Is there a spring in your step? Sadly, either way, you probably aren’t quite feeling spring – yes, the season – in the weather just yet. In the UK, the meteorological calendar specifies 1st March as the start of spring. However, the astronomical season of spring will only arrive with the spring equinox.
This means that, in 2020, spring by this definition won’t begin until Friday 20th March, explains inews.co.uk. While you see out the rest of winter, here’s how you can safeguard your home.
Wrap up your pipes to prevent them from bursting
If you leave your home’s pipes shorn of any extra protection, they could too easily freeze and, consequently, burst or develop a blockage. This is especially applicable where those pipes run in relatively exposed or cold areas, like just outside your home’s building or in the garage.
Fortunately, you can insulate those pipes in a DIY manner by cheaply buying some lagging online, cutting it to length and wrapping up straight parts of your piping, as British Gas explains.
Properly insulate your header tank, too
Where is your home’s header tank? If it’s in the loft, you can’t leave that tank without proper insulation. Otherwise, the water contained within could freeze, leading it to expand and, in the process, cause splits and cracks in the tank’s walls. Yes, much like with the piping.
You could fail to even realise that the tank has split until you notice water – thawed ice from the tank – leaking into one of your residential spaces beneath the loft.
Look for your home’s stop cock
It’d be wise for you to educate yourself on where it is if you don’t already know. After all, if your water pipes did burst, your home could end up becoming flooded unless you switch off the mains, as the stop cock would enable you to do. Typically, a home’s stop cock is beneath the sink.
Wherever your stop cock actually is, it will be in the form of a tap or lever on copper pipes. You only need to turn that tap or lever anticlockwise to shut off the mains.
Make sure your roof is in good shape
The insurer AXA recommends that you get a professional to inspect your roof at least twice yearly. The Durham roofing company Findley Roofing & Building is one example of a roofing firm that can inspect its customers’ roofs for free.
If there are any roofing issues, as could be evidenced by debris which has fallen onto the ground from damaged slates or tiles, you should get those dilemmas rectified as soon as practically possible.
Remember to check the gutter
This is important because, if leaves and dirt gather in the gutter and so leave a blockage there, your home could be in peril once snowy or icy weather strikes. Large amounts of water could become trapped and freeze up in the gutter, with the added weight increases the strain on your home’s structure, creating potentially a disaster waiting to happen.