What to do if Your Pipes are Frozen?

• Turn off your water stop tap, usually found below the sink in your kitchen.

• Then make sure all cold taps in the property are turned on, this will allow the water to flow out when the pipes start to thaw

• There are various ways to start thawing out your pipes – Use a space heater, use a hair dryer, keeping it a safe distance away from the defrosting taps use a hot water bottle wrapped in a tea towel and hold it against the pipes. Always start near the tap end and work back towards the frozen section. Never use an open flame to thaw a pipe as this could lead to damage or fire

• When the pipes have thawed out, make sure there are no leaks by using a dry cloth along the pipe

• You can then turn your water back on at the stop tap

The most important thing is to switch the stopcock off straight awayIf your pipes freeze extensively, you can get an expert in to check all the pipework for splits.

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What to do if your Pipes Burst

• Firstly, to stop any water flowing through the pipes by turning off the mains water supply using the stopcock, usually near the kitchen sink

• If this doesn’t stop the flow of water, pipework coming from the cold-water storage tank could be the problem. To stop the flow from the tank you will need to drain it

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What can I do to Prevent my Pipes from Freezing?

• Insulate water tanks and lag pipes in the loft spaces, cupboards and garages

• Check your boiler has been serviced

• Ensure you know the position of your stopcock

• Have your heating on low if you are away from home

• Minimise droughts to unheated parts of your property

• Run cold taps on a regular basis

• If the property is vacant, keep the heating on low or make sure the system is fully drained

• Inspect all pipes inside and outside the property

• Book a cctv survey to check outside drains for weak spots and cracks