Ways to keep your home warm and safe this winter
As we’re deep into winter now, the warmth and security of our homes are a top priority. Our Customer and Building Safety Manager, John Gilmore, gives his advice on practical measures to safeguard your home against the biting cold and how to address common winter-related issues.
Frozen external waste pipes
For some homes, the winter freeze can wreak havoc on external condensate waste pipes, which are connected to boilers.
These plastic pipes emerge from the wall, draining into the drain, and often freeze up in icy temperatures. This means that the wastewater, which usually drains from the boiler can’t do so, and backs up, leading to your boiler switching off.
When faced with this issue, a simple yet effective remedy exists – carefully pour warm water over the frozen external pipe, if you’re easily able to do this. Please don’t use boiling water.
This action should unfreeze the water, allowing it to drain, and will enable the boiler to work again, if you reset it, meaning no waiting for an engineer to come out.
Blocked internal condensate pipes
The internal condensate pipes present a different challenge. Internal pipes are connected to your sink and can get blockages caused by fat and grease building up.
Please be mindful to not put anything other than water down your sinks (no food, milk or cooking oil) to prevent this from happening, and if you think your sink is becoming blocked, try pouring a regular shop-bought kitchen drain unblocker down the plug hole.
Again, taking steps now could stop the need for an engineer to come out to you.
Gas pressure fluctuations
Gas pressure fluctuations during peak times can result in boiler 'lockouts,' disrupting the heating process.
A 'lockout' is when the boiler turns itself off and produces a fault code. It’s not uncommon, especially following prolonged boiler use (when everyone in your area gets home from work and puts on the heating or cook dinner at the same time) or when temperatures reach a critical point. If that happens, as a safety measure, boilers may have a temporary lockout.
In such instances, pressing the reset button and relighting the flame within the boiler should help. It should restore your heating and hot water. If you’re experiencing frequent lockouts, please maintain a record of when it happened. This will help engineers diagnose and fix faults more efficiently.
Setting the thermostat
Older or vulnerable people face even bigger challenges during winter.
While you may want to use your heating as little as possible to save money or energy, your warmth and health is the most important thing.
Please, set your thermostat to at least 18°C.
Maximising warm air circulation
One really easy way to help your home warm up, is to leave your internal doors open when the heating is on. This enables the warm air to circulate through the house, preventing cold spots and ensuring a consistent atmosphere throughout the house.
As winter continues, regular upkeep, swift troubleshooting and an understanding of your heating system can be really helpful in maintaining a warm and secure home.
Don’t forget, we still also have some winter blankets to give away before 31 January to help you stay warm. Email winter@habinteg.org.uk to apply for yours.
