Cold Snap ; How To Prevent Pipes From Freezing this Winter

We all know that when water freezes it expands greatly, this pressure can then cause your pipe to burst - A burst pipe can cost anywhere from €500 - €2000 to repair depending on the severity of the damage so it’s advisable to take every precaution you can!

The weather forecasts are pretty good at forecasting when there’ll be a particularly harsh drop in temperatures, like this coming weekend, so if you’re expecting a freeze turn your taps on and allow just a trickle to come through the pipes. We’re not saying do this with all of the taps in the house, but just the ones that are supplied by exposed pipes. The constant movement of the water through the pipes will go along to prevent freezing and also relieves any potential pressure build up that could burst a pipe.

Sean Richardson, Plumbing Expert & Owner at Complete Plumbing Solutions

A metre length of pipe insulation can be as cheap as €2 so it really is a no brainer, you could have all of your pipes insulated for less than €100. We would always advise that you focus on the most vulnerable sections of your plumbing – the exterior pipes and the pipes located in the unheated areas of your home like the attic. If there’s cold weather on the way and you haven’t had the time to insulate your pipes properly, you can DIY it too. Around 50-60 years ago people used to wrap the pipes in old, bunched up newspapers and just secured it with some tape! It may sound funny but it definitely does the job in a pinch”

When the temperatures dip, we tend to blast the heat during the day and turn things down at night – this isn’t helping your internal plumbing. Try and keep your heating at a more consistent temperature over the 24 hour period as this will keep the pipes from freezing, ideally you should always be around 12 degrees Celsius at least.

In most homes your plumbing in the kitchen or bathroom is tucked away behind a cabinet door of some sort. During a cold snap you should open up these doors to allow the warm air from inside the house to get around the pipes, keeping them free from blockages.

Around this time of year in particular you should be checking around your doors and windows for any holes and large gaps that are letting all of the warm air in your home escape and letting cold air in. Window sills in particular are a common leakage point, if you have any cabling running externally to internally examine where it enters the home for gaps. By sealing these gaps you’re helping your overall home insulation which in turn benefits the plumbing.

First things first, shut off the water at the mains – This is usually located either under the sink or somewhere near your water meter. If you allow the water to continue to flow you could be making the situation worse and allowing the pressure to build, which would cause a break.

If the water is very slowly coming from a tap or stops completely, you’ve got a freeze. If the problem only exists with one tap it’s a local issue rather than an a system wide problem.

“Turn off the Water Mains as soon as possible. The last thing you want to do is pull more water through the pipe so remove the supply and try to minimise the damage. Next step is to call a plumber and see how soon they can get out to see you. From here, try and get rid as much of the water as you possibly can so as to prevent the growth of mould and mildew”

“Yes, if you’ve got the right tools laying around. You’ll need a clamp, a block of wood and some rubber. You can place the rubber over the breakage in the pipe, cover it with a wood block and then use a clamp to keep everything together –we must stress, this is a very temporary fix and won’t last long. Similarly you can purchase some pipe repair sleeves, these can just be slipped over the affected area and keeps the water in the pipe. Again, these won’t last long so don’t put off calling the professionals.