Most of our December callouts are for problems that start in autumn. An afternoon of checks now saves a lot of disruption later.
The five jobs
Clear gutters and downpipes. Check window seals and draught strips. Bleed radiators. Fill gaps around external doors. Find your stop tap and make sure it turns.
1. Clear gutters and downpipes
Leaves and moss block gutters in October and November. Water then spills over the edge, soaks the wall and shows up inside as damp patches on bedroom ceilings. Clear the gutters once most leaves have fallen and run a hose down each downpipe to check it flows. If you cannot reach safely from a ladder, book someone who can.
Gutter guards help under trees, but they still need clearing once a year.
2. Check window seals and draught strips
Run your hand around each window on a windy day. A cold stream of air means the seals or brush strips have worn. Self adhesive foam strips are a quick fix for casement windows. Sash windows need brush seals fitted into the beads, which takes us about half a day per room.
3. Bleed radiators
If the top of a radiator stays cold while the bottom is hot, there is air in it. Turn the heating off, open the bleed valve with a radiator key until water appears and close it again. Check the boiler pressure afterwards and top it up if it has dropped.
Start with the radiators on the ground floor and work upwards.
4. Fill gaps around external doors
Gaps between door frames and the wall let in cold air and rain. Rake out old, cracked sealant and apply new exterior sealant on a dry day. If the door catches or shows daylight at the bottom, it may need rehanging or a new weather bar.
5. Find your stop tap
Every winter we meet people who cannot find their stop tap while water comes through a ceiling. It is usually under the kitchen sink, in a downstairs cloakroom or near the front door. Turn it off and on once a year so it does not seize, and make sure everyone in the house knows where it is.
Three more if you have time
Lag the pipes in the loft and in any unheated rooms. Check that outside taps can be isolated and drained. Look at the paint on window sills and doors, because bare wood soaks up rain all winter.
Test the carbon monoxide alarm near the boiler while you are at it, and replace the battery if it chirps.
If a pipe freezes
Turn off the water at the stop tap, open the cold tap nearest the frozen section and warm the pipe gently with a hairdryer or a hot water bottle, starting from the tap end. Never use a naked flame. If the pipe has split, keep the water off and call a plumber.
Condensation
Black mould around windows in winter is usually condensation, not a leak. Open the trickle vents, use extractor fans when cooking and showering, and dry washing outside or in a ventilated room. If it keeps coming back in the same corner, we can check for a cold spot in the wall or a failed seal.
When to call us
If any of these turn up something bigger, call us before the first frost and we will fit you in.
We keep a few days free in November for small winter repairs: sticking doors, failed seals, a gutter joint that drips onto the path. Ring the office and Ruth will find a slot.
