With it being that time of the year where the sight of icicles and the first snow of winter can bring home all the excitement of Christmas, fluffy socks and dark nights by the fire. However, the same warm reception of the weather does not apply when it comes to your home.
Ice and snow can cause many problems for your home, which may dampen your Christmas spirit. Common problems that you may face are: frozen pipes, burst water tanks in roofs and the dreaded freeze-thaw effect on your brickwork. Here we will talk you through these issues and give you tips on how to prevent the problem, or deal with it best when it does occur.
Frozen pipes – Frozen pipes are often something that may not cross your mind until you come back from a trip to your parents’ house for Christmas and realise the damage caused. This is usually because it is a problem that doesn’t occur unless you are leaving your house for a holiday, or even just a short time if it is a cold spell. This can be enough to freeze the water that is currently in the pipes and when the water is freezes it expands, which can stretch the pipe and cause it to crack and leak when the water thaws. To prevent against this always shut off your water before leaving your home for any substantial periods of time in winter.
Burst water tanks – A lot like frozen pipes, water tanks tend to burst when the water freezes and expands to a size more than the container can hold. With modern water tanks holding up to 100 gallons of water at a time, it’s not hard to see that the results of this happening will be more dramatic than that of a water pipe. It is recommended that to prevent against this happening you should not use insulation directly underneath the water tank as this allows warm air to flow beneath the tank and prevent freezing.
Freeze thaw effect – this is when the weather is wet or damp outside and molecules of water get into cracks within brick or pebble work. When this water freezes it will expand, this process can repeat itself overnight for long amounts of time. When this happens the expansion gets so much that it causes the bricks or pebble work to crack and can make parts fall away. To stop this happening to your home, checks on the mortar surrounding the bricks and filling any visible cracks in the wall is a must.