“Make sure you don’t get a burst pipe this winter!”

At a round this time of year as the temperature begins to drop leading Watford Estate Agents Claytons always remind their clients and the public at large about the dangers of Frozen Pipes.

Managing Director David Clayton comments: “as we are all aware that over the last couple of years Britain has experienced particularly low temperatures during the winter months. For this reason it is a very wise precaution to take steps to ensure that the heating is working correctly to avoid the catastrophe of burst pipes. He goes on to comment “sadly I have seen first-hand the devastation a house flood can cause where the heating has either broken, not been turned on or even been instinctively turned off when not in use. If you are planning to leave your property empty for more than a day it is worth taking the following advice:

*Turn off the main cockstop (where the water enters the property).

*Run the kitchen cold tap until it runs dry (this drains the main feed to the house).

*Set your house thermostat to between 10 and 12 degrees.

*Open all radiators fully or set the frost setting if they have individual thermostats

*wedge open the loft hatch a couple of centimetres to allow some heat through to help keep the pipes from freezing.

If you own a rental property make sure that your tenants are made aware of this (especially if they are away over the Christmas holidays). If you have a card meter for either the electricity or gas make sure it has plenty of credit. If the gas or electricity runs out the boiler won’t work and the pipes may freeze.

Finally as far as the heating is concerned prevention is better than cure and it is a good idea to get your boiler serviced before the sub zero temperatures arrive. Claytons have been able to negotiate some excellent rates with good local plumbers and with a basic service starting at £50 + VAT it is an investment worth making. Please call us for further details on 01923 677755

Finally we hope our advice in this column over the last few months has been useful and we would like to wish everyone a happy, peaceful and dry Christmas and New Year!