Follow these emergency self-help steps if you discover frozen or burst pipes at your property.
Frozen pipes
If you find that a pipe has frozen you should turn off the water at the main stopcock.
Ideally, you should leave the pipes but you could try to thaw the pipe using hot water bottles. If you try this, take great care and do not use a blowlamp or any electrical appliance.
If the hot water system is frozen, you should turn off the water heater.
Burst pipes
If you find that a pipe has burst you should turn off the water at the main stopcock and turn off any gate valves from the water tank. You then need to run all your taps to drain water from the system.
You should turn off any water heaters. If electrical items or wiring are getting wet, do not touch them. You should turn off the electricity at the mains.
If water is leaking and making the ceiling bulge, place a bucket under the bulge and, using something like a screwdriver, pierce a hole to let the water through. This could prevent the ceiling from falling down.
Flooding advice
Getting support
If you effected by flooding or have an emergency issue in your home please call us on 0203 815 0000 and select option 1. Our staff will then be able to help you access the support you may need.
Insurance
If you have insurance in place, you should contact your insurance provider as soon as possible to report any damage. Before throwing anything away, speak to your insurance company, and make sure you take photographs of any damage in line with your insurance company’s policies. We highly recommend that all residents have contents insurance to provide cover for their personal belongings.
Water supply
If you have problems with your water supply, contact Thames Water on 0800 316 9800.
General advice
Make sure you're prepared for an emergency involving flooding or leaking pipes by checking the location of your mains stopcock. It is usually where the mains water pipe enters the house or near the kitchen sink.
You should also make sure you know where the gate valves for the hot and cold water tanks are.
Lagging and insulation
If you have a loft or roof space and can get into the roof space, check that all the pipes and tanks are lagged. This is especially important if your loft has been insulated as this will mean less heat gets into the roof space. You should never have insulation beneath the water tank in the loft.
Cold weather
If you are going away for several weeks during the winter, drain down the hot water and cold water system by turning off the stopcock and running all of the taps. Do not drain the heating system (boiler or radiators).
In very cold weather, you may want to open the loft hatch to allow heat into the loft and help prevent pipes from freezing.