Wrap up for winter

THE cruel winter of last year proved a huge shock to many of us. Losing our water supply, rocketing heating bills, and dealing with frozen pipe-work — it really was a slap in the face.

Now is the time to get the waterworks inside your home properly insulated to ward off icing up and to retain the increasingly expensive energy devoted to feeding a wet heating system. These inexpensive projects are something younger DIY warriors can gift (in a couple of hours of labour at least) to older or physically challenged family members, neighbours and friends.

Payback for a full pipe work insulation including the immersion tank can be less than one year. Remember if you do go away, keep the house slightly heated (even 12ºC) to prevent the system freezing in severe weather. Before you start even looking at your pipes, find out exactly where your stop-cock is located and to make sure it’s not jammed.