Householders urged to prepare for another cold weather snap

They say that during spells of severely cold weather the water pipes in your home may freeze, which can result in a burst pipe when the weather warms up.

Recently many householders have had damage to their property as a result of burst pipes, which can run into many thousands of pounds.

In the event of an emergency repair being required, Housing Executive tenants can contact the Executive in a number of ways. Their emergency telephone number is 03448 920 901 or their website is www.nihe.gov.uk and the emergency services email [email protected]. Further information is available on the Housing Executive's website www.nihe.gov.uk

The following simple precautions will help stop the pipes in your home from freezing during severe cold spells:

Leave the central heating on for short periods throughout the day to make sure the temperature in each room is reasonably high.

Remove the trap door from the roof space to allow hot air from the main house to get into the loft.

Open the doors to the sink unit to allow warmer air to circulate round the pipes and allow warm air to circulate round the full house by opening the doors to the individual rooms.

If your home is empty, ask a friend or neighbour to go in and turn the heating on for a short time and check for frozen pipes.

Most frozen pipes are found in the roof space and below sink units. If you discover a frozen pipe, it is best to thaw it out slowly by putting hot-water bottles or a towel soaked in warm water on the frozen area.

Find out where the stopcock is. The stopcock is a valve for turning the cold-water system on and off. Turn the stopcock in a clockwise direction to turn the supply off. Turn it anti-clockwise to turn the water on again.

Stopcocks are usually in the kitchen, often below the sink unit. Check your home to see where your stopcock is. If you are not sure ask a friend or neighbour.

In the event of burst pipes turn off the water supply by turning the stopcock clockwise. If the flow of water cannot be stopped, open all the cold taps to drain the system. If the burst is on a pipe from the storage tank, turn off the stop valve in the storage tank, and turn on all hot taps to drain the system. Allow the fire to burn out or turn the heating off until the burst pipe has been attended by a plumber. Do not use the water heater as this may cause the hot water cylinder to collapse. Do not turn on the water supply until the burst pipe has been repaired. If the water has come into contact with electrical fittings the electricity should be turned off at the mains.

Can I put my heating on if the water is off?

Different types of heating systems need looking after in different ways if your water supply fails. Check what type of system you have and follow the advice below:

Any heating system with a cold water storage tank and hot water cylinder

If you have a heating system which uses a cold water storage tank (usually in the attic) and if the water supply is cut off but your cold water storage tank is full, it's still safe to run your central heating. However you should not use your hot water. A system with a cold water storage tank may give a limited amount of hot water after the supply is cut off, but you risk running the storage tank dry. If that happens it will create an airlock when the water comes back on again, so don't be tempted.

If your cold water storage tank has run dry, do not use your central heating or your hot water as this could cause your hot water cylinder to collapse.

Combi-boiler

If you have a combi boiler (where your hot water is heated directly from the gas boiler) you can use your heating but you must not use any hot water from the taps.

Economy 7

If you have Economy 7, turn the immersion heaters off. There should be two switches in your hot press.

We strongly recommend that you don't use your immersion heater because you can burn it out if it's not completely covered by water.

Solid fuel central heating system

If you have a back boiler on your fire (where the fire heats water or radiators in your home) do not light your fire while the water is off. Once the water supply has been restored, light only a small fire at first.

What should I do once the water comes back on?

As the water returns to your home, you need to take care to ease the water back along the pipes. If the water has not been on for some time the pipes may be dry and this can lead to problems when water pressure is restored.

If your water is currently not running you should turn off the water at the stop cock and make sure that all taps in the house are turned off. Once you know that the water to your area has been restored, very slowly turn on the stop cock and then turn on every tap in the house, again going very slowly. If pressure is applied too hastily, this can cause a surge which may damage your pipes and cause a flood. This can happen even with recently repaired pipes. Check what type of system you have and follow the advice below:

Any heating system with a cold water storage tank and hot water cylinder

If you have a heating system which uses a cold water storage tank (usually in the attic) and if the water supply is cut off but your cold water storage tank is full, it's still safe to run your central heating. However you should not use your hot water. A system with a cold water storage tank may give a limited amount of hot water after the supply is cut off, but you risk running the storage tank dry. If that happens it will create an airlock when the water comes back on again, so don't be tempted.

If your cold water storage tank has run dry, do not use your central heating or your hot water as this could cause your hot water cylinder to collapse.

Combi-boiler

If you have a combi boiler (where your hot water is heated directly from the gas boiler) you can use your heating but you must not use any hot water from the taps.

Economy 7

If you have Economy 7, turn the immersion heaters off. There should be two switches in your hot press.

We strongly recommend that you don't use your immersion heater because you can burn it out if it's not completely covered by water.

Solid fuel central heating system

If you have a back boiler on your fire (where the fire heats water or radiators in your home) do not light your fire while the water is off. Once the water supply has been restored, light only a small fire at first.

What should I do once the water comes back on?

As the water returns to your home, you need to take care to ease the water back along the pipes. If the water has not been on for some time the pipes may be dry and this can lead to problems when water pressure is restored.

If your water is currently not running you should turn off the water at the stop cock and make sure that all taps in the house are turned off. Once you know that the water to your area has been restored, very slowly turn on the stop cock and then turn on every tap in the house, again going very slowly. If pressure is applied too hastily, this can cause a surge which may damage your pipes and cause a flood. This can happen even with recently repaired pipes.