Not only can cold weather be unpleasant, if it’s cold enough it can also wreak havoc on your home. Burst pipes can be a major cause of damage in the colder months, and according to one insurer the cost of damage this winter (2009/10) was a massive £35 million[1]. Their average claim amount was £2,200 and another insurer reported its average claim as a whopping £30,000 for damage caused by burst pipes. Clearly this can be an expensive problem, but there are some simple steps that homeowners can take to avert a disaster and having to claim on their buildings insurance. Firstly, it’s important to understand how burst pipes occur. When pipes are exposed to sub-zero temperatures through draughts and prolonged periods of cold weather, the water within them freezes, causing it to expand and burst the pipe. To prevent this happening, homeowners should: – Ensure that pipes are not placed in exposed places. – Insulate pipes with foam and pipe lagging. – Keep the home as warm as possible, even when you are out. – Allow a trickle of water through the pipe if possible. This ensures there is no standing water left in the pipes to freeze. Should the water in the pipe have frozen already, homeowners can thaw out the water by draping a hot water bottle or a heavy blanket soaked in hot water over the affected area. Start at the end of the pipe that is nearest to the tap and work backwards from there. If the pipe has burst, homeowners should turn off the stopcock to stop more water from coming through. You should contact a plumber along with your insurer to immediately report the problem. [1] Business Scotsman (2010). Claims flood in as insurers mop up burst pipes.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 7:58 am and is filed under Home Improvement Parlor, Life + Style. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.