How to protect your home against freezing conditions

The time of year has arrived when temperatures begin to plunge sub-zero - creating many potential hazards in and around your home. While the wintery weather might be a nice relief from the wind and rain we’ve been experiencing of late, it can bring with it a unique set of challenges from a home maintenance perspective.

From frozen pipes to slippy pathways, there’s plenty to consider when making your home the safest space through the cold months.To help you keep your home working as it should this winter, we’ve put together a handy checklist of must-do tasks and quick hacks.

Andy Simms, our resident expert tradesperson, believes that the key to keeping your house going through freezing conditions is completing the right preparations.

“As always, prevention is better than cure when it comes to home maintenance. It’s always wise to get essential tasks done in advance of cold snaps, such as getting your boiler serviced, your roof checked and your guttering clear.

“But the good news is that many winter checks can be done relatively quickly and simply, and can prevent you from having more serious issues down the line. If any of the checks reveal an issue, or it’s something you can’t tackle yourself, get in touch with a professional who can get you sorted before the winter weather takes its toll on your home.”

Here are our top tips to keep you and your home safe this winter

Get your boiler serviced

The last thing you need when the temperature plummets is to be without heating. MyBuilder.com statistics recently showed that many UK homeowners are delaying getting their annual service due to the cost of living crisis, but it’s one area you can’t scrimp on. Getting your boiler serviced ahead of cold weather ensures you will stay warm, and can prevent more costly issues with our boiler in the future.

Bleed your radiators

Switching on the heating to find your radiators are still stone cold is so frustrating. In many cases, this might just be caused by air bubbles that block up the pipework. Bleeding a radiator simply involves releasing the valve (normally located in the top corner) and letting the excess air out. If there are problems across multiple radiators, it could be a sign of larger issues in your heating system, and it could be worth getting a heating professional to investigate.

Pipes

While the odd frosty night is no cause for concern, prolonged periods of minus temperatures can cause water in pipes to freeze. The most vulnerable pipes are those that are unprotected or in unheated areas - such as garden taps or those in garages and lofts. Insulation of these pipes with lagging is essential - covering at least the top of the pipe. If possible, disconnect the water supply to those vulnerable pipes for the duration of the freeze. 

Insulation

Good insulation is brilliant for protecting your home from both hot and cold weather, so it’s well worth investing in. Exterior walls, crawl spaces, and lofts are all good places to start. 

Roofs

It’s always wise to make sure your roof is in tip-top shape before winter, as ice and snow can cause problems. Snow can be surprisingly heavy when it builds up, putting pressure on weaker roofs, especially older flat roofs which don’t have any pitch to help the snow slide off. If you’re concerned about the condition of any roofs, speak to a professional roofer who can assess any damage.

Trees

Freezing conditions can make branches more brittle, increasing the chance of breakage. Falling branches have knock-on effects on our homes, as they can damage roofs, guttering, cabling and satellite dishes - not to mention anyone who happens to be standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. A tree surgeon is best placed to see if your trees are at risk, or to handle any that have already suffered damage. If any trees need to be cut back or brought down and removed, they can handle it safely, whatever the weather.
 

And here’s a few extra ones you can do at home!

Quick tips

Thaw frozen tap

A simple and quick hack uses a 10p resealable bag from Ikea. If you have a frozen outside tap, grab your resealable freezer bag, and half-fill the bag with warm water. Don’t use boiling hot water because that can be dangerous, it only needs to be warm. If the water supply to the house is frozen you may need to use some bottled water and warm it in a pan, kettle, or microwave. Just place the bag on the frozen tap and it will safely thaw in no time. 

Never use anything like a blowtorch or lighter, which risks damaging the pipe even further. Keep the tap on to help relieve the pressure, with the stoptap closed. If a pipe has burst, turn the stoptap off immediately and hire a plumber who can fix or replace the pipe.

Seal any holes

Closing any small gaps can stop cold air coming in and letting warm air out! A quick fix can be to buy some expanding foam insulation, which is cheap and easy to use. Once the freeze is over, you can make sure any holes are more permanently sealed.

Drippy tap

For any tap faucets that are near exterior walls, a quick tip is to leave taps slowly dripping if temperatures are seriously cold. This will help to prevent water freezing and damaging any pipes. For best results, leave both the hot and cold lines on drip.

Close your door

Many people leave garage doors open whatever the weather, for ease of access. It may sound obvious, but, for those of you with garages, ensure the doors are closed in cold weather, to help retain heat and protect your property.

Install some thermal curtains

If you don’t already have them, thermal curtains or blinds are great for temperature control. They can keep the warmth inside in winter, and keep the sun out in summer! Quick and easy to install, they can keep your home much warmer in freezing temperatures.