Be prepared for winter advises water company

ARE you prepared for the cold snap?

With the arrival of colder weather, Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water (BWHW) has issued some timely advice for householders and businesses.

It includes:

Make sure you know where your inside water stop tap is and ensure it works.

If you have dripping taps and faulty ball valves they can be a problem. Waste pipes and overflows can freeze causing flooding inside the premises. Replace faulty washers now and save water in the meantime.

Avoid frozen or burst pipes by protecting them with lagging. This is especially the case in exposed areas where freezing draughts can reduce temperatures.

To prevent freezing keep installations warm by leaving some heating on if the temperature is likely to drop below freezing for sometime.

Lag the storage cistern and any pipes that are liable to freeze, especially if they are in the roof space of a building.

Leave the heating on if your premises are left empty over a weekend or holiday period. The cost will be far less than the potential expense of clearing up any flood damage from a burst pipe.

Protect all external taps or supplies that may be affected by frost. Ideally isolate them if they are not in use and drain them down.

If you have a frozen pipe, and you know its location, try to get some warmth around it. An electric fan heater can be used but ensure there is no damp or risk of leaking water which could result in an electric shock. Never use naked flames or hot air guns as these could pose a fire risk.

If you have a burst pipe, turn off the supply and then drain down the part of the system affected. You will need a plumber to repair the burst. If you cannot turn off the supply, ring us and we will turn off the boundary stop tap.

Bournemouth and West Hampshire Water do not repair customer’s internal pipes but can isolate the water supply at the boundary stop tap. You will need to employ a plumber to repair any bursts caused by the freezing weather or you can contact AquaCare on 01202 591100. AquaCare is Bournemouth & West Hampshire Water’s sister company which provides 24 hour emergency plumbing services.   .

Roger Harrington, BWHW’s Technical Director said: “Frozen or burst pipes can cause major headaches for customers. A few basic steps can avoid these problems.

“The simple fact is that a little time spent on preparing for the cold spell could save a lot of time dealing with the after effects of a flood resulting from a burst pipe.”