Partnership advises on how to avoid burst pipe nightmares

With Christmas edging ever closer, UK plumbing register WaterSafe is partnering with the Met Office to share advice with property-owners on being prepared to deal with the winter worry of burst water pipes – as well as how to prevent them.

Latest figures from WaterSafe’s annual survey of UK homeowners reveal that over half of respondents, 53%, don’t know what to do if a pipe bursts due to cold weather.

WaterSafe has shared these five tips with homeowners:

1. Turn off the water supply coming into the property at the stop tap and switch off your boiler.
2. Open all taps to drain the system as quickly as possible, saving some water in a bucket for flushing toilets and hand washing. When the water stops running, turn all the taps off.
3. Soak up escaping water with towels to limit the damage.
4. Call a WaterSafe approved plumber who is qualified to work on the plumbing system in your home.
5. If water has leaked near your electrics, do not touch them and switch them off at the fuse box.

The WaterSafe survey showed that across the UK, of those with some knowledge of what to do if a pipe bursts, 60% of people know to turn off their stop tap and 40% would call a plumber – but only 2% highlighted draining the system as an important action to minimise damage.

To avoid burst pipes in the first place, it advised homeowners to wrap up pipework in any unheated areas, such as lofts, utility rooms and garages, with insulating lagging to prevent it from freezing. Make sure there are no gaps at bends, valves or fittings.

Will Lang, head of civil contingencies at the Met Office, said: “WeatherReady is an initiative to encourage everyone to help our families, neighbours and communities to take small steps to avoid the problems caused by freeze-thaw.

“Severe winter weather can cause damage and worry for everyone so it is important to do what we can to mitigate the impacts of it, including following expert advice from WaterSafe to protect your plumbing.”

Find out more about the #WeatherReady campaign, which is run by the Met Office in partnership with the Cabinet Office, at metoffice.gov.uk/weatherready.