Check Your Water Pipes As Freezing Weather Hits

As freezing weather hits the UK and the Met Office predicts snow and sleet across many areas, make sure you take steps to protect your household, checking your pipes in particular to try and avoid burst water pipes.

Bad weather can seriously damage property and with the Department of Health issuing a ‘Level 2′ cold weather alert the low temperatures can also cause significant health risks.

As Stuart Curson, head of Direct Line home insurance, comments: “Whilst this winter has proved mild so far, the current weather predictions should ring alarm bells for many householders.

“In addition to checking that your insurance covers the cost of emergencies, taking a few simple actions such as lagging pipes and keeping your home well maintained will go a long way to limiting the damage winter weather might cause.”

Last year around 3 million Brits experienced damage to their property as a result of freezing temperatures. Home insurance claims were made for a variety of reasons but most resulted from damage to roofs and frozen and burst pipes.

Heating failure was another major problem with 16% finding their heating failed and 15% finding their boiler stopped working altogether.

With the help of Direct Line here are some  tips on how to prepare for bad weather and what to do when it hits:

Preparing for freezing weather

• Lag your pipes and insulate your home
• Service your boiler
• Repair any dripping taps and know where your stopcock is
• If you go away for a longer period of time make sure you set the temperature on your heating to 15 degrees to stop the pipes from freezing
• Open your loft trapdoor so warm air can circulate to keep your attic pipes warm.

During freezing weather

• Check your pipes and thaw any that are frozen by turning off the water and using a hot water bottle or hair dryer. Don’t use a blowtorch or any other naked flame
• If there any bulging ceilings, pierce these and put a bucket underneath to catch any water that comes through
• Don’t touch electrical systems if they are flooded, get professional help.

MoneyHighStreet comments: “Whether it’s burst water pipes, high winds or heavy rains that cause damage, it’s important to ensure you have adequate home insurance in place.

“As you check you are protected adequately, make sure to check the value of cover you have and ensure you are not underinsured – a very real issue and one that can cause major problems should you need to make a claim.”

“If you are worried about your cover you may be wise to seek professional advice and discuss your requirements with an insurance broker.”

Useful links

Direct Line website – click here

Leading insurance broker, W B Baxter with whom MoneyHighStreet has partnered – click here