With winter soon to be upon us, temperatures are going to start dropping which means the possibility of pipes freezing. Freezing and bursting pipes are a common and costly occurrence, even if you think the weather isn’t cold enough, it can still happen. We get plenty of calls during the cold weather for people looking for a Dublin plumber to help with frozen pipes.
As the old saying goes, prevention is better than cure, so read on as we discuss some tips on how to prevent frozen pipes.
Let the Tap Drip
We know, this goes against all of the general water saving recommendations, but it really helps to prevent freezing pipes. All you need to do is open the tap a small bit so that water can slightly drip from it.
The basis behind this tip is that when a pipe freezes, the pressure created from the water expanding and the faucet will cause the pipe to burst. Opening the tap will prevent the pressure build up and in turn keep the pipe from bursting.
Keep Doors Open
The most common pipes to burst are those that are located in unheated areas of the house, so it’s important to let heat circulate around as much as possible.
If pipes are located in cabinets or presses, it’s a good idea to leave the doors open so the heat from the rest of the house can keep the pipes warm too. Keeping the interior doors open to allow heat circulate through the home is also a good idea.
Fill Any Cracks and Holes
If you have any holes, gaps or cracks where pipes go through walls or floors, you should make sure to get them sealed with caulk or spray foam insulation. Any outdoor air that comes through holes can make an already cold area even colder, so be sure to seal gaps on both the interior and exterior sides.
Insulate
Some areas of your home may not have proper or adequate insulation, so pipes in that area may need something extra to keep them from freezing.
Pipes can be fitted with foam or fibreglass wraps that essentially act like a warm jacket for your pipes, reducing the chances of them freezing. Whilst this idea works well for exposed pipes, if you need to open floors, ceilings or walls to gain access to a pipe, it can get rather expensive. In this case, you’re better off insulating the wall or ceiling.
Apply Heating Tape
Similar to the above mentioned pipe insulation, heating tape does exactly what its name says, it essentially works like an electric blanket for pipes.
This tape is actually quite clever in how it works, with two types available; one senses when heat is needed and turns itself on and off, and another that needs to be plugged in to generate heat.
Heating tape is an excellent option for short sections of pipe at high risk of freezing and that are easily accessible.
We hope you’ve learned something from our rundown on how to prevent frozen pipes and can put some of our advice to use around your home. As always, our team of experts are on hand to answer any questions you might have, so feel free to contact us!
There are plenty of plumbers in Dublin these days. In fact, Dublin based residents are somewhat spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing a plumber to carry out works in their home or business. With so many to choose from, how should one decide on choosing recommended plumbers Dublin services over another?
This is simply the best type of recommendation you could get from a friend or a family member for Dublin area plumbers. They will tell you exactly how they were treated, the level of service they received. The could also tell you the prices they paid which would be very helpful when shopping around to compare prices.
Remember the lowest price is not always the best as you want a reputable plumbers based in Dublin, there are lots of cowboys doing the rounds. There is a reason whey they are so cheap its at the expense of good and honest labour. This can lead to issues with there workmanship, your warranty and sometimes the safety of the work.
Dont be tempted by middlemen websites and companies offering you three or five free quotes. They take a upfront lead payment or a commission as there is no level of quality checks on the works completed.
Make sure the company you decide to use has all directly employed staff that will arrive to your home or place of business in a company uniform and a van with the company signage on it.
The person that arrives to do the work may arrive up to your home or business, talk a great talk and look the part. Unless they are training, qualified and above all insured to do the work. Do not let them in your home or business.
DeWAR Plumbers operate all day, every day (24/7), offering a wide variety of plumbing services all over Dublin.. You can contact us on 01 514 3300 or send us an email to get a quote for any plumbing service.
Prevention is better than cure, so the saying goes, the best way to stop falling foul to a clogged or blocked drains is to be careful what you put down them.
Some of the main culprits are cooking oil, coffee granules, hair, vegetable peels and soap scum. With these running down the drain it’s only a matter of time before it turns into a blockage. Regular cleaning also has its advantages for preventing clogged or blocked drains and there are some simple methods that can also be carried out periodically.
Dewar Plumbers Simple Tips for Periodical Cleaning:
DIY (do it yourself) Unblocking:
Ingredients:
Method:
If you have tried this and you still cannot unblock the sink or drain the why not give us a call here at Dewar Dublin Plumbers, our team of plumbing and drain specialists are on hand to deal with any problem quickly and effectively. Call today on 01 514 3300.
Finding a good emergency Dublin Plumbing Company in a busy city like Dublin can be a surprisingly tricky task. Between reading through endless directories (both print and online), navigating your way through pages upon pages of Google search results, calling up various plumbing companies to inquire about prices and checking out the many ads that are on display, it can become a time consuming and exhausting endeavor. With so many different Dublin based plumbers around how can you tell the wood from the proverbial trees?
Here are some helpful tips in relation to finding good Dublin plumbers while surfing the internet:
A website might seem like a superfluous thing to be looking for when all you want is some plumbing services carried out, but in reality, this is one of the first things you should look at. In this day and age, any company worth its salt, whether it be plumbing, roofing, air-con, electricians or anything else for that matter, should have an online presence. If you find a Dublin Plumbing Company, particularly one servicing the Dublin area, that does not have a website then your immediate question should be, “Why don’t they?”. A plumbing company that does not have a website comes across as being ‘behind the times’ and shows a lack of forward planning – something no customer wants from their plumbers.
Of course, not all websites are created equally. Some will be considerably better than others. If a Dublin Plumbing Company appears to have done the bare minimum in order to have a website for the sake of one then you should be cautious when approaching the plumbers in question. This could be indicative of how the plumbing company operates across the board; paying lip service to important matters and doing the bare minimum in relation to important matters – something no customer should settle for from their Dublin Plumbing Company, not when there are so many good plumbers operating in and around the Greater Dublin area.
A good plumbing website should be easy to navigate and full of helpful information about the services they provide. Explanations should be detailed but, at the same time, not so technical that non-experts cannot read them easily. Different services should be given their own unique pages which should be easy to find from the homepage. A well structured and highly detailed website is a sign of a plumbing company that takes great pride and care in its works and is willing to go the extra mile to make life easier for their customers.
Particularly good Dublin Plumbing Company will also share valuable tips, resources and information via blogs. A willingness to do so shows that the plumbing company in question is knowledgeable in relation to the work they carry out. ‘How to’ style blog entries also show honesty – many plumbing companies would rather hide any information in relation to DIY maintenance from their customers in order to maximise the amount of work (and therefore money) they can squeeze out of their clients. Plumbers who openly share ‘trade secrets’ with customers are confident in their abilities and unlikely to try and pull the wool over your eyes.
Much like a properly organised website, having a strong presence on social media is a sign of a good plumbing company. Once you have found a plumbing company who have a well put together website, you should check to see if they are active on social media. If they regularly update their Facebook, Twitter and Google + accounts with interesting content it is a good sign that the plumbing company is both active and on the ball when it comes to new developments and are willing to engage with their customers directly.
While a plumbing company with a good website and a strong social media presence is a good start, it is not the be all and end all. Generally speaking, a plumbing company’s website (and related social media platforms) only contains the views and opinions of the plumbers themselves, not their actual customers. The plumbing website may contain quotes that appear to be from satisfied customers, but how can you be sure that such quotes are legitimate? After all, just about anyone can write things like this:
Wonderful service. Highly recommended. 5 Stars!
Mary, Drumcondra
Just because a quote is attributed to a person on a plumbing company’s website it does not guarantee that the person in question actually exists, let alone endorsed the plumbing company. Anyone could have written the quotes that you see slapped across a plumber’s homepage. A much more accurate way of finding out what people have really said about a plumbing company is looking them up on Google. Often when you type the name of a company into Google reviews written by actual Google users will appear. Here is an example of what a trusted plumber service’s Google review page should look like:
To put it simply, being able to find a plumbing company listed in directories is not necessarily a bad sign. It shows that the company is willing to move with the times and create an online presence for itself. However, be wary of plumbing companies which are present in numerous online directories but don’t have their own specific websites (the same goes for social media platforms). Since lots of directories can be signed up for by businesses for free they could be using such directories as a means of ‘cutting corners’ in order to get an online presence without putting in the work required to make a proper website. As with virtually every service imaginable, companies which cut corners should be avoided.
The best plumbing companies will generally be listed on their fair share of web directories (although not necessarily all of them – some directories are notably better than others) in addition to having a well-made website and social media presence. Generally speaking, the more online visibility a plumbing company has, the more likely it is to be a reliable source of plumbing services. A good online presence can help you spot the good plumbing companies standing out among the many that populate the Greater Dublin area.
Of course, online presence isn’t the only thing that you should take into account when searching for a good plumbing company in Dublin. Check out our tips for Choosing A Plumber in Dublin.
If you have any queries feel free to call our phone number 01 514 3300 or send us an email and our team will gladly offer you the assistance you need.