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Blocked drains, gutters, a faulty boiler and burst or frozen pipes are a nuisance at the best of times but when you need them the most? In the cold, dark winter months that are typically filled with visitors – this has to be the least ideal time to be unprepared?!
To help you steer well clear of these unfortunate scenarios, Aura Heating has put together a list that may be useful:
Tip One – protect yourself against frozen pipes.
With the drop in temperature, water in your pipework can easily freeze, this, in turn, can cause burst pipes leading of course to floods, damage, and expenses.
Thus, attempts should be made to keep the heat in. This can be achieved with insulation. Covering pipes in good quality lagging should help insulate the pipes against any severe temperature drops and thus, assist in preventing them from freezing. Typically pipe insulation is available at most hardware or building trade stores whether it is the slightly easier option of the foam tubing with slits in the side or standard insulation accompanied with duct tape or gaffer tape to secure it in place. This should also help in making central heating more efficient – thus cutting some costs!
Tip Two – unclog your drains and gutters
With autumn long behind us and the trees bare of their leaves – the wind so easily seems to sweep these leaves into gutters and drains! However, if your gutters and drains collect too much debris, as the temperature (and more leaves) begin to fall, ice forms – leading to damage or breakage of drains and gutters. Make sure to clear out your gutters and drains of twigs, leaves and other seasonal debris regularly and potentially consider investing in some gutter guards to help prevent build-up or clogging.
Tip Three – don’t put grease and oil down the sink
While it may be tempting with the washing up piling up and the cooking to feed the ten thousand over the festivities, pouring any grease and oil down the sink should certainly be avoided! Due to the cold weather, these liquids are much more likely to solidify in the pipework and block pipes. It’s better to leave fat to harden on pans or in trays and then scrape into the bin – rather than letting it harden in your pipes!
Tip Four – leave the heating on a timer if you are away
If you are going away for some winter sun or to visit family or friends over the festive period or to escape the comedown after the seasonal festivities are up, don’t forget to leave your heating on a timer – even if it’s just for a few hours each day. This will help make sure the pipes do not freeze or seize up, which leads to expansion and eventually – cracking. For the same reason – it may also be a good idea to drain and remove any attached any hosepipes and get rid of any residual water in outside taps.
If you are unfortunate enough to encounter any issues, Aura Gas is proud to be the South of England’s leading, local boiler expert. We serve villages, towns, and cities across the south coast and into the home counties and have been keeping our customers happy (and warm) since 2005. Let our reviews speak for themselves! Get in touch with us today, we have a variety of contact options. Aura gas thinks it’s important to assist with making fixing of inconveniences, convenient, especially at this time of year! You can get in touch with us instantly using our “live chat” service (bottom right of the screen) or by telephone on 02392 252171 or, please send us your queries via our contact page and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
