipes and tanks. On cold days, you can open your loft door to let some heat into the loft and prevent the pipes from freezing.

Look around the house for any dripping taps - if you find any, have them fixed as soon as you can, because if they freeze they will block the tap. Dripping taps also cost you in water bills – and energy bills too if it is a hot tap.

If you fancy some winter sun, don’t forget your pipes back home – ask a friend or neighbour to pop in to check on the pipes and make sure they are not frozen. Make sure they know where the stop-tap is as well.

Another tip, especially if you are away, is to keep the heating on low or set the timer to switch it on a couple of times a day for a few hours. This will keep the system ticking over and again prevent the still, cold water that would encourage freezing.

Keep your pipes warm and you’ll have a happy home in the winter.

For more information on what to do in an emergency, click here.