10 TOP TIPS TO PROTECT YOUR HOME

Good home insurance is essential if your home is wrecked or damaged. But wouldn’t it be so much better if you never had to claim in the first place by making sure your home is braced for all the Irish weather can throw at it? here are ten tips to winterproof your home:

The planning section of your local council website will show how much your area is at risk from flooding. If you are at risk, keep an eye on weather forecasts.

Before a major storm hits, use sandbags and wrapping to protect your home and move personal and valuable items above ground level. Secure any items that could move during the storm, such as light garden furniture.

Ensure you know where water, gas and electricity mains are – should you need to turn them off or on at any stage

Ensure water pipes and tanks are insulated with good quality lagging. Drain outdoor taps and shut off

water to these if possible and disconnect garden hoses to avoid bursting. Insulate the outside tap pipes with towels.

Put your heating on a timer when not at home for a while.

A stopcock can instantly turn off your water if pipes burst. But do you know where it is? Also switch off the central heating and any other water heating installations and open all taps to drain the system. Check for any damage to exterior walls. Even small holes where cable wires or phone lines enter your home can be an entry point for freezing air and water. Use foam insulation to fill or close them up. Then use weather stripping to remedy any cracks around your doors.

Clean your gutters out before freezing temperatures ice up blocked pipes. (Most tips courtesy of Insuremyhouse.ie)