Stay warm and keeping your boiler working this winter

 

Cold weather plumbing problems, such as the weather we’ve currently been facing can affect your central heating, causing the problem of frozen pipes. Frozen pipes, such as a frozen condensate pipe, can prevent your boiler from working, which means you will have a high bill to follow for the repair.

In fact, it is said to be one of the most common reasons for a plumber call outs. You may first become aware of your pipes freezing by your boiler making a banging noise, or another unusual sound. There are many ‘tricks of the trade’ to prevent this from happening. The main one that is advised, is a central heating trick, which prevents the problem from happening in the first place. Simply set your central heating thermostat to never drop below 10 degrees Celsius.

This tip is all the more important if you are planning on leaving your home unoccupied for any length of time. The last thing you want/need, is returning to not only frozen pipes but burst pipes and a flooded house.

Here are some other top 8 tips to prevent cold weather plumbing problems:

  • Check your water pressure or water flow. The first sign of a frozen pipe is restricted water flow.

 

  • Consider leaving your tap open slightly in order to allow water to flow. The water movement can prevent freezing Just be mindful, that it will affect your water bill if you plan on doing this over extended periods of time.

 

  • Disconnect garden hoses and drain outdoor pipes.

 

  • Cover any outside faucets using a faucet insulation kit.

 

  • If you have any pipes in the garage, keep the doors shut to keep the temperature up.

 

  • Have your boiler serviced to ensure it is working correctly and there are no leaks or drips which can freeze

 

  • Ensure you know where your property’s internal stop tap is and that your ability to turn it off in case you ever need to.

 

  • Consider opening your kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing.

if your boiler does stops working, before calling your local plumber, try this first, it could save you a call out fee. If it’s extreme weather conditions that have caused your condensation pipe to freeze, which leads the boiler to shut down. First, locate your frozen condensate pipe outside. Place a hot water bottle on the waste pipe, where you think it’s frozen. Alternately pour hot water directly on the waste pipe using something like a watering can.

From all of us here at Luxco, we hope you have a warm and frozen pipe free winter.

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