Protect Your Home with a Gift Tag and WaterSafe Plumber

Protect Your Home with a Gift Tag

As winter approaches, the Met Office's WeatherReady campaign reminds us to be prepared for the challenges it brings. One crucial step is ensuring you know where your stop tap is and how to use it. This simple action can prevent significant damage in case of frozen or burst pipes.

According to WaterSafe, only 42% of UK households know how to find and use their stop tap. This is concerning, as 15% have experienced a burst pipe in the past. Burst pipes can cause extensive damage to homes and businesses, but knowing where your stop tap is can help minimize the impact.

It's usually under the kitchen sink, but could be in a cupboard, bathroom, or garage.

Write the details of a local WaterSafe-approved emergency plumber on a spare gift tag and attach it to the stop tap. This ensures you have immediate contact information in case of an emergency.

Insulate outside pipes and taps, as well as any pipes in unheated areas like the loft. This helps prevent freezing.

The Met Office emphasizes the importance of knowing your stop tap location, especially considering the unpredictable nature of UK winters. They recommend finding it now and using a spare Christmas present label to write the name and number of a WaterSafe-approved emergency plumber on it.

This will isolate the water supply and prevent further damage.

This helps drain the plumbing system and reduce the amount of water coming out of the pipe.

If possible, collect some tap water for drinking and flushing while your water supply is off.

They will fix the pipe and advise on preventing future incidents.

By taking these simple steps, you can protect your home from the potential damage caused by frozen or burst pipes this winter. Remember, being prepared can make all the difference.