Quick and simple tips to help try and prevent frozen or burst pipes
During the winter months, you may experience issues with frozen pipes, leaking pipes, or burst pipes resulting in loss of hot water, heating, and potential damage to the property.
Here are some simple and easy checks to try and prevent these problems.
Frozen pipes can cause problems with heating and boilers when the colder weather arrives. If you are experiencing these issues, please follow the guidance below to thaw out frozen pipes:
- If you spot that one of your pipes might be frozen, turn off your inside stop tap immediately by turning it clockwise
- Open all your taps to drain the system as quickly as possible (keep the stop tap turned off). Once the water stops running, turn all the taps off.
- Try to slowly thaw out the frozen pipes with hot water bottles or towels soaked in warm water. Do not use any form of naked flame, as it can cause long-term damage to the pipes and could lead to fires in the home.
- If this does not work or you need further help, contact our customer service team again for more guidance.
When the weather is set to warm up, any frozen pipes in your home will begin to thaw. When this happens, some of your pipes may leak or burst due to being frozen.
As the temperature rises, check your pipes in any cold places, such as the loft or garage - can you spot any water dripping from the pipe? If so, let us know straight away.
In the event of a leak or burst:
- Find your stop tap, which is usually under the kitchen sink, and you can turn it clockwise to turn off the water.
- Turn off you’re heating and open all your taps to drain the system quickly.
- Soak up any escaping water with towels to limit damage to your home.
- If water has leaked near your electrics, switch them off at the mains, do not touch them and switch off the fuse box.
- Call our customer service team immediately.
Stop taps (sometimes called stop valves or stopcock) are the easiest way to turn the water off in your house. Make sure you know the location of your internal stop tap and check that it’s working regularly, as you may need it in an emergency, such as a burst pipe.
Do you know where your stop tap is? If you do not, they are usually located in one of the following places:
- Kitchen cupboard
- Downstairs bathroom or toilet
- Garage or utility room
- Cellar
- Under the stairs
Please get in touch with our customer service team if you cannot find your stop tap in any of these locations.
If you have followed the advice above and still have problems, please call our customer service team. We're open Monday to Friday for all enquiries, and emergencies can be logged 24hrs a day – 7 days a week. If you have an emergency, please call us on 0345 345 0272.
