How to protect
your pipes in winter.
A frozen pipe can split, and you often don't find out until it thaws. A few simple steps before the cold weather prevent most winter call-outs.
Before the cold weather
Lag pipes and the cold water tank in the loft, and any pipes in garages, outbuildings or outside walls. Fix dripping taps — a slow drip in an outside pipe can freeze.
Know where your stop tap is and check that it turns.
Disconnect garden hoses and, if you have one, turn off and drain the outside tap.
If you go away
Keep the heating on low rather than off, so the house never gets cold enough for pipes to freeze.
If a pipe freezes
Turn off the water at the stop tap, then thaw the pipe gently — warm cloths or a hair dryer, starting from the tap end. Never use a naked flame.
If a pipe bursts
Turn off the stop tap, open the cold taps to drain the system, switch off any electrics near the water if it's safe to do so, and ring for help.
Burst pipes, leaks, blocked drains and no-water emergencies. Any hour, any day — we prioritise anything actively causing damage.
Keep reading.
Hard water in Herts & Essex
Why our water is so hard, what it does in your home, and how to check your postcode.
Read the guideTypes of water softener, explained
Harvey's, Kinetico, Monarch and Tapworks compared — power, salt and regeneration.
Read the guideHow to find and turn off your stop tap
Where to look, how to turn it, and what to do if it won't budge.
Read the guideWater where it
shouldn't be?
Every minute counts with a leak. Ring now and a local plumber will talk you through stopping the damage — any hour, any day.