How to Prevent Frozen Pipes
Bust pipes due to freezing are a major problem. Not only will it stop your heating and hot water, a leak or flood can also cause extensive damage to your property.
In winter, if pipes are not properly insulated then the water inside them can freeze.
There is water in your pipes even when they are not being used. When the water freezes it expands, this can put pressure on the pipes causing them to burst. Pressure can also be put on pipes if some of the water in the pipe freezes and forces unfrozen water further up the pipe. Pipes can also burst once the frozen water starts to thaw.
The chance of pipes bursting is impacted by how much water is in the pipes and the type, shape, age and condition of the pipes.
What can you do to prevent frozen pipes?
Insulate your pipes. To save on costs, you can do this yourself. You will need to purchase pipe lagging, tank jackets and tap covers.
All outside pipes will need to be insulated – this includes straight lengths of pipe, bends, valves and fittings.
You will also need to ensure pipes are insulated in the colder areas of your home such as garages, basements and lofts.
Tank jackets can be used to protect your water tanks and tap covers can be used to protect your taps.
If your property is going to be empty for long periods, turn off the water and open taps to drain the system. Just be sure to turn the taps off again once the system is empty.
What are the signs your pipes may be frozen?
Signs your pipes may be frozen are:
- Slow flushing toilets
- Slow draining sinks
- No water coming out of your taps
- Your boiler stops working
What should I do if you have a frozen pipe?
Locate the Frozen Pipe
Search outside and in cold areas of your property. Look for areas of pipe that are not insulated, cold to touch or covered in frost.
Finding which taps are not working or toilets not flushing may help you narrow down your search.
Thaw the Frozen Pipe
Firstly turn the water off using the stop cock. Thawing pipes needs to be done carefully, make sure taps are open so when the water melts it doesn’t cause pipes to burst. Warm the pipes using hot cloths, hot water bottles or hairdryers on a low setting. There are a lot of videos online that can take you through the process.
What should I do if I have a burst pipe?
There will be instances when the pipes burst before you even realise they have frozen.
If this happens you will need to:
- Turn off the water
- Drain what is left in the system by opening taps (turn them off again after)
- Turn the electricity off
- Soak up any water that you can
- Call your insurance company
- Call a flood damage cleaning company
Navig8 Restoration are one of the leading flood damage remediation and restoration companies. If you experience a flood or water damage in your property contact us today to speak to our helpful customer service team.
Flood Warnings Explained
Flood Alert
What does it mean?
Flood Alert means that flooding is possible and to be prepared.
When is it used?
It is used between two days and two hours in advance of flooding.
What are the triggers?
A Flood Alert is triggered when forecasts indicate the following:
- Flooding from rivers may be possible.
- Intense rainfall for rivers that respond very rapidly.
- High tides, surges or strong winds.
What is the impact?
The expected impact for areas with a Flood Alert is flooding of fields, recreation lands, car parks, minor roads and farmland. Also spray or waves overtopping on the coast.
What is the advice given when a Flood Alert is issued?
- Check your flood plan and be prepared to act on it.
- Prepare a flood kit of essentials.
- Avoid walking, cycling or driving through flood water.
- Farmers to consider moving livestock and equipment to safety.
- Monitor information provided on the Environment Agency website.
- Speak to Floodline for up to date information.
Flood Warning
What does it mean?
Flood Warning means flooding is expected and immediate action is required.
When is it used?
It is used between one day and half an hour in advance of flooding.
What are the triggers?
A Flood Warning is triggered when heavy rainfall, which will cause flash flooding of rivers, is forecast. Or when high tides, coupled with strong winds occur.
What is the impact?
The expected impact for areas with a Flood Warning is flooding of homes and businesses. Flooding of rail infrastructure, roads and major tourist and recreational attractions. Also significant waves and spray on the coast.
What is the advice given when a Flood Warning is issued?
- Protect yourself and your family
- Move family, pets and others to safety.
- Move valuables to a safe place
- If it is safe to do so, turn off gas, electricity and water supplies.
- If you are experiencing a flash flood, get to higher ground immediately.
- Monitor information provided on the Environment Agency website.
- Speak to Floodline for up to date information.
Serious Flood Warning
What does it mean?
Serious Flood Warning means severe flood and danger to life.
When is it used?
Serious Flood Warning is used when flooding poses a significant risk to life or significant disruption to communities.
What are the triggers?
A Serious Flood Warning is triggered following:
- Actual flooding which poses significant risk to life and/or widespread disruption to communities.
- A breach in defence or failure of a barrier which is likely to result in significant risk to life.
What is the impact?
- Deep, fast flowing water which may contain debris.
- Potential collapse of buildings and structures.
- Communities may become isolated.
- Large numbers of evacuees are expected.
- Military support required.
What is the advice given when a Serious Flood Warning is issued?
- Stay in a safe place from which you can escape.
- Be ready to leave your home
- Monitor information provided on the Environment Agency website.
- Speak to Floodline for up to date information.
- Contact emergency services if you are in immediate danger.
What to do if you experience a flood?
These warnings are incredibly helpful to enable people to prepare for a flood. They can help limit the damage a flood can cause. It can allow people move valuable items to safety and ensure people and animals are kept safe.
However, they cannot prevent the flooding of homes and businesses.
If you experience flooding in your property it is likely that you will need to call in a professional water damage remediation company. They will ensure the property is thoroughly cleaned and dried to prevent any secondary damage from occurring.
Navig8 Restoration offer a comprehensive flood and water damage drying service. The team is available 24/7 to deal with emergencies and can provide support in preparing all of the information required by insurance companies.
If you have experienced flood or water damage call Navig8 Restoration today.
Source – The Environmental Agency Flood Warning Codes – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flood-warnings-what-they-are-and-what-to-do
How to protect your home or business from water damage
What are the types of water damage?
As previously mentioned, there are many different types of water damage that a property may experience. Some are caused by poorly maintained plumbing in your property, whilst others are as a result of natural occurrences that cannot be stopped but can be protected against.
A flood caused by weather, such as heavy rain causing drains to overflow or a river bursting its banks, can be extreme causes of flooding. More everyday reasons include burst water tanks and leaking or burst water pipes. You may also experience sewage backup in a toilet or sink. All of these forms of flooding can cause serious damage to your property.
If you are concerned about any water damage within your property, give Navig8 Restoration a call today on 0800 285 1447.
Building insurance
One of the most important parts of owning or renting a home or business is having building insurance. This can help to protect you in a number of different scenarios, with flooding being just one of these. Building insurance will cover the cost of water damage caused to your property’s structure.
There are some situations that are generally covered under a building insurance policy, such as loss or damage caused by fire, vandalism, storms, theft, floods, and natural disasters such as earthquakes – though this will depend largely on your provider. The amount of cover you receive will also vary.
Make sure that you have building insurance that covers everything you need and check your insurance policy before damage occurs in order to ensure you are fully covered. If you don’t, you could be left with a big bill after a flood or similar event.
How can I mitigate or prevent water damage?
Locate stopcocks
Floods can happen at any time and for many reasons, so knowing how to stop the flow of water quickly is vital. A stopcock controls the flow of water to your home or business, so knowing where yours is, is very important. In most homes, these are under the kitchen sink, but they may be in different locations – so double check this. You should also test your stopcock to ensure that it is working. This can prevent you from finding a faulty stopcock at the worst moment and being unable to stop the flow of water.
Check pipes
Your pipes are the heart of your plumbing system, so you should make sure to check them regularly. If you notice a noise in your walls (normally a knocking noise – known as a water hammer) or a shrill singing sound, then this can point to damaged pipes. Other indicators might be water not flowing as strongly. If your pipes are not performing as normal, then getting a professional plumber to check them is a good idea. You can, of course, check your own pipes to see if they are cracked or leaking, which will need to be remedied by a professiona. This will help to prevent flooding, as well as preventing additional pressure on the rest of your pipework and plumbing system.
Toilets and sinks
One major cause of plumbing issues that lead to flooding can be as simple as backed up toilets and sinks. Whether you are at home or at work, being careful with how you use your toilets and sinks can help to prevent this – and this should also be applied to shower and bath drains.
Toilets should only ever be used for organic waste and a reasonable amount of toilet paper. For example, you should never flush sanitary products, an excess of toilet paper or makeup remover wipes down your toilet.
Similarly, sinks should not be used for disposing of food or cooking oil and grease. These can lead to a build up in your pipes, and in extreme circumstances can cause sewage back up further down the plumbing system. This can lead to water not being able to move through your pipes and can cause flooding very quickly – so caution exercised ahead of time is the best prevention.
How can I prevent frozen pipes?
Frozen pipes are a common occurrence in winter. You may notice pipes have frozen if there is no water coming from your faucets, there is frost on the outside of the pipes, or you notice an unpleasant smell coming from your drains even with no other notable signs. Dropping temperatures can cause water to freeze inside your pipes – as water freezes, it can expand, causing the pipes to crack and burst.
While you cannot prevent cold weather from occurring, you can make sure that your pipes have been properly laid and insulated. This can help to project them from dropped temperatures. You should also keep your heating on even if you are away from your home or business, as keeping your heating on low keeps your pipes warm enough to prevent the water from freezing.
Another easy way to prevent your pipes from freezing and bursting is turning your taps on regularly throughout the day – this keeps the water moving rather than standing and becoming frozen in low temperatures.
What about flooded basements?
Having a basement in your property can be a great place for storage or even converting into a usable room. However, basements are prone to flooding as they are below your property. Common causes of basement flooding can be flash flooding and groundwater flooding. Other causes may include your home or business having poor drainage overall, causing the water to run to the lowest point of the property. Sewage backups often impact basements first.
In order to prevent basement flooding as much as possible, it is important to check your foundation. You will be able to find out if any cracks are present and have them repaired. You should also clean your roof gutters regularly in order to make sure that they do not overflow in bad weather. It may also be advisable to speak to a plumber about installing a sump pump to reduce the risk of flooding even further. Preventing flooding in a basement is easier than it is to clean up afterwards, so checking these elements of your basement can save you a lot of hassle and money in the future.
Flooding may not always be preventable, however with these considerations in mind, you can reduce the chances of both the occurrence and the damage if flooding occurs. If you need support with water damage restoration, Navig8 Restoration can help. We are experts in water damage remediation and can support you in getting your home or business back to its best after even significant water damage, no matter the cause. Get in touch to find out how we can help you.
If you are concerned about any water damage within your property, give Navig8 Restoration a call today on 0800 285 1447.
Flash Floods – Damage Prevention Tips
What are flash floods?
Flash floods, as the name would suggest, happen very quickly with very little warning. They are caused by intense rainfall which falls so quickly it becomes too much for our drains and sewers to cope.
Flash floods can be worse following extremely hot weather, as this causes the ground to dry out and become incredibly hard and therefore isn’t able to soak up the fast falling rain water. This makes flash flooding more common in areas like cities, where there are a lot of hard surfaces, such as roads, pavements and paved gardens.
During flash floods, drains can quickly overflow, taking the water above the curb and into buildings. Roads can quickly turn into rivers, with enough strength to carry many objects in its path along with it.
Why are flash floods so dangerous?
The most devastating impact of flash floods is loss of life. Just 6 inches of fast flowing flood water can sweep someone off their feet, making navigating through flood water treacherous. It is strongly recommended not to attempt to drive a vehicle through flood water as just 12 inches of fast flowing flood water is enough to move a car. Sadly vehicle related deaths are the most common during flash floods.
All floodwater is considered contaminated, as it may contain sewage, animal waste, pollutants and harmful bacteria. This water can be incredibly harmful to people, animals and the environment. Care must be taken when faced with flood water and protective closing should be worn.
Flood water can cause damage to building materials and furniture and fittings. It can cause wood to rot and mould to grow, it therefore needs to be dealt with quickly to mitigate that damage.
Flash floods can have a huge impact on vegetation, farmers have reported losses of up to 90% of crops following the recent heavy rainfall and floods. Loss of livestock is another tragic impact of the floods as with very little warning, it can be difficult to get livestock to safety in time.
How was London recently affected?
We have seen on the news in July 2021 how bad the flash floods have been in London. On the 25th July London experienced a month’s rainfall in a matter of hours. Homes and businesses were flooded and roads quickly turned into rivers.
Residents had to be evacuated from their homes. Roads and tube stations were flooded, cars and broken down buses were left stranded meaning trains and other transport had to be cancelled.
Two London hospitals were impacted by flooding and loss of power. The London Fire Brigade reported hundreds of calls following the rainfall.
Europe has also been affected recently, again in July 2021 we witnessed extreme flooding in western Europe with Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands being hardest hit.
Why are flash floods becoming more frequent?
Climate change is the biggest factor in the increase of flash floods. The increase in the temperature of the earth’s atmosphere, caused by increased co2 emissions and other pollutants is increasing the frequency of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and storms.
A recent article written in The Guardian, reports scientists warnings that flash floods will be more common as the climate crisis worsens.
What changes need to be made to better protect us from flash floods?
Over the years the accuracy of weather forecasting has improved, providing better predictions of flash floods allowing for better flood warnings, giving people time to prepare. We do however, require further investment in surface water flood mapping to ensure we continually update those areas at risk.
The UK government, as do governments all over the world, needs to make huge changes to better protect us from flash floods.
There are currently a number of initiatives in place to reduce our emissions to help deal with climate change. These will take time to implement and in the meantime we are clearly seeing the impact of climate change so our infrastructure needs to change. Our drainage systems and water supply systems need to be improved. Permeable paving would be a better option for roads and pavements as it is porous and allows water to pass through it. More tidal barriers also need to be installed and maintained.
Local councils will require additional funding to be able to put measures required in their areas to better deal with floods.
Green roofs are a hugely beneficial option which over time could make a difference. A green roof is a roof covered in grass and plants, over a waterproofing system. The UK has been slow to move with this, however it is popular in countries in Europe, especially in Germany.
Green roofs have a number of benefits for the environment and can be used as a habitat for insects and wildlife. It can provide better insulation for homes and businesses, thereby reducing fuel costs. It helps to improve air quality and reduce the temperature of the environment. It can also help control water in heavy rainfall.
7 tips to help you to prepare for flooding
In every home and business there is a risk of flooding from an internal or external ingress of water. There are a number of actions you can take to prevent flooding in your home or mitigate the damage.
Create a flood plan – this is especially important for homes at risk of flooding. A flood plan will give you the opportunity to identify the best way to respond to a flood before it even happens. There are some helpful documents on the government website which will help with this – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-flood-plan
Check your roof – check the roof of your building for leaks or damaged tiles, also remove moss or any other debris that could find its way into your gutters and potentially block them.
Check your gutters and drains – gutters can easily become blocked or broken as can drains and underground pipes. Any issues should be resolved as quickly as possible.
Deal with sewage issues quickly – tackle any problems with sewage quickly as this can lead to a sewage back up into your property, our article ‘Common Causes of Home Sewage Back Ups’ identifies signs that show that there could be a problem in your property.
Waterproof your basement – flooded basements are a common problem. You can arrange to have your basement waterproofed (also referred to as tanking) and have a sump pump fitted to automatically pump water out of the basement. It is also important to ensure you do not leave valuables in the basement. You may also want to think about the type of flooring you put down, tiled flooring would be much easier to deal with following a flood than carpet would.
Check your home insurance – check what cover you have, especially if you live in an area that is identified as ‘at risk’ of flooding.
Research professional water damage restoration companies – have the details of a professional company like Navig8 Restoration to hand. The Navig8 Restoration are experts in water damage remediation and restoration, available 24/7 to deal with your emergency. 0800 285 1447