Get your hands on a free lagging kit this winter
5 December 2022
Winter can be a magical time of year but plunging temperatures can cause problems in your home.
As temperatures start to drop, it’s important that we all play our part to get our homes and businesses ready for Winter, to help avoid costly problems like frozen or burst water pipes.
As the nights get colder, we’re asking our customers to look out for three ‘danger cold spots’.
Danger cold spot one: Outdoor water pipes and taps
If you have pipes and taps that are outdoors, wrap them with insulation or a lagging kit. This helps to insulate the pipes and avoid damage that could cause them to burst if the temperature drops to freezing.
If you have a hose on an outside tap, turn off the valve (which may be inside) and drain down the tap and pipes. This stops them becoming damaged.
Dripping taps can also increase the risk of frozen pipes. Fixing a drip will also save litres of water every day, saving both energy and money on your water bill.
Danger cold spot two: Pipes in unheated places, like attics, garages, or kitchen cabinets.
Again, it’s important you wrap pipes that are in unheated places with insulation or a lagging kit.
If you have a water meter that’s fitted to the wall outside your home, check that the pipes leading to and from it are insulated and there are no gaps between them. Make sure, that the meter cupboard is packed with insulation material, and that the door is firmly shut.
You should also make sure you know where your stop tap is, and check that it works. You’ll need to get to it quickly, and know how to turn it off, should the worst happen.
Danger cold spot three: Buildings that may be empty for a few days, like businesses, schools or second homes.
Empty buildings are at particular risk. If you’re leaving your home or business, turn off your stop tap and drain down the system so there is no water in the system to freeze. If you’re away for a short time, if you can, keep your heating on low to help keep your home or business warm and prevent pipes from freezing.
Don’t forget your family, friends, and neighbours. Help them out if they need a hand preparing – and perhaps agree to watch each other’s houses if you’re going to be away.
Did you know?
Our teams will be working 24/7 to keep things flowing. Frost, flooding, snow or sleet; whatever the weather our teams are prepared to support our customers and keep our water flowing this winter.
Here are just a few examples of how teams across Welsh Water have been getting prepared.
- Our water services team have been upgrading our bottled water storage and making sure we have enough bottles in stock to support communities in the rare case that extreme weather causes problems to supplies.
- Our Cartref have been busy sending free lagging kits to customers to help them prepare their homes for Christmas and avoid burst pipes if temperatures freeze.
- Our customer support team are supporting customers with their water bill if they’re struggling with the rising cost of living as well as vulnerable customers who need that extra bit of help.
- Our upstream losses team have 4x4’s on hand so they can respond to leakage incidents across our communities, whatever the weather.
Make sure your homes and businesses are ready for winter this year.
For more advice and how-to videos, and to order your lagging kit, visit winter ready.