London property looks particularly pretty covered in a blanket of snow but with more Siberian winds and snow to come, how will your W4 home survive the cold snap?
Christian Harper, of west London’s fixed-fee estate agents,
OliverFinn: “Some simple preventative measures will ward off the worst of the winter weather and reduce the need for the cost and hassle of call-outs.” Here are the latest top winter weather tips from Homeserve:
Deal with dripping taps
Your first port of call should be to deal with any dripping taps. These are susceptible to freezing, so change the washers - a quick, cheap job that could save a fortune in the long run.
Insulate your pipes
Pipes don't burst where they freeze. It tends to be between the frozen section and the closed tap, when pressure builds up as a result of the ice freezing and expanding. To help prevent freezing in the first place, insulate with lagging or a quarter-inch layer of newspapers. Wrapping this in tin foil improves insulation further.
Protect your boiler
It's not just your water pipes that need insulating. Your boiler's condensate pipe - the plastic pipe that carries condensation from the boiler to the outside drain, usually through the un-insulated external wall - can also be susceptible to freezing. This can knock out your boiler at the worst time possible. Prevent having to defrost a condensate pipe by insulating this in the same way. Find out
here.
Find your stopcock
Make sure you know where your water stopcock is located. If you suffer a burst pipe you'll be happy you found it in advance. It is normally below a kitchen sink or where the water enters a home. If your pipes burst, turn off the stopcock and drain the system by opening all the taps. Then call your insurance company.
Further ways to prevent burst pipes.
Learn how to defrost a pipe safely
If your pipes DO freeze, you can often prevent them from bursting by defrosting them safely. Turn off the mains, open the nearest tap to the frozen pipe and carefully thaw the ice in the pipe with a hairdryer or hot water bottles. Start at the tap end and work backwards towards the cold-water tank. Take care as the pipe could burst at any time and spray water as it starts to thaw.
Here is a quick step-by-step guide on how to do this safely.
Stock up for snow
Last year, many local authorities ran out of salt, and in some cases didn't visit residential streets away from main roads, making driving safely in the snow very difficult. A cold snap could also catch them unawares. So stock-up on salt or sand to place on your driveway, along with a shovel to clear any snow. For icy paths, you can also use liberal handfuls of table salt, dishwasher salt or even cat litter to clear a path.
If possible, keep your thermostat at a normal setting overnight or while the property is empty, to help keep the temperature above freezing. Check your pipes for signs of freezing, such as leaking or dripping joints.
