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Prepare Your Business for Winter

The extremely cold winters of recent years have led to many businesses sustaining losses from burst pipes, weight of snow on roofs and escape of water. There are a number of simple but effective steps businesses can take to both prevent and reduce the impact of cold weather on their operations.

Be ready…

Check you have the following things in place so you know you can react quickly if there is a problem:

  • Make sure you know the location of all stopcocks and check that they are easily accessible and in good working order
  • Keep a record of the layout of all the utilities that service your business, particularly water and gas/oil and check now that the pipes are in good condition
  • Assemble a list of reputable local plumbers and boiler engineers and keep their details handy in case you need to call them in an emergency
  • Ensure your heating system is serviced and maintained and that you have access to sufficient fuel should there be winter shortages
  • Review the fabric of your building and consider where roofing may be vulnerable to heavy accumulations of snow
  • Service heating systems at least once a year and consider installing a leak prevention system that allows you to switch off the incoming mains water easily and frequently

Top Tip:

In periods of cold weather, inspect your premises on a daily basis for signs of freezing.

During heavy snow, look for accumulations of snow on roofs and safely clear anything more than 4-6 inches.

Overhanging icicles may indicate that guttering is not draining thawing snow adequately.

Be prepared…

Sprinkler Systems

  • Contact your sprinkler system contractor and make sure your sprinkler system is prepared and ‘winter safe’
  • Systems that protect outdoor or cold areas such as valve chambers and pump rooms are especially vulnerable
  • Heating should be maintained at or above 4 degrees at all times. Exposed pipe work should be lagged and routinely inspected and maintained

Article courtesy of Covea.