Plummeting temperatures, snowfall, and a frozen vista when you look out of a window, should all tell you that, whether you are homeowner, business owner, landlord or owner of a commercial building, frozen pipes could easily burst and cause misery inside your property.  And that’s the theme of this Gauntlet Commercial Insurance property owners advice article, which aims to help property owners protect against water leaks and pipe bursts.

Cold weather puts additional strain on pipework and the joints that connect it. Insulating as much pipework as possible in advance of freezing temperatures is always best advice, not forgetting any outdoor taps that could freeze and cause an issue.  Check that water has not frozen around drainpipes and gutters, perhaps after snowfall.  This is one good reason to try to remove any snow accumulations but only if it is safe for you to do so or you can call on the services of a tradesperson.

Leaks of water from pipes that have frozen and then burst are just one of the ways in which an escape of water can occur within a property.  Escape of water is itself the number one cause of damage to UK properties – even more than fire or flooding.  Around £1.8m is paid out by insurers, each day, to homeowners with escape of water claims. Add to this the commercial escape of water claims, which have been known to top £1m in cost, and the amount of money paid out because of water damage is staggering.

How to protect against water leaks and pipe bursts

As a property owner, there are certain things you can do to prevent being a victim of water damage caused by water leaks and pipe bursts.  One key thing to do is to familiarise yourself with the location of your stopcock.  This is the thing that will turn off your water supply, should a leak occur, enabling you to minimise the damage.

You should have one stopcock inside the property (or in a shared space if you live in an apartment block) and also a stopcock outside the property, typically in the street and under a metal cover that signifies it is protecting water infrastructure.  If you live in an apartment, the external stopcock will control the water supply to the whole building.

Over and above this, there is diligence.  You should inspect your property regularly for any signs of leaks, such as damp patches, musty smells and collections of water under sinks, baths or basins.  It is also important to monitor pipework that is out of sight, in lofts and garages and crawl spaces.  Check around the plumbing for your kitchen appliances too and also make sure you keep on top of maintenance, replacing any sealant or cracked tiles around showers, for instance.

Escapes of water can easily come from appliances that fail, so try to only use the washing machine or dishwasher when you are at home and could try to minimise the impacts of water leaking from your machine.

The impacts of water damage

Water causes a lot of damage when it is not contained, which could be to décor, electrics, furnishings, carpets and possessions in a home but to valuable equipment, paperwork, machinery and again décor, electrics and furniture within a commercial property.   An office IT system could become the victim, or maybe stock that was intended for sale.  The possibilities are numerous.

Water damage that goes undetected for a while is extremely costly.  The lack of detection could be due to a property being unoccupied for periods or currently vacant awaiting a new tenant.  It could be because the leak occurs in a second home, which is not visited on a regular basis.  Or, it could occur in a commercial setting over a weekend or when the business is closed for a public holiday period.  The longer that water is given to wreak havoc, the more it will do so.

Minimising the risk of water leaks and damage

So how can you minimise your exposure to this risk, over and above watching out for water leaks?  How can you also help reduce water wastage or expenses incurred through water bills?  And how can you not take a hit to your property insurance premiums by experiencing a high claim?

One thing you can do, if you have a vacant property, is keep the temperature on a low setting, so that there is less chance of pipes freezing.  Around 10°C is ideal.  You can also try to assess whether you might have a leak, if that is your suspicion, by turning off the water supply and all appliances that use water, reading the water meter and then waiting for an hour or a little longer and seeing how much water usage has been registered by the meter during the period in which none was being used.  If there is water usage showing, it is probably leaking from somewhere in the system.

Technology to assist with water escape detection

Thanks to technology, there are other things that can assist you – ways to detect water leaks quickly and take action fast.  Leak detection devices, of various kinds and encompassing technology such as wireless transmitters, leak detection tape and water flow monitors, can be fitted to your home or commercial property, to alert you if there is a leak and even switch off the water supply, if that is the case.  Some will do that automatically; others will give you the capacity to make that call by use of an App.

Companies like LeakSafe, who offer technology that is approved by insurers and viewed as a real asset in the fight to prevent escapes of water, can also create bespoke solutions for commercial customers.  Using resources like this can put you back in charge of your unpredictable water system but can also help pinpoint exactly where the problem lays.

That is a real asset as it can be very difficult to find the source of a leak, due to the way in which water can travel down various conduits, until it starts to produce the evidence of its escape from the system.  There are other means of trying to pinpoint the source, such as endoscopy (using a small camera on the end of a flexible tube), or acoustics (using a special microphone and amplifier to try to hear water drips/flows) or even tracer gas, which will emerge wherever the problem lays.

Why you need trace and access cover on your property insurance policy

However, using all of these can mean having to go through floorboards, tiling, plasterwork and more, creating a lot of damage to your home, just to get to the leak.  Many insurance policies will not cover the cost of this damage, unless you have trace and access cover included in your policy.  Many claims experts suggest this is one of the most important things to have included in your cover, so do check that your policy offers this protection.

Where to find a choice of property insurances

The team at Gauntlet Group can assist you with a wide range of property insurance policies, whether you are a homeowner, someone seeking landlord or tenants’ insurance or a commercial business requiring commercial property insurance.  Additionally, the team can help you find competitively priced and comprehensive insurance for second homes or holiday rental properties that you may own.  It can also advise you on how a company like LeakSafe could assist you and can also help you arrange a policy that would provide you with Loss Assessing services, should a claim need to be made.

Gauntlet’s team of broking specialists can be a one-stop shop for many of your insurance needs over and above property insurance and can offer you that all-important thing of choice, as well as personalised service.  Call the team today on 0113 244 8686 and get your strategy in place for handling any future water claim and much more.