PREPARING YOUR HOME FOR WINTER - PROCRASTINATION COSTS MONEY For the past 3 years Britain has experienced exceptionally cold winters.
2010 saw some parts of the country bear the brunt of the coldest November and December on record.
People have varied tales of watery woe varying from watering cans losing their bottoms to central heating outlets freezing up leading to people thinking their heating had broken down.
Here are some solutions and suggestions so that you can face the winter knowing you've done your best to avoid mishaps.
Frozen sinks I visited a café that had this problem and it could have been so quickly and easily avoided.
At work the sink problem was caused by the same thing - DRIPPING TAPS! Even a tap that drips once a minute will cause the water to slowly freeze and block the outlet.
So fix that tap now! If you can't do it find someone who can.
If you don't want to pay a plumber ask a neighbour and return the favour with a bottle of wine.
A big problem solved by a small black washer.
For the elderly (my mother's sink froze too) just check that they can physically turn the tap off fully.
I wish I could change my Mother's taps to the traditional style so that she can grip them properly.
You can always put the plug in the sink or, as a last resort, attach hose to the tap and leave it draining into the toilet -if this is your solution then I wonder just what you class as inconvenient.
Central Heating Outlets I had this problem and was one of those who swore under my breath and muttered about 'b****y boilers' until I realized what it was.
The corner of my house gets the North wind so I wasn't surprised that it froze up.
My job is to replace the insulation on the outlet for something more substantial and completely cover the pipe, not just the top 3 foot.
You may have to think of doing the same.
I can do nothing about the angle as it has to reach the nearest drain.
As with all pipes - it may be worthwhile checking that water doesn't 'pool' anywhere along it, if it does then check the support brackets to see if they've broken or slipped and repair if necessary.
Outside taps Many people have had snapped plastic hose attachments.
It's highly recommend you insulate outside taps and make sure you cover the whole tap during spells of severe weather - don't leave the hose connection visible.
Better still take it off for the winter.
It's also recommend you store away hoses and watering cans somewhere frost free.
Drain all the water and leave neatly.
OK - just leave in a heap in the shed! Insulation With the Government grants available there really is no excuse to not have enough loft insulation.
The insulation supplied by grant seems to be twice the thickness of stuff you can get yourself.
The recommended depth is 270mm.
The arguments I've had experience of from people who refuse to get it done is the loss of their storage space or the 'I can't be bothered with the fuss of emptying the loft!' I've had it done and the difference was amazing last winter.
The people who did it even left me an extra roll to use once I had put everything back under the roof neatly.
They lagged the pipes and gave the central heating expansion tank a replacement coat.
This is something you must check if you're doing the insulation yourself.
Don't leave any pipework unprotected as the heat that you think kept them from freezing up will no longer be there.
Try to persuade any elderly relatives to get their lofts done.
It may mean you'll have to give them a day to empty the loft space yourself (just think what chucking away you could do!) and put the stuff back up for them but I'm sure the thought of saving money will overcome the fact they'll have to spend some.
Does it sound as though I'm speaking from experience here? Utility Rooms/toilets I've included this because my downstairs toilet cistern became one huge block of ice last year.
Not that I used the downstairs toilet - you can image how cold it was! Living in an ex-council house designed with a single brick thickness add-on means that I have to think up some form of serious insulation.
The previous owners lined the wall in the toilet with fibre board which is next to useless.
My neighbour has kindly given me some foil backed floor insulation which I will lay asap.
The washing machine has frozen up for 3 years on the trot so I'm one of those getting the pipes checked to make sure the angle is correct for draining.
If there is another cold snap and you're in the same position as me the only thing I can suggest is to turn the water off.
I've invested in a thermostatically controlled greenhouse heater for what I call optimistically the 'utility room' which kicks in when the temperature drops below 5c.
Any room that you use that you think may be in danger of dropping below freezing might benefit from a thermostatically controlled background heater.
You can set the temperature at which the heater to kicks-in so you know and can control the running costs.
The basics The basics are the things any householder should do before the cold weather.
Simple things like cleaning out the gutters.
Most window cleaners offer this service.
What about those jobs in the garden like the one that will save you losing that beautiful planter? If you can't bring it indoors then choose a sheltered spot in the garden and gather all your pots there and wrap them up in bubble wrap or straw - in fact anything that will stop them getting water logged and frozen.
Water features are another consideration.
Does it have to stay outside? If it does think about emptying it if you doubt it's hardiness.
Get in a good supply of salt grit so you're never stranded at home or worse still, slip and break an ankle.
The list of suggestions could go on but I don't want to outface you.
Just remember - as in the title - procrastination might cost you money and you don't want that do you?