Beast-proof your business this winter

Our top tips to protect your premises over the cold months

It's that time of year again - and the temperature has certainly dropped. While it can be fun, festive and give us that warm, fuzzy, Christmassy feeling inside, winter can have its drawbacks.

The Beast from the East gripped the nation in March 2018 and it's safe to say that many of us - businesses and households alike - weren't anticipating the levels of destruction that it caused.

It's crucial that you prepare your business for cold weather and potential plumbing emergencies before it's too late.

Now is the time to act, so here are a few ways you can protect your premises.

• Fix any dripping taps or other outlets.
• Check your internal stop tap is working.
• Ensure any pipes in cold or draughty areas, such as exposed corners, are insulated.
• Keep draughts to a minimum by fitting excluders to windows and doors.
• Keep pipe lagging dry inside and use waterproof insulation outside.
• Insulate outdoor taps such as troughs or turn them off at the stop tap if you don't need them.
• Service your central heating regularly and consider leaving it on a low setting during periods of closure, such as Christmas.

If some of your pipes do freeze, turn off your water supply as soon as possible using your internal stop tap. Call a plumber straight away, then partly turn on any affected taps to help the pipes thaw out and allow any water that has frozen to drain away.

In the nicest way possible, we hope that we don't hear from you about cold weather damage to your pipework! But we're here if you need any help or advice, just get in touch.