Severe Weather Advice - Guidance for Local Authority Tenants
During the winter/spring of 2009/2010 we experienced an unprecedented cold spell. Should we experience this weather again this year we would like to offer our tenants the following advice and tips:
How to avoid frozen pipes:
- Wrap a towel around an outside tap
- Open the attic trap door to allow heat into the attic
- Leave a light on in the attic
- Leave heating on longer than normal
- Place a piece of insulation e.g. carpet/matting over your external stopcock
- Park a car over your external stop cock
If pipes are burst or frozen:
Frozen Pipes ·
- Turn off the water supply – please make yourself aware of where the stop water valve is in your property
- Protect anything around the pipe that appears to be frozen to avoid damage if it does burst
- Open the tap nearest the part of the pipe you think is frozen so that the water can flow through when ice has thawed
- Thaw the ice in the pipe with a hot water bottle or hairdryer ( taking care to keep it away from any water)
- If the heating system is frozen, do not light a fire or turn on a burner.
Burst Pipes ·
- Turn off the water supply
- Drain the system – turn on all your cold taps
- Switch off the central heating, immersion heater and any other water heating systems
- If water leaks near the electrics or electrical appliances, switch off the mains immediately. If wet do not touch them.
If you experience a burst pipe please call this Council immediately and we will arrange for a plumber and electrician, if required, to repair the damage.
Please ensure that your household contents insurance is up to date should any damage be caused to your contents due to a burst pipe
