Britons with boilers have been warned to be ready to act fast in the coming days as temperatures plummet next week. Six yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are in place across the UK, with the latest warnings stretching all the way into Monday.
A number of amber snow warnings for northern Scotland and Shetland are in place throughout Saturday as Britons brace for grim wintry conditions, and temperatures falling below freezing. British Gas estimates that 54,000 households across the country may need help with their heating and hot water systems next week.
Technicians are often called to deal with frozen pipes, which leave households without hot water or heating when the mercury drops below 0C.
In these temperatures, expanding ice forces pressure to build in uninsulated pipes, the force of which can often be enough to crack it, bringing flooding and leaks after the ice thaws.
Joanna Flowers, a British Gas service and repair engineer, said: “Frozen pipes are one of the most common issues we see during cold snaps, but the good news is they’re usually simple to sort out if you act quickly.
She shared the following tips for when you notice your heating has stopped working or water isn’t flowing from the taps:
- Locate the frozen section
- You’ll need to find out which pipe is frozen. If you have a modern condensing boiler, it’ll most likely be your condensate pipe. This will be a plastic one that comes out of your boiler – find where it goes outside to see if it’s frosted over.
- Thaw it safely
- Once you’ve found the culprit, you’ll need to thaw it out to get things flowing again. Slowly pour hot (but never boiling) water over the frozen pipe and place a hot water bottle over it to help melt away the ice.
- Restart the boiler
- Once thawed, reset the boiler. It should fire up normally if the frozen pipe was the issue.
- Burst pipe
- If you suspect a burst pipe, often shown by a sudden drop in water pressure, damp patches or water marks on walls and floors, turn off the water supply at the stopcock straight away.
- Open all the taps to drain the system and keep the supply off until a qualified engineer can assess the damage and carry out the repair.
You can find a number of tips for keeping your home warm in winter on British Gas’ website.
Met Office chief meteorologist Rebekah Hicks said: “Arctic air and brisk northerly winds are gripping the UK as we start the new year.
“Snow and ice warnings remain in force for many areas, with the risk of heavy snow showers, especially across northern Scotland and over higher ground elsewhere, though many inland areas will stay largely sunny and clear.
“Bitterly cold conditions will persist through the weekend and into next week, with daytime temperatures struggling to rise above freezing for some, and overnight lows dipping to minus double figures in places.
“We urge people to stay #WeatherAware, keep up to date with the forecasts and plan ahead as icy roads and slippery surfaces are likely.”
Meanwhile, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued warnings across England, which will remain in place until 10am on January 9.
The amber cold health alert means that the weather is expected to have severe impacts across health and social care services.
It’s been issued for the East Midlands, West Midlands, North East, North West, South East, South West, East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, and London.
You can find the latest weather warnings and guidance on the Met Office website, here.