Protect-your-plumbing-this-winters

Picture the scene. You’ve been out ice skating with the family, maybe sledging in freshly fallen snow or perhaps back from a wet and windy dog walk. You return with thoughts of a centrally-heated house and a hot shower. The reality is your radiators are stone cold, the water is like ice and you swear there’s layer of frost on the carpet.

A fault with your plumbing has to be one of the worst winter maintenance nightmares and it’s something we at Greenserve class as a home emergency. During London’s bitterest months the weather can play havoc with residential plumbing, so now is the time to save our number to your mobile phone. The Greenserve team are manning our 24 hour hotline throughout the coldest months, ready to dispatch one of our tradesmen to your property.

Here’s Greenserve’s advice for protecting your plumbing this winter but we’re happy to give you advice online or over the telephone:-

  1. Check all water pipes for cracks, leaks and blockages. Blocked or leaking pipes can freeze, expand and burst. If this happens while you are out or away, the damage can be catastrophic. A small crack in a pipe can release thousands of gallons of water if left unnoticed, and a property can take months to dry out and thousands of pounds to repair.
  2. One way to prevent pipes from freezing is by leaving your central heating on low constantly – set to at least 13 degrees C, especially when there is a frost.
  3. Invest in pipe insulation to stop pipes freezing – insulated foam sleeves are quick to fit and can easily be cut. Don’t forget to protect outside taps and pipe work in lofts.
  4. If you are going away for an extended period during winter, it is a good idea to turn off the water supply from the stop cock, and drain the water from the tank and pipes. It’s also advisable to leave your loft hatch open so warm air can rise up and stop the unheated space from freezing.
  5. Make sure you know where your stop cock is, should there be a water leak. Keep a torch handy just in case an emergency strikes in the middle of the night and the stop cock is located at the back of a dark cupboard.
  6. Bleed your radiators to remove any trapped air and improve the flow of hot water. If cold spots still persist, contact Greenserve and we can clean your radiators and service your central heating.

If you would like a plumbing health check or have a home heating emergency, contact Greenserve. We cover South West London: Chelsea, Kensington, Belgravia, Battersea, Fulham, Clapham, Wandsworth, Kingston and Richmond, please contact the Greenserve team today.

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