Beat the freeze

Pipework within your business boundary is your responsibility, so it is worth protecting it to avoid the hassle or cost of burst pipes over the winter. 

Here are some simple steps to protect your business during the colder months:

• Insulate your water tanks and pipes with lagging (available from DIY stores).
• Don’t forget pipes in unheated areas like garages, storage spaces or in empty properties.
• Find your property’s internal stopcock and make sure you can turn it off if needed.
• Fix dripping taps.
• In unheated areas consider installing trace heating.
• Check your boiler and heating has been serviced.
• Minimise draughts and close doors to unheated parts of the property.
• Leave the heating on low while you are away or during cold snaps. Some insurers require either the water supply to be isolated or heating to be set a minimum temperature and left switched on. Please check your policy.
• If your property is going to be unoccupied or unused for a while, turn off the water at the stopcock and drain the system so there is no water left in the pipes.
• Check external water supplies e.g. fire hoses, outdoor toilets in unheated areas.
• Install control valves so you can isolate areas which may be at a higher risk of frozen pipes.
• Ensure that sprinkler systems and fire systems are adequately protected from freezing.
• Know where your water meter and stopcock are, and any sub meters so key areas can be identified and quickly shut off.
• Make sure that chemical storage tanks and associated pipework are adequately protected from freezing.
• Ensure any evaporative cooling systems that are in use are circulating at a sufficient temperature not to freeze and inspect regularly.