Met Eireann are forecasting a cold snap ahead of this week, and as we enter into January this certaintly won’t be the last dip below zero. Cold weather can cause sections of your home plumbing to burst, leaving you without running water and potentially a massive repair bill.
Plumbing Expert Sean Richardson of Complete Plumbing Solutions has compiled his top tips on how to prevent your pipes from freezing this winter.
We all know that when water freezes it expands greatly, this pressure can then cause your pipe to burst – A burst pipe can cost anywhere from €500 – €2000 to repair depending on the severity of the damage so it’s advisable to take every precaution you can!
Keep Water Running
The tiniest trickle can sometimes be enough to stop a devastating freeze. The weather forecasts are pretty good at forecasting when there’ll be a particularly harsh drop in temperatures, so if you’re expecting a freeze turn your taps on and allow just a trickle to come through the pipes. We’re not saying do this with all of the taps in the house, but just the ones that are supplied by exposed pipes. The constant movement of the water through the pipes will go along to prevent freezing and also relieves any potential pressure build up that could burst a pipe.
Insulate Your Pipes When Possible
Pipe insulation is cheap, widely available and can potentially save you hundreds of euro. A metre length of pipe insulation can be as cheap as €2 so it really is a no brainer, you could have all of your pipes insulated for less than €100. We would always advise that you focus on the most vulnerable sections of your plumbing – the exterior pipes and the pipes located in the unheated areas of your home like the attic. If there’s cold weather on the way and you haven’t had the time to insulate your pipes properly, you can DIY it too. Around 50-60 years ago people used to wrap the pipes in old, bunched up newspapers and just secured it with some tape! It may sound funny but it definitely does the job in a pinch”
Keep The Heat On
Energy prices are still quite high so understandably, this may not seem like the most appealing option, however a small bump in your heating costs will still cost far less than the repair of a burst pipe. When the temperatures dip, we tend to blast the heat during the day and turn things down at night – this isn’t helping your internal plumbing. Try and keep your heating at a more consistent temperature over the 24 hour period as this will keep the pipes from freezing, ideally you should always be around 12 degrees Celsius at least.
Keep Your Cabinets & Doors Open
A simple but effective measure to keep warm air circulating around your pipes. In most homes your plumbing in the kitchen or bathroom is tucked away behind a cabinet door of some sort. During a cold snap you should open up these doors to allow the warm air from inside the house to get around the pipes, keeping them free from blockages.
Plug the Gaps
There are dozens of unhelpful cracks and openings throughout every home, time to sort them out. Around this time of year in particular you should be checking around your doors and windows for any holes and large gaps that are letting all of the warm air in your home escape and letting cold air in. Window sills in particular are a common leakage point, if you have any cabling running externally to internally examine where it enters the home for gaps. By sealing these gaps you’re helping your overall home insulation which in turn benefits the plumbing.
