Dealing with frozen or burst pipes

According to ABI, home insurance companies approximately pay out £1.8 million per year  for claims caused by water damage, for example burst pipes.  With the temperature dropping, we have put together some of our top tips to follow if your pipes freeze or burst.

If your pipes freeze, you will need to act quickly to reduce the risk of them bursting.  You should:

• Turn the water off at the stopcock;
• Try to thaw the pipes, by placing warm towels or a hot water bottle on them or using a hairdryer on its lowest setting.  Remember, pipes must be thawed slowly.

If the worst happens and the pipes burst, you should:

• Turn the water supply off at the stopcock;
• Try to stop any escaping water with blankets, buckets or towels;
• Turn off your central heating, immersion heater and any other water heating systems;
• Drain the system by turning on all your taps and flushing the toilet several times;
• If there is a risk to electric turn the supply off by the main trip switch located within your fuse box;
• Contact the repairs line;
• Inform any neighbours who may be affected;