A message for our Home Insurance customers.

Protect your home from water damage with a winter 'MOT'

The recent floods in Cockermouth have highlighted to homeowners the damage water can cause and the need to protect the home from winter perils such as floods, storm damage and frozen pipes.
With another cold snap hitting many parts of the UK, we recommend taking time to give the home a quick ‘winter MOT', as prevention is better than cure when it comes to water damage.

Last year alone, we handled over 21,000 claims for burst pipes, costing over £40 million to repair. The average cost to repair damage caused by a burst pipe is around £2,000, so it is worth ensuring the home is properly insured, taking steps to maintain pipes, and also knowing what to do to limit damage if a pipe bursts.

To prevent water leaks:

  • Burst pipes are common in winter, when water freezes in the pipes, and expands, cracking the pipes and causing them to leak when they thaw.  To avoid this, insulate the loft, all water pipes and also the sides of your water tank. 
  • If leaving the home empty in the winter for any length of time, leave the central heating on low, to avoid the pipes freezing. Many boilers have a frost protection thermostat on them which turns on automatically if the temperature drops below a certain level.  It's also worth asking a friend or trusted neighbour to check on the home now and again to ensure pipes haven't burst or frozen.
  • Make sure you know where your water mains stop tap is and ensure you can turn it off easily in an emergency. 

If a pipe bursts:

  • Turn off the mains water supply.  This is often found under the kitchen sink or where the service pipe enters the property.
  • Drain the water system down by running all the cold taps.
  • Any dripping water can be caught in buckets.  If the ceiling starts to bulge, drill a few small holes in it to let the water drain through.
  • If water has been leaking for some time and the ceiling is bulging significantly, be very careful - it may not be safe to enter the room.
  • Turn off the central heating and/or immersion heater, and turn on the hot taps to help drain the water system.
  • Contact your home insurer as soon as possible for further advice or to register a claim.

For more information on how we can help, call us on 0845 604 1756. We’re here Monday-Friday 8am-8pm and Saturday 9-5.