How To Stop Underground Pipes From Freezing

We're coming up for the coldest months of the year and when temperatures fall below zero, frozen water pipes can cause big problems for your business. To help you avoid frozen pipes and keep your business running, here are our top tips:

Keep the heating on low

If you have a 9-5 business that shuts over the weekends you should consider keeping the heating on a low setting. This is because if your plumbing is allowed to go cold for longer periods of time, it may end up freezing. While it may seem like an unnecessary expense, it is much safer than the expense of an emergency plumber call out and pipe repair, or even replacement.

Insulate pipes

Wherever possible it's a good idea to insulate your underground piping. Consider this; what are underground water pipes made of? Often copper or plastic. Plastic piping isn’t always resistant to cold weather, so when you have access to them, it’s worth insulating them. It’s a fairly quick and easy change that can make a significant difference when the bitter cold sets in.

Switch off the stop tap

When you leave work at the end of the day, turn off the stop tap and empty out your taps, the stop tap will shut off your water access. With no water in your piping, there will be nothing to freeze. Clearing out your taps at the end of each day may feel burdensome, but it will address problems before they have time to arise and without requiring any spending.

Clear gutters

Blocked gutters can lead to blockages in the piping, and often those blockages will freeze in the winter months. Even if water can usually squeeze through these blockages, having them through winter can cause a frozen blockage, which could very easily become a burst pipe. Again, this is a fix that you can do on your own - but is also something that you may have to hire a professional to carry out if you are short on time.

What to do if your pipe freezes

If your pipe freezes, follow these steps to reduce the chance of the frozen pipe bursting.

.Turn off your water supply at the stopcock.

.Turn off your immersion heater and central heating.

.Turn the cold tap on so any water in the pipe can escape.

.If the water is not draining properly, turn off the tap as this could indicate that the pipe below is frozen. Remember to switch it off as soon as the stream of water stops.

.If you have safe access to the pipe, you can wrap a heated cloth around the point of the freeze to try to thaw it.

.Contact an approved plumber as soon as possible.

What to do when frozen pipes burst

.Turn off your water supply at the stopcock.

.Turn off your immersion heater and central heating.

.Turn off your electricity at the mains if the water has leaked near your electrics or near any appliances.

.Turn on all taps to drain your pipes quickly. Remember to switch the taps off as soon as the stream of water stops.

.Soak up or block off any escaping water with thick towels

.Contact an approved plumber as soon as possible.

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