Brrrrrrr – How to avoid burst pipes!

Those of you who remember your school science lessons will remember that when water freezes, it expands; this is  fine for ice cubes, or ice rinks, but not in a heating system!

If you leave your house without any heating on at this time of year it’s likely that the pipes will freeze and then burst which is bad for everyone, it damages the house and most likely your possessions.

Tenants are responsible for avoiding this problem and could be charged for any damage caused to their property if they don’t take reasonable precautions.

What to do?

To avoid any leaks we advise that you ensure that a programme is set on your boiler to ensure the property is still heated in your absence.

If your boiler has a timer then programme it (if you don’t know how, locate the make and model of the programmer or boiler and google for a user manual) to provide 6 hours of heating a day (at a minimum of 17c) over 3 spells (Morning, Midday and Evening).

If you are unable to set a programme on your heating system, instead leave your heating on continuously but at a lower temperature of around 15c.

Important: Ensure that all radiators in your house are on and make sure to leave doors open on kitchen and bathroom cabinets. This will allow warmer air to circulate and reach pipes under sinks and in adjacent outside walls.

This sounds like it’s expensive to heat your home when you are not in, it will however be much more unpleasant and costly if a pipe does burst.

If you have any questions or need any help please get in touch.