Lag, lag and lag some more

Lagging is a simple, quick and cost-effective solution. DIY chain stores sell insulated tubes for pipes of all sizes, which can be installed without the help of an expert. Don’t forget to lag pipes in garages, and any that run along an external wall, even if they are inside your home. Although it is fiddly, make sure you insulate the bends and junctions in your pipes, too – not just the straight runs.

Make sure your combi boiler condensate pipe is also lagged. This plastic tube draws off condensation and, although it is often internally plumbed into your household drainage, it is sometimes necessary to run it directly through a wall to the outside world. Should the condensation freeze in cold weather, your boiler won’t fire up. The only solution is to head out into the cold and try to defrost it.

Share the warmth

Don’t forget the pipes and tanks in your loft. If your house isn’t well insulated, your loft will be one of the coldest parts of your home, leaving any plumbing here as susceptible as that outside to freezing and bursting. British Gas recommends opening your loft hatch during icy weather so that heat from the rest of your house circulates within the loft space. Although this may lower the temperature elsewhere and bump up your heating costs, it is still likely to be cheaper – and much less inconvenient – than fixing a broken pipe.

If you have an outhouse, whether attached or not, that isn’t connected to your central heating, invest in an oil-filled radiator for toilets or laundry rooms, with the thermostat set to tick on and off at around 4°C (40°F) to prevent frost. If the outhouse is infrequently used, alternatively consider a greenhouse heater. With options for electric, gas or paraffin, you can even use them where you don’t have a reliable electrical supply. Slimline tubular heaters, which look like an opaque fluorescent lighting tube, can be fixed to the wall out of reach of children, but keep in mind that warm air rises, and the most effective location may well be lower down, close to your pipes.

Use frost protect

If you are going to be away for a while, don’t turn off your heating entirely. Trim it to 10°C (50°F) or, if it has one, use its thermostat’s frost protection setting so that your home won’t get dangerously cold. Although it might feel like you are spending money burning fuel you won’t feel the benefit of, preventing the fabric of your home, like its bricks, walls and tiling, from getting too cold means it will cost less to bring it back up to a comfortable temperature when you return.

If you have a Nest smart thermostat, it has a built-in safety temperature of 4°C (40°F) and will prevent your home from getting colder than this, even if the control is set to Off, Away or Eco. You can adjust this in the Nest app. Hive smart thermostats, similarly, keep your home at a minimum of 7°C (45°F) even when set to Off.

Don’t forget your outdoor taps

Outdoor taps are usually fed from a pipe inside your house. That means that, should the tap itself freeze, any burst is just as likely to occur inside your home as out. Outdoor taps are often on the back of a garage or kitchen wall so, unless you can see that it has been traced along the outer surface, check the pipework directly adjacent, inside your home, for a stop cock or valve. Use this to turn it off, then turn on the tap to drain it.

Remove any hose attachments from the tap itself and fit a polystyrene cover, using the internal rubber loop to hook it onto the tap handle, and the toggle on the outside to keep it tight, with the sponge lip compressed against the wall. At less than £5, and easily sourced on the high street or online (£4.24 from ToolStation) they are money well spent.

If you have a water butt, open its tap and drain it, then leave the tap open until the last frosts have passed. Closing the tap risks allowing the butt to refill, which could split it if it freezes.

Don’t neglect the little jobs

Fix dripping taps by replacing washers if necessary, or the whole tap if the washer doesn’t cut it. Insulate water tanks – particularly those in the loft – and consider draining them if you are going to be away for some time. Shut off the mains at the stop cock, too, unless you have a good reason not to. Have your boiler serviced annually, keep an eye on pressure and fit a pressure reducing valve if it is excessive. These are used to reduce the pressure entering your home by partially obstructing the pipe. You will need to engage a professional to fit one but, once it is in place, it can usually be adjusted by turning a valve or using a flat-head screwdriver.

Keeping your plumbing in good order not only reduces the risk of a burst pipe or tank, but also gives you a periodic overview of the state of your pipework. Unless you have a good reason to look at it every once in a while, you will have no way of knowing what risks you’re facing.

See also our Case Study on what happened when one Homeowner dsicovered a leaking pipe in their kitchen