Households urged to make three checks to their pipes NOW as temperatures drop – or risk £5,000 bill

HOUSEHOLDS are being urged to make three quick pipe checks now as temperatures plummet.

Snow fell in parts of the UK on Monday with the Met Office warning an Arctic blast could hit towards the start of next week.

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But as well as cold weather being a general nuisance, it can lead to pipes freezing, cracking and bursting too, leading to water leakages and a costly bill.

Luckily, there’s three checks you can make now, Tesco Bank said, which could help you avoid any unnecessary costs.

It comes as the bank said it received over 1,000 claims relating to water leakages caused by frozen and burst pipes, to an average value of £5,000.

Insulate your pipes

One quick and easy way of preventing your pipes from freezing is by wrapping them in a layer of insulation.

It doesn’t cost a bomb to do either – Screwfix is currently selling some for 99p per metre.

And it’s easy to attach to the pipes with adhesive or insulating tape too.

If you don’t have enough to cover all the pipes in your home, you should prioritise the ones in colder areas such as the basement and loft.

Check your hot water

A smooth-running hot water system will help keep your pipes warm and less at risk of freezing over.

But you should run some quick checks first to make sure everything is in good working order ahead of a cold snap.

First, make sure your boiler is working correctly by checking the pressure is right and the thermostat is functioning.

Next, bleed your radiators to ensure hot water is running through them smoothly.

You can do this with a radiator key which undoes the valves and lets any trapped air escape.

Once you’ve done all this, make sure any warm air can circulate throughout the house by keeping doors open.

Locate your stop cock

If you do end up with a burst pipe, you’ll want to turn off your cold water supply instantly.

But you’ll need to find your stop cock, which lets you do this, first.

You’ll usually find the device in your kitchen, near the boiler, or under the stairs and normally with a “W” or “water” on it.

Make sure you, and everyone else in the household, knows where your stopcock is just in case of emergency.

How to thaw frozen pipes

You’ll want to make sure you stop any water from running by turning off your stop cock.

Then you can thaw your pipes by using a hair dryer on a low setting or portable heater.

Holding a hot towel to the frozen area also helps, or you can buy some specialist electrical heating tape to deal with the blockage.

Always remember though, to never use an open flame on any piping as it could cause permanent damage or start a fire.

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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk