Cold Weather

Advice for frozen or burst pipes

Southern Water have some tips and advice for frozen or burst pipes:

If your pipes freeze

  1. Turn off the water supply at the stop valve straight away
  2. Don't switch on your boiler or immersion heater
  3. Open the nearest tap and gently heat any frozen sections of pipe with a hot cloth or hot water bottle from the tap backwards
  4. Never use a naked flame to defrost pipes. It's a fire hazard and can cause more damage to your water system

If your pipes have burst

Water pipes in homes are the property owner's responsibility, so if you notice a burst or leak at home:

  1. Shut off your water supply and then open all hot and cold taps until they run dry
  2. Switch off your mains electricity supply
  3. Try to temporarily fix the burst pipe by binding it tightly with cloth, tape or using a pipe clamp
  4. Call a qualified plumber and turn off all taps until the pipe is repaired

More information can be found on Southern Water’s website.