As winter approaches, it’s important to protect buildings from cold weather – taking some simple steps in advance can help to reduce costly repairs and maintenance. Very cold weather can cause pipes to freeze and burst, but you can avoid them by:

• Insulating water pipes with lagging, especially pipes on external walls, or in unheated areas of the building
• Using the central heating for short periods throughout the day to keep the building warm
• Where possible, allowing warn air to circulate around the pipes. This often means leaving doors open to allow air circulation, so only attempt this after rigorous safety checks

If a pipe appears frozen, turn off the inside stop tap. It is best to thaw out pipes slowly, using gentle warmth. Do not use direct heat, which could damage the pipe and cause it to burst. You can also turn on nearby cold taps, which will relieve pressure on the frozen pipe.

Sometimes pipes thawing and freezing can cause them to burst. If this happens, your next immediate step should be to turn off the mains water supply. This will stop any more water entering the pipes, and avoid flooding and water damage. If your burst pipe is on the main water system, the water should stop after a while. If it doesn’t stop the problem is probably on the cold water storage system. The cold water storage tank should be drained in this situation, to relieve the water pressure.

For more information and resources on winter preparation, visit the Met Office’s website.

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Published date: 18th November 2016