Winter Preparation

Preparing for the winter is as important as getting your car serviced or going to the doctor for a check up. By taking a few simple steps you can help prepare yourself and your home for winter.
Hopefully we will not see the same disruption as last year, but by making a few simple provisions for such an event, will help make life a little easier.

Preparing for the winter

• Make sure you know where to turn off your water, electricity and gas
• Make yourself an emergency pack containing:
     o Torches or Candles.
     o Long life food & drinks.
     o Blanket.
     o Dry clothes.
     o Medication.
• Check you have home contents insurance – Fold’s insurance does not cover your belongings (contents) if you live in a General Needs scheme. Your contents include your furniture, carpet, white goods and any other personal items. Your housing officer will be able to advise you about affordable contents insurance. (For those living in Sheltered, Housing-with-Care and Supported Housing, Fold’s content insurance covers you, to a limited value)
• Take note of these useful numbers
     o Fold’s 24 hour response centre   028 9042 1010
     o PSNI (non emergency)  0845 600 8000
     o Electricity Failure   0845 764 3643
     o Gas Leak    0800 002 001
     o NI Water    0845 744 0088

If you’re away from your home

• Set a security timer on one of your lights to help deter burglars.
• Set your heating to come on regularly at a low temperature.
• Leave one of your cold water taps with a slight drip, this will help the water to escape if the pipe freezes.

Keeping yourself and your home safe

• Try to keep your property around 18-21˚C.
• If you use a heater or electric fire keep the door ajar to provide ventilation.
• Leave one of your cold water taps on with a slight drip, this will help the water to escape if your pipe freezes.
• Follow the instruction for your electric blanket.

During severe weather and snow

• Check the TV, radio and newspapers for the latest information and early warnings.
• Wrap up warm in several layers.
• Ensure your heating is on.
• Have at least one warm meal a day.
• Fill some clean containers with fresh water in case your water supply fails.
• Keep your heating on a low setting at night to protect your property.

If you have elderly or disabled neighbours, if possible, please check on them to ensure they are okay.

Clearing Ice and Snow

•Clear ice/snow early in the day: Loose snow is easier removed than hard snow which has packed together from people walking on it.
•Use salt or sand – NOT water: If you use water to melt the snow, it may refreeze and turn to black ice which is invisible and very slippery.
•Take care where you move the snow: When you are shovelling snow, take care where you put it so it doesn’t block people’s paths or drains.
•Prevent slips: Pay extra attention to clear ice and snow from steps and steep pathways – you might need to use more salt on these areas.
(Advice from: www.nidirect.gov.uk/clearing-ice-and-snow-from-pavements-yourself)

If the worst happens

First of all don’t panic there are a few simple steps you can take immediately before contacting Fold:

Your heating has stopped working

If your property has a condensing gas boiler and the heating in your home stops working the condensation pipe may have frozen. If you know where your condensation pipe is you may be able to defrost it using boiling water. Please take care that this water does not freeze anywhere that may cause a slip hazard.

Frozen Pipes

Even insulated pipes may freeze, especially over prolonged periods of low temperatures. You can take a few precautionary measures by leaving your loft hatch ajar to let warm air into the attic, if you know where your stopcock is (normally under your kitchen sink) leave the cupboard open to let warm air at it. Test your stopcock to make sure it will turn, if it is ceased please let us know.

In the unlikely event a pipe freezes or bursts

If your pipe has frozen and you can identify where it is frozen, you can try to defrost it using a hot water bottle or by using the cool setting on your hair dry. Do not use extreme heat, such as a naked flame, as this could cause the pipe to split.

In the unlikely event that your pipes burst turn your water off at the stopcock immediately and turn the taps on to drain the system and flush the toilets. Remember to turn the taps off again when the water stops.

You will also need to turn your heating and emersion water heater off.

No Water
If there is no water in your property there may be a water shortage in your area, you can check this with a neighbour. If they have no water, it is probably a water supply issue in your area. You can check with NI Water (www.niwater.com).

Please do not leave your taps on as when the supply is restored this may cause flooding in your property.