In the words of the Game of Thrones protagonist Jon Snow – Winter is Coming. And while we face no major threats of Dragons, Night Kings, or Armies-of-the-Dead here in our quaint little town of Galway; frozen and eventually burst pipes and property leaks are a very real possibility indeed.
Here’s a comprehensive checklist of what you can do as a landlord to ensure your properties maintenance over the harsh winter months:
All water pipes/tanks within the hot press, attic area and boiler should be insulated in order to prevent frost damage
The ball valves on all water tanks and cisterns should be inspected yearly and replaced if found defective
The water tanks should be inspected yearly by a registered/insured plumber and replaced if found defective
The water tanks should be protected with approved PVC covers for health-related reasons
The water tanks should be adequately insulated to current building regulations
The mains water should be turned off and all domestic systems drained down wherever the property is left vacant
Any recessed light fittings projecting into the attic or ceilings should be protected with fire-rated light covers
The insulation within the entire attic area should be upgraded to 300mm where possible
The area beneath the water storage tanks should not be insulated, to allow heat circulate from the below rooms, to help prevent the base of the tank from freezing.
An insulation skirt extending to the floor of the attic around the base of the water tank is recommended
A frost stat with a permanent power supply should be fitted to the central heating boiler.
Your central heating boiler should be fitted with a remote sensing fire safety shut-off valve
Your central heating boiler should be serviced annually in accordance with the manufacturer's guidelines
Check the oil tank to make sure there is sufficient oil to maintain your central heating over the winter months
An approved frost stat attic heater should be permanently secured to the attic area and wired to current regulations.
The above works should only be carried out by registered Electrical contractors who furnish written confirmation of their insurance, together with copies of their respective safety statements on request.
If you’d like to have a chat about anything in this article or property related, do not hesitate to get in touch with our author, Kevin Flaherty, using any of his contact details below.
087 639 1125
Kevin Flaherty
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