Plumbing and Central Heating Tips for Winter

Plumbing and central heating tips for winter

Winter can be a tough time for the pipes, drains and plumbed appliances in your home. Extreme weather and high levels of use put extra strain on all parts of your home’s plumbing system. This makes a blockages, burst pipe or breakdown a lot more likely over the winter months.

Luckily, there are some easy ways to look after your pipes and minimise the chances of a plumbing related problem. To help you sail through the worst of the cold weather unscathed, we’ve put together a few top tips for looking after your home this winter.

Insulate your pipes

Insulating your pipes helps to protect them from the cold and prevent them freezing – and then bursting – in extreme weather. Insulating materials are cheap to buy and easy to fit, so there’s no reason why your pipes should go unprotected this winter.

If you don’t have time to do the job yourself, get in touch with a local plumber and ask them to arrange the insulation for you.

Keep your heating on while you’re away

If you go away for Christmas, or if you’re planning to escape the UK for a bit of winter sun, make sure you leave your heating on while you’re out of the house. While it doesn’t need to be turned up high, having your heating come on a few times a day can help to prevent your pipes freezing and help to keep your central heating flowing.

Switch your thermostat to around 18˚C and set your heating to come on for a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the evening. As well as protecting your plumbing, this will also help to ensure your home feels warm and welcoming when you finally return.

Never pour oil down your sink

You should avoid putting oil down your sink throughout the year. However, during cold weather, fat is even more likely to solidify in your pipes and cause problems. Eventually, your drains could become blocked and you may experience flooding and bad odours. If this happens, you’ll have to call in the professionals to remove the fat build up and restore your pipes to full working order.

Call in the experts

When it comes to central heating, prevention is a lot better than cure. If you suspect there’s something wrong with your boiler, central heating or home plumbing, call in the professionals straight away. A skilled heating engineer will be able to spot potential problems and fix your boiler before it causes you any serious issues. When the weather is freezing outside, this can be a real lifesaver.

If you want to ensure your boiler is in full working order this winter, we can help. Explore our site to find out about getting your boiler serviced in Swaffham or about boiler installations in Thetford and Watton.