As part of Citizen’s Advice Big Energy Saving Week, #BESW2O, South East Water is warning customers of the risks unprotected water pipes and outdoor taps face during icy temperatures.
The company, which provides drinking water to 2.2 million customers across parts of Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire, reports that households and businesses in past years had experienced burst water pipes where outside taps and external pipes were not lagged to protect them from the cold spells.
To give its customers a helping hand to be winter ready, the company is giving away on its website a free winter lagging starter kit.
Steve Andrews, Head of Operations at South East Water said: “Burst pipes are a very unpleasant and inconvenient problem and when they happen inside the boundary of a property are usually the responsibility of the householder to repair.
“To avoid a burst water pipe, home owners can take some easy steps to protect pipes and taps by lagging them with our free insulation kits available from our website or by buying industry approved lagging from DIY stores.”
Another cold snap ready job is to know where the internal stop tap is located and for people to test it works so the water can be turned off quickly in an emergency.
In addition, identifying and writing down now the name of a local qualified plumber can save valuable time in an emergency. The online directory WaterSafe is the plumbing industry’s national accreditation body and has a list of approved plumbers.
For the free winter kit, additional advice and a video on how to protect water pipes go to www.southeastwater.co.uk/winter The name of a qualified plumber can be found at watersafe.org.uk or by calling call 0333 207 9030.
Top winter tips:
- When away leave heating low or drain down systems
- Insulate pipes, cisterns and tanks. Look for the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS) approved insulation
- Repair dripping taps
- Inspect loft insulation
- Make sure the internal stop tap works
- Check on any elderly neighbours to make sure they are winter ready.
