All home owners, landlords and tenants need to consider how to look after a property during the winter months but when a property is empty it is something that can be easily overlooked and is essential to act now to avoid major winter damage.
There are four key actions you can take to minimise the risk to your properties, which have been summarised below by Scottish Water:
Check: Check any pipework for leaks, particularly if the building is not permanently inhabited. If you are not living or working in the property, make sure you or someone else can check regularly for any problems.
Heat: Warmth offers the best protection against frozen pipes, so when temperatures are low leave your heating on a low setting or set it to come on a couple of times a day.
Insulate: Pipes don’t like the cold – whether they are outdoors or indoors, metal or plastic, new or old. Making sure pipes and water tanks are properly insulated is one of the simplest, and cheapest, things which can be done to help protect properties from the cold. Make sure that there are no gaps at bends, valves or fittings, and that you use a suitable insulation material.
Protect: Dripping water increases the risk of freezing, so have any drips or leaks at taps or valves repaired as soon as you discover them and reduce draughts by fitting draught excluders to doors and windows.
Another concern if the property is left without heating is the risk of condensation which can occur within the property through the winter. A cold property without heating would also not be inviting for viewings for continued marketing.
Other tips to help empty properties through winter:
Open the hatch to the loft to allow warmer air to circulate into the loft space.
Open cupboard doors under the sink to allow the warmer air to get into the water pipes and help against freezing.
Put extra insulation tubes on exposed pipes. These can be picked up for a couple of pounds at discount stores.
Disconnect hose pipes from external taps and cover with insulated boxes or insulated caps.
Know where the stopcock for your mains water supply in your property. It is usually in the kitchen but can be elsewhere. If you have a trusted neighbour with a key let them know. For a managed let you should tell your letting agent incase of a problem.
Finally make sure there are no dripping taps including outside taps as an external tap with a slow drip will freeze very easily.
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