Help prevent your pipes from freezing or bursting by:
- Run your heating system with the boiler thermostat (not the room thermostat) set to maximum. Turn it back to the normal setting once the cold spell is over.
- Temporarily set the central heating timer/room thermostat controls to "continuous" (24hour) mode, setting the room thermostat overnight to around 15°C. Return to normal settings once the cold spell is over.
- Leave plugs in the sink when you're not using the sink.
- Open the loft trap door to let the warm air up to any pipes up there.
- If you have an internal stop tap, keep the cupboard door where it sits open to let warm air into the cupboard.
- Don't leave dripping taps; if they freeze they will freeze the waste pipes
- If you're away for a while, ask a friend or relative to check your home regularly to make sure that your pipes haven't burst or frozen.
If you find that your water pipes are frozen...
Turn off the water supply
Turn off the main stop tap. You should find this under the kitchen sink or where the service pipe enters your home. If this is frozen, you could wrap a towel soaked in warm water around it (if you have access to water from another source).
Protect your possessions
If a pipe appears to be frozen, protect everything around it to avoid damage if it bursts.
Thaw it out
You'll need to thaw out the pipe. First, open the tap nearest to the part of the pipe you think is frozen (so the water can flow through once it's melted). Using a hairdryer, carefully thaw the ice in the pipe (starting at the tap end and work back toward the cold water tank). Do not use a heat gun or blow torch.
Check with your neighbours to see if they are experiencing problems.
If they are, contact Yorkshire Water.
If you have done all the above and you are still experiencing problems, you don't feel confident yourself, please contact us on 0800 915 6660 to report your problem.
If you have no water...
If you have no water, the condensate pipe on your boiler could be frozen.
The condensate pipe is normally located at the bottom of the boiler and runs externally in a plastic pipe to a drain or soakaway outside. If the freezing or blocking of condensate pipe has shut down the boiler, it will usually be indicated by a "fault code" on the boiler's digital display.
You may like to try the following actions to thaw your frozen pipe:
Locate the blockage.
It is likely that the pipe is frozen at the most exposed point external to the building, probably at the open end of the pipe.
Thaw the frozen pipe.
If you have access to it, warm water can be poured onto the external pipe from a kettle, watering can or similar container. Do not use boiling water.
Note: You should not attempt to thaw a condensate drain pipe which cannot easily be reached from ground level and please be aware that water can quickly freeze if it falls on pathways, causing a possible slip hazard.
Re-set/re-start the boiler.
Once the blockage has cleared, consult the boiler operating instructions for guidance. Re-starting the boiler can normally be done by pressing the re-set button. (This is usually located at the front of the boiler.) If this does not work you should contact Morrison Gas on 0113 387 2292.