Stop winter seeping into your home

11 February 2016 14:32

Winter has been relatively mild, but the recent cold snap shows how quickly it can catch us off guard. NI Water is promoting some handy short films produced by WaterSafe to help households find their way around their stop taps and prevent winter taking over our homes.

Research carried out by WaterSafe, the national accreditation scheme for plumbers, shows people are more aware of the damage a burst pipe can do, but 40% still do not know how to turn off their water supply if they have a burst pipe.

And more than half of households also don’t have an approved plumber’s number on a mobile phone or written down in a safe place to call if the worst happens.

The short films, which can be viewed on youtube.com/northernirelandwater give advice on where to find your stop valve and what to do if the worst happens and you have a burst pipe in your home.

Colin, the star of the films, says: “As a plumbing and heating engineer I have seen many disasters over the years – freezing houses, burst pipes and the extensive damage they cause.

“Knowing where to turn off your water can be vital in winter as water pipes can freeze and burst – all leading to floods and winter blues if you don’t know how to turn your water off quickly.

“It’s always easier to show people how a stop tap works, so I was delighted to work with WaterSafe to make these videos to help households avoid the winter blues this year.”

Households can look up their nearest WaterSafe-accredited plumbing business using the postcode search on the WaterSafe website and keep their number somewhere safe in case of emergencies.

WaterSafe plumbers are trusted and qualified professionals, who have specific training to work safely with drinking water and are employed by accredited companies with customer guarantee schemes.

WaterSafe is an official partner of the Government’s Get Ready for Winter campaign, in conjunction with the Met Office and water companies in the UK.

For regular weather updates and more advice on ‘Getting Ready for Winter’ visit metoffice.gov.uk.