How to protect your home from the harsh winter weather
The clocks have gone back, the first frost has arrived and it’s time to protect your home from the harsh winter weather.
It’s that time of year where we see colder temperatures, higher rainfall and stronger winds. For homes and buildings, it’s the most unforgiving time of the year. However, there are a few measures you could take now to reduce the likelihood that your property will suffer damage as a result of the adverse winter weather.
1. Protect your home against frost
Frozen water pipes are one of the biggest causes of flooding in the home. As water within a pipe freezes it expands, putting the pipe under pressure and sometimes causing a crack or fracture within the pipe. Then, as the frost thaws, the water starts to seep through the split pipe.
To reduce the risk of frost damage, ensure any exposed pipes in outdoor or unheated areas such as the loft or cellar are lagged.
Often damage occurs when the temperature drops too low so, if you plan to be away, keep your heating on low and turn your water off at the mains.
2. Protect your home against high winds
Carry out a visual check of any tiled roofs to ensure tiles all appear secure. Ensure any unstable fencing is fixed and cut back any creepers and vines that may pull fences over.
3. Protect your home from high rainfall levels
In advance, understand the level of threat by checking the government website to determine whether your property is at risk of flooding. If it is, sign up to real-time flood warnings sent direct to your smart phone at https://www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings. If you’re expecting extensive rainfall, consider moving valuables upstairs. Use sandbags to prevent water from seeping into your property through walls or under doors and move furniture up off the floor by propping it up on blocks or pallets.
Clear your gutters of leaves as soon as you can once the leaves have finished falling from the trees. This will help to ensure water is channelled away from your property safely and will also reduce the risk of guttering becoming detached from your property as a result of heavy, waterlogged leaves, weighing too much for the fixings.
4. Protecting your home from fire
Of course, with all these low temperatures, high rainfall and strong winds, it’s understandable that so many of us would want to snuggle up in front of a cosy, roaring fire.
If you have a gas fire, get it inspected. If it’s a real fire, enlist the services of a chimney sweep to clean the chimney at least once a year to remove any debris that could overheat and start a fire. If you leave your fire unattended for any length of time, make sure you have a fire guard around the fire to protect your home from rogue sparks.
Christmas is also a great time for candles. Whether they’re counting down the sleeps ‘til Santa, or just adding to the festive ambience, but don’t leave burning candles unattended.
Just taking these simple steps should vastly reduce the likelihood of you needing to call on our services, however, if you find yourself needing floor or fire restoration services, leak detection or mould removal as a result of the harsh elements of winter, you can be confident that, by calling us on our 24-hour helpline on 01624 422 488, you’ll be able to access expert help when you need it.