Beat the cold, wrap up this winter
heat, insulate and protect your home
Looking after you and your home is important to us. We care about our customers and that’s why we’ve compiled this important information on how to beat the cold and heat, insulate and protect your home during the cold weather.
Just follow the handy hints below and you’ll be ready for winter!
heat
- Leave your heating on, using a low setting, if your home is going to be empty for a while.
- If you live in a flat, it’s sensible to leave the heating on low in rooms where the mains pipe supplies neighbouring flats.
- Alternatively, if you’re going away for a long time, turn off your water supply and drain the system – a registered plumber should be able to give you advice about this
- If your neighbours don’t have a key for your home make sure they have contact details for someone who does, in case of an emergency.
insulate
- Your water tank should be fitted with an insulation jacket or alternatively, the top and sides of the tank can be wrapped with suitable insulation material.
- Don’t place loft insulation under the tank, though, as this stops heat from the rooms below helping to keep the tank warm.
- If you have toilet cisterns, water tanks or pipes in exposed places or unheated outbuildings, make sure you insulate them. Better still, if not in use, drain them for winter.
We recommend that when insulating pipes it's best to ensure you buy good quality insulation, and remember, the thinner the pipe the thicker the insulation must be. As a guide, a 15mm or 1/2" pipe needs insulation which is 25mm thick, a 28mm or 1" pipe needs insulation which is at least 19mm thick.
protect
- Dripping water increases the risk of freezing, so have any leaks at taps or valves repaired as soon as you discover them.
- Cold draughts also increase your heating bills and can cause frozen pipework. You can reduce draughts by fitting draught excluders to your doors and windows.
We also recommend that you locate your stop valve, which is usually under the kitchen sink, and keep a note of necessary telephone numbers i.e. registered plumber. To find a registered plumber in your area visit www.needaplumber.org.
To request a copy of our warm pipes leaflet, contact card, stop valve sticker and your chance to receive one of 500 free fridge thermometer magnets, write to: Customer Marketing Free thermometer fridge magnet PO Box 8855, Edinburgh EH10 6YQ; or email customermarketing@scottishwater.co.uk giving us your full name and address (we can only send one thermometer per household).
