How to stop your pipes and outside tap freezing this winter

When water freezes it expands, and that can split a pipe. Often you don't find out until the thaw, when water starts pouring through a ceiling or from under a cupboard. A little preparation in autumn makes that far less likely.

Protect your outside tap

Outside taps are the most likely thing to freeze.

• Disconnect hoses so water can't sit in the tap.
• If there's an isolation valve on the pipe inside the house, turn it off, then open the outside tap to let it drain. Leave it open over winter.
• Fit an insulated tap cover. They're cheap and easy to put on.

No isolation valve inside? It's a small job to fit one, and it makes the tap much easier to look after every winter.

Insulate exposed pipes

Pipes in lofts, garages, under floors and against outside walls are most at risk. Foam pipe lagging slides over the pipe and is sold in most DIY shops. Pay attention to the pipes to and from any cold water tank in the loft, and to the condensate pipe from your boiler if it runs outside.

Keep a little heat on

If you're going away in a cold spell, leave the heating on low or on the frost setting rather than turning it off completely. Leaving the loft hatch open for a while on very cold days lets some warmth up to the pipes there.

Know where your stopcock is

If a pipe does burst you'll want to turn the water off within seconds. Find your stopcock now and check it turns. Our guide on how to find and turn off your stopcock explains where to look.

If a pipe has frozen

• Turn off the water at the stopcock in case the pipe has split.
• Open the tap the pipe feeds so water can escape as it thaws.
• Warm the pipe slowly with a hairdryer on a low setting or with hot water bottles or towels, starting at the tap end and working back.
• Never use a blowtorch or any naked flame.

If a pipe has burst

Turn the water off at the stopcock straight away, switch off your boiler, and turn on the cold taps to drain the system. If water is near electrics, switch off the electricity at the consumer unit if it's safe to reach. Then call a plumber.