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4. Winter Warmers

Winter Warmers

As the colder months approach so can problems within your home, particularly those of you with older properties. Rather than struggle with frozen pipes and draughts take a note of these handy tips for the coming months.

• Gritting
  Make sure that the exterior steps to your house are gritted regularly in order to prevent accidents. The best thing to use is Salt sand. This can be found at most DIY stores.
• Draughts
  Many of you who reside in newer homes will find that you do not have any problems with a draught because most have double glazing, however those of you who do not have such energy saving devices can make differences relatively easily. Firstly even just closing the curtains will make a difference to a draught. One common reason for a draught is badly fitted doors. This can be solved by placing draught strips around the door. These again are widely available at DIY stores.
• Water Pipes
  Due to the freezing conditions that inevitably occur during this time of year many home owners must be aware of ways to prevent their water pipes from freezing and bursting. To prevent this from happening it is important to lag pipes. For those of you who are going away during the winter period, there are two ways to prevent the above from happening. For new home owners you could leave your heating system on a constant low so pipes cannot freeze. This is inexpensive and effective. For those with older homes then the best thing to do is to drain all of the water from the system before you go away leaving there nothing to freeze in the pipes.
• Heat Conservation
  The best advice to give is to suggest that anyone who does not have loft insulation to get it. It is not overly expensive and can be fitted yourself, but is a great way of keeping the heat in and keeping out the cold.
• Chimneys
  Unsealed chimneys can be sealed up to stop heat escaping. To avoid condensation, fit a ventilation grille in the chimney breast and a ventilated cap at the top of the stack.

Before winter sets in it, is an idea to take full advantage of the better weather and make sure that your house is in tip top condition. It is best to concentrate on the exterior of the house to save you money in the long run.

• ROOF
  Things to look out for include; damaged tiles, loose slates and exposed roof timbers. If paint is Ok then it is advisable to go over it with an exterior gloss to reinforce it. If it is in need of a whole new repaint and is flaking then it should be stripped, protected with primer, undercoated and finished with a gloss.
• GUTTERS
  Check regularly for cracks and leaks especially around the brackets and joints. Remove dirt and silt that has collected.
• WALLS
  Exterior pointing needs to be kept in good condition to prevent penetrating damp and to stop water getting behind the bricks, causing them to split off when it freezes. Use a fungicidal wash to remove any mould. Cracks need to be filled with a flexible exterior filler. Remember to check that the airbricks are clear.
• WINDOWS
  A small crack in the frame is enough t cause wet rot. Wood becomes soft and paint blisters, so it is easy to spot. Choose varnishes and paints that are designed for exterior use. Paint will have to be stripped and the rotten wood removed before any paint can be added. Wood hardener is recommended to be used on the remaining wood.
• FENCING
  Check wooden fencing regularly as it is your first line of defence against a storm. Things to look for include; damaged individual boards and rotten posts. These would have to be replaced with new wood.