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4 Easy Steps to Protect Yourself & Your Home from the Winter

While it’s easy for you to wrap up warm or stay inside, your home isn’t as lucky and will face the worst of what the British weather has to offer. In preparation for the rain, snow, strong winds and whatever else may be looming; Affleck has compiled some simple tips in order to help you take care of your home this winter.

London Roofing: Check your roof for broken tiles

1. Roofing Damage: Inspect now

For those of you who were confident enough to brave the cold and lace your homes with outdoor Christmas lights and decorations, you might know the condition of your roof.  For those without the Christmas bling look out for:

  • Any visibly loose or broken tiles
  • Signs of moss build up/blocked gutters:
    • Overflowing gutters
    • Warped or sagging gutters
    • Visible wet patches on the walls
    • Discoloured paint/walls
    • Wet external walls/penetrating damp
    • Damp basement
  • Check your attic for any wet spots or beams of light from the ceiling as this would suggest that there are holes in the roof

If you see any of these it’s a strong indication that repair work is in order.   A small tweak now might save you from serious damage when the weather turns nasty.  We’ve had tens of customers in the last week who left it too late and now having to do major repairs.

If you need any help with your roof call Wayne - Affleck's Head of Roofing - on 0203 538 7066 or follow our Guide on How to Clean Your Gutters.

London Plumbing: Prevent Burst Pipes Drain the System

2. Prevent Burst Pipes: Drain the System

Burst pipes are a common problem during the winter months.  The burst is usually caused when the water in pipes expands when it freezes and cracks the pipe. We suggest that if you’re going to be away from your home for a while, it's worth turning the flow of water off from the stopcock and letting the remaining water in the pipes out through the taps – ensuring that there is no water in the pipes to freeze.  Pipe insulators can be used to avoid frozen pipes, particularly in exposed areas.  In general your central heating is enough to keep your pipes safe.

London Handyman: Avoid falling or slipping on ice

3. Avoid a Slippery Path or Drive:

After it has snowed your local council will usually place salt and grit down on main roads and popular pedestrian paths in order remove the danger of falling over. If you are unfortunate the snow can cause extremely slippery surfaces on the paths leading to and from your home. If the council doesn’t place salt and grit down in these areas you can use cat litter or sand instead.  You can pick up a bag of sand for around £5 from hardware stores or even order from Amazon; a good thing to have by the front door.  You can even keep the spirit of Christmas going by helping an elderly neighbour with a bag too.

London Electrics: Avoid Electircal Fires from Electric Heaters

4. Avoid Electrical Heating Fires

Portable electric heaters become very popular during the winter months especially when the entire family is situated in one room. According to Fire Brigade, electrical heaters cause more than one fire a day.  It is very important that you remember not to place them so that they’re facing furniture and not to keep any wires underneath rugs as this may cause them to overheat and in turn cause a fire.

These simple pieces of advice should be easy enough to undertake yourself but if you would feel more comfortable having assistance from professionals feel free to call us on 0800 316 9595 | 0203 538 7066