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Winter Care

During the winter months your property and the island's pipework becomes more susceptible to leaks and bursts. This can be a result of lowering temperatures, heavy rainfall and natural ground movement. Follow our top tips below to ensure you are winter ready and reduce the risk of leaks and bursts on your property.

Winter care

Your pipework and plumbing

  • Ensure all external pipework and pipework in cold or draughty spaces like roof spaces, outbuildings and garages is insulated or lagged. Pipe lagging can be found in most hardware stores. If you are caught short ahead of a cold spell, using a towel or similar can also help to reduce your risk of a leak or burst! Ensure the towel does not get wet as this will reduce its effectiveness.
  • Fix any dripping taps or overflows to avoid the water freezing and blocking pipes.
  • Locate and check that your internal stop tap / stopcock is working. You can do this by turning it off and checking the water to your cold tap stops. Make sure you turn it back on to reinstate your water supply! If your stop tap / stopcock is not working, it is best to employ a plumber to repair or replace it. If a pipe bursts inside your house, a working stopcock will allow you to turn off your water supply to avoid loss of water and help limit damage to your home.
  • Ensure that your central heating system is serviced regularly.
  • Keep your plumber's contact details handy in case of an emergency!
  • Ensure that any water storage tank in your roof space is adequately insulated.
  • If you do experience a leak or burst and are unable to turn off your water, please contact Guernsey Water on (01481) 229500 to turn off your supply from the road. You will then need to contact a plumber in order to carry out repairs.

Guernsey Water's how to guides.

 

Going on holiday?

As a precaution it is always worth turning off your internal stopcock to avoid damage to your property and loss of water if a leak or burst does occur whilst your property is vacant.

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