With the temperatures dropping, here are a few handy hints and tips to get yourself and your property ready for the winter.
Bleed your radiators
If your radiators have cold spots in them, this means you have air in the system which is preventing the flow of hot water. You will therefore need to bleed them to get them working efficiently.
To do this, turn the system off completely and when cool, turn the key in the radiator until air stops escaping and water runs. You can then turn the system back on and you will be able to heat your property.
Check your boiler
Your boiler is the heart of your heating and therefore you want to ensure it is working efficiently and economically.
If the boiler does stop working, to check the pressure and look at the manual for tips on re-setting it. If they do not have the manual these can usually be found online.
Bear-in-mind, that heating a property can also cause damp and mould occur when there is inadequate ventilation in a home. Damp occurs when the inside of a property is warm and its meets the cold air, typically against an external wall. You can reduce the risk of mould by following the below steps:
- Cover pans when cooking
- Avoiding drying clothes indoors whenever possible
- Ventilate a tumble dryer to the outside of the property
- Do not block extractor fans or switch them off
- Ventilate the property by opening windows when possible
- Adequately heat the property
As well as taking precautions to prepare the inside of your home, there are also some precautions you can take to winter-proof the outside of your home.
- Check your drains are free from any debris
- With Autumn merging into Winter there is lots of debris on the floor which can get into drain pipes and block them
- To make sure you drain is unblocked check the point at which they enter the ground and clear anything you may see
Maintain your garden
In the same way debris can block drains it can also lie on grass and flowerbeds causing them to rot. Make sure you clear your garden of any rotting leaves or dead plants to ensure the remaining plans and greenery can grow again in the Spring.
Cold temperatures can sometimes cause pipes to freeze. Should this happen, here are a few simple steps you can take to rectify the problem quickly and safely.
If you have a frozen pipe
Find the water stop valve and turn it off immediately.
A pipe freezing is different from a pipe bursting. You should open all cold taps to drain the system, but never turn on the hot taps. Your hot water cylinder may collapse if the pipes leading to it are frozen.
To thaw out the pipe:
When thawing out pipes never attempt to thaw out frozen pipes by switching on your immersion heater or central heating boiler. Instead, check for leaking joints or bursts in the pipes.
Gently heat any frozen sections with a hairdryer or a heated cloth wrapped around the pipe. Never apply a direct flame.
We hope you enjoy this holiday season, and should you need any further help or advise on how to get your property ready for winter, speak to our Property Management Team today.
OOO emergency number on fully managed?
As you are a tenant in a Fully Managed property, you can still report maintenance issues to us via the Fixflo portal, or by contacting your Property Manager. If your property is Fully Managed by Townends Estate Agents and there is an urgent maintenance issue outside of our normal office hours, you can contact us on 020 3929 0163 which is the out of hours emergency phone number.
