Mitch Portman
Mitch is our Product Development Manager. Having previously held the position of Insurance Inspector, Mitch has hands on experience of the issues facing the South West’s rural communities. He is a qualified ACII, Chartered Insurer, and has 30 plus years of experience across the insurance industry.
More from Mitch Portman
18 January, 2011
If December's cold snap and heavy snowfall is
anything to go by, severe winter weather is becoming ever more
common in the Westcountry. Harsh, wintery conditions are usually
followed by a big thaw and in turn, a number of insurance claims
for burst pipes and flooding.
Whilst the result of flooding can be devastating to the property
owner concerned, problems can easily be avoided by taking some
sensible precautions beforehand - it certainly pays to be prepared.
Most instances of burst pipes are caused by insufficient
insulation. So what can be done to avoid frozen pipes in the
future? Here's our advice and few tips to help:
- Make sure you insulate your loft and the sides of your water
tanks properly, as well as insulating all your pipes. This will not
only avoid damage, but keep heat in and reduce heating bills.
- Check to see if you're eligible for a grant to install
insulation - visit http://www.governmentinsulationgrants.co.uk/or
contact your local council for advice.
- If the building is left unoccupied over the winter months then
it is wise to turn off the water supply and drain any tanks, pipes
or heating systems to ensure there is no water left in them to
freeze.
- If you're going away, ask a friend or relative to check on your
home and make sure pipes haven't burst or frozen.
- Make sure you know where the stop tap is and check regularly
that you can turn it off easily in an emergency - you never know
when you might need to access it.
Let's keep our fingers crossed that the weather this winter is a
little kinder to us all, but if not, make sure you've taken a few
steps to stop the worst happening.
Image source: Velo Steve on http://www.flickr.com/
