Cold weather tips: Four things to prepare your home for autumn and winter

As the weather gets colder, the likelihood of leaks, burst pipes, and power cuts increases. However, there are small things you can do to reduce the chances of them happening.

Below are four easy things you can do to prepare your home for autumn and winter.

#1 Bleed your radiator

When your radiators are warm at the bottom but cold at the top, or are not heating up properly, then it is time to bleed your radiator.

Bleeding your radiator is simple. First, turn off the heating. Once the radiators are cold you can begin bleeding them, starting with the one furthest from the boiler.

You will need a bleed key, a towel and a bowl to catch the water beneath the bleed valve. Insert the bleed key and turn it anticlockwise. You’ll hear a hissing sound before the water escapes. To tighten the valve, turn the key back clockwise.

Follow these steps for your other radiators. When you’re finished, turn the heating back on to check if the radiators are now heating up properly.

#2 Keep trees pruned

As leaves start to fall, they may blow into your gutters and clog your drainpipes. If you get a big buildup of leaves in your pipes, the water will go back into your guttering and could leak into the roof.

You can avoid this by pruning your trees at the start of autumn. This will also help you to avoid the risk of snow building up on the trees and breaking the branches, which can also cause damage to your home.

If your pipes are ever overflowing or blocked, please get in touch with Celtic Horizons who will be to help. Let Celtic Horizons know if you live in a house or an apartment.

#3 Know where the stopcock is

Your stopcock controls the flow of water, and it’s useful to know where it is in case your pipes burst. You may need to turn off your home’s cold water supply if this happens, and this will prevent things from getting any worse.

To turn off the cold water supply, turn your stopcock clockwise. A stopcock looks like a tap without a spout or a lever, and sometimes has a ‘W’ or a water symbol on it. In most homes, the stopcock can be found under the kitchen sink, but it can also be under the stairs, near the boiler, or even outside the home.

If you have turned off the cold water and issues continue, contact Celtic Horizons straight away.

#4 Make a blackout kit for widespread power cuts

Power cuts are more likely to happen in autumn and winter, and while it is impossible to know when they will happen, you can be ready for them by preparing a blackout kit. Include a battery-powered torch, spare batteries, food that doesn’t need electricity to prepare, a hot water bottle, a power pack to charge devices, and some warm blankets.

If the electricity has only gone out in your home, then there may be a tripped switch in your fuse box. You can usually find your fuse box by your front door, in your entry hallway, or in an understairs cupboard.

If one of the switches is pointing downwards, then flick the switch back up and the electricity should return. Once you’ve done this, you can also do an appliance check to see if any particular appliances are causing the power to trip, or if there is an issue with your socket.

One-off, random power cuts are normal but if you are having lots of power cuts, then there may be a problem to fix. Please contact Celtic Horizons if this is the case.