Winter weather can bring many challenges around the home when it comes to staying warm, but these get to be much harder when water pipes burst.
Spells of sub-zero temperatures such as the cold snap in mid-December and the next one in mid-January will have many people keeping the hot water on, not least as they will want to keep the home warm, enjoy hot baths and showers and consume hot drinks.
However, such periods of weather are also a threat that plumbers in South Norwood and elsewhere know all about, because the thaw can bring lots of leaks.
The reason this happens is because water expands once it drops below four degrees C. This doesn’t matter much while it is above freezing, but expanding ice can out pressure on the pipes and cause them to burst. Once the temperature rises enough for the ice to melt, the liquid water is soon leaking everywhere.
If this does happen to you during any of this winter’s cold snaps, it is important to get a plumber in quickly both to fix the leaks and prevent new ones occurring. But there are also steps that can be taken pre-emptively to stop future leaks.
Simple measures can include draining water from pipes and running water regularly to prevent the build-up of ice, as well as leaving the heating on if you are away from the property for any length of time.
Other steps include opening the attic hatch to allow warmer air to circulate up there and prevent pipes freezing, plus the addition of insulation to keep your pipes warmer.
The last of these will not be something you can do immediately, but the sooner you do the better. Indeed, if this winter brings burst pipe woes for you, this is all the more reason to take steps to ensure that it won’t happen next winter and thereafter.