A number of serious problems can arise over the winter period and each year properties are damaged by the cold weather, costing thousands of pounds in repairs and leaving them uninhabitable.

Insurance claims for escape of water in UK homes cost the insurance industry £730m in 2010, with freezing related claims making up a large chunk of these claims despite only affecting properties during the winter months.

As Britain is set to see the coldest winter in over a century what can you do to prevent any nasty surprises in your home?

Heat

  • Leave your heating on at a low setting
  • If you live in a flat, leave the heating on low in rooms where the mains pipe supplies neighbouring flats
  • If you’re going away then make sure you have someone who can regularly check for any problems
  • In case of an emergency make sure your neighbours have contact details for someone who has access to your property.
  • If your property is going to be vacant over the winter months, turn off your water supply and drain the system
  • Now is a good time to locate your stop valve in your home

 

Insulate

  • Your water tank should be fitted with an insulation jacket or alternatively, the top and sides of the tank can be wrapped with suitable insulation material. Don’t place loft insulation under the tank, as this stops heat from the rooms below helping to keep the tank warm.
  • Toilet cisterns, water tanks or pipes in exposed places or unheated outbuildings, should be insulated. Better still drain them for winter if you’re not using them.
  • Buy good quality insulation – the thinner the pipe the thicker the insulation must be. 15mm or 1/2″ pipes need insulation which is 25mm thick, 28mm or 1″ pipe needs insulation which is at least 19mm thick

Protect

  • Dripping water increases the risk of freezing, so have any leaks at taps or valves repaired as soon as you discover them.
  • Cold draughts also increase your heating bills and can cause frozen pipework.

 

Prevent

You can now fit out your piping with an intelligent water leak detection and cut-off system. These systems sense the temperature your pipe-work and can instantly detect and help prevent the devastating damage caused by burst, frozen or leaking pipes. Once the temperature drops towards 0 degrees Centigrade the system cuts off the water supply before freezing takes place, thus protecting properties from the serious water damage.

The system is designed to protect header tanks and other similar domestic plumbing equipment located in hard to get to places such as domestic lofts.

The system comprises of a sensor strip that fits to the underside of pipes and cisterns which constantly monitors pipe-work and has in built water leak detection which can detect even the smallest of leaks and even weeping joints. When a leak is detected the system will sound an alarm and will shut down the water supply instantly.

Prepare

If you are unfortunate enough to suffer from a burst pipe then it’s good to have a contact on hand. The majority of leaks are hard to detect as most pipe work now is buried, this is where The Leak Detection Company comes in. Our water leak detection techniques use the latest methods and technology to make sure there is no drilling or dirt and in the majority of cases we will not only locate the leak but be able to fix it there and then. The Leak Detection Company specialised 100% in water leak detection and water damage so we are the perfect first port of call for any leaks in your property.