Keeping Airdrie homes warm and watertight
Airdrie is an old market town set on high ground in the Monklands, and winters here can be noticeably colder than in Glasgow. Preparing your plumbing and heating before the frosts arrive saves a great deal of trouble later.
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- Gas Safe registered
A winter checklist for your home
Most winter callouts start with something that could have been spotted in autumn. A few checks go a long way:
- Have the boiler serviced before the heating goes on full time; we offer boiler servicing and new installations
- Lag loft tanks and any pipes in the loft, garage or under the floor
- Check that your stopcock turns freely, and that everyone in the house knows where it is
- Fix dripping taps and overflows, since a slow drip in an outside pipe can freeze and block it
Older stone houses and post-war estates
The older centre of Airdrie has Victorian sandstone villas and terraces, while much of the surrounding housing went up in the decades after the war. Older houses often keep a cold water tank in the loft, which is at risk of freezing if the loft is well insulated below the tank but not around it. Insulation should be laid over the top and sides of the tank, not underneath.
In the post-war houses, heating has often been upgraded in stages, and an annual check helps spot worn pumps and valves before they fail. Our heating engineers can also balance radiators so the whole house warms evenly, and if an ageing boiler struggles to keep up when temperatures drop, our boiler repair service will find out why.
If a pipe bursts
Burst pipes often show up when the thaw comes rather than during the frost itself. Turn off the stopcock, switch off electrics near the leak if it is safe to do so, and open the cold taps to drain the system. Then call our emergency plumbing team, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
If you would like to arrange a winter check for your Airdrie home, phone or email us.
Questions from Airdrie
Should I leave the heating on when I go away in winter?
Yes, at a low setting or using the boiler's frost protection mode, so the house never gets cold enough for pipes to freeze. If the property will be empty for a long time, draining the water system is another option.
Why did my pipe only start leaking after the cold weather ended?
Water expands as it freezes, which can split a pipe or push a joint apart. While the water is frozen, the ice holds it in, so the leak only appears when it thaws. That is why it pays to check lofts and outbuildings after a cold spell.
What temperature should I keep my Airdrie home at overnight in winter?
There is no single right figure, but letting the house drop too far overnight makes the boiler work hard each morning and raises the risk of frozen pipes in colder rooms. Many households find a modest setback of a few degrees overnight works well. Good controls make this easy to set.
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