Frozen pipes can happen during cold weather, causing significant damage to property.
Homeowners need to be aware of how to tackle this problem as UK temperatures are forecast to drop below -10 degrees centigrade in some area.
However, there is a specific part of your boiler system you should be able to locate in order to save you from potential problems.
This is called the stopcock, a valve for turning on and off the cold water supply in your home.
How do I find the stopcock?
The advice comes from Steve Watson, a Servicing & Maintenance Manager with nationwide boiler installation firm STL Heating & Energy.
“Many people have no idea where their stop cock is – but finding it is often crucial in minimising damage from frozen water pipes,” he said.
So how do you find the stopcock in your home?
“It’s very often in the kitchen close to the sink, or in garages in many new-build properties.
“What you might see when a pipe freezes is water coming through the ceiling, causing homeowners to obviously panic.
However, making use of the stopcock, also know as a stop-tap, can solve the problem in the short term.
“But if you turn the stop-tap off, and then turn on the kitchen taps, you can often drain the entire system’s water into your kitchen sink – a safe point – rather than it all coming through the floor.”
You should also be aware where your external condensate pipe is, said Steve.
How do I find my external condensate pipe?
The external condensate pipe goes from your boiler, through your brickwork, to an opening outside your house.
This pipe can freeze solid in extremely cold weather, meaning your boiler will “simply shut down and stop working” – but there’s a way to fix this yourself.
“If you’re competent and it’s safe to do so, you can pour warm water on the outside pipe to unfreeze it and unblock the system.
“You may have to keep doing it every few hours because it may keep freezing during a sustained cold period.”