Preparing a Sheffield Home for Winter Weather

Why Sheffield Winters Need a Little Extra Thought

Sheffield is a city built on hills, and that makes a real difference to how winter lands on your property. Cold air sinks into the valleys, so frost hollows around the Don, the Sheaf and the Porter can sit several degrees colder than the city centre, while higher ground out towards Stannington, Fulwood, Bradfield and Dore often catches the first snow and the last of it. Add westerly gales coming in off the Peak, plenty of rain, and a housing stock full of Victorian terraces, stone-built cottages and 1930s semis with cellars, outbuildings and original pipework, and you have a set of risks that are worth taking seriously every autumn.

None of the jobs below are complicated or expensive. But the difference between spending an afternoon on them in October and ignoring them until January is usually the difference between a small repair bill and an insurance claim.

Protect Your Pipework Before the First Frost

Burst pipes are the single most costly winter problem we see in Sheffield homes, and the damage is often done in an unheated loft, cellar or garage rather than in the living room. Water expands as it freezes, and a split pipe can release hundreds of litres before anyone notices.

• Lag every exposed pipe you can see in lofts, cellars, garages, outbuildings and under floors, using foam sleeving or felt wrap. Fit the lagging before you top up loft insulation, not after.
• Insulate the cold water tank with a purpose-made jacket, but leave the loft floor directly beneath it free of insulation so a little warmth can rise.
• Check that loft insulation isn't pressed tight into the eaves, where it can block ventilation and cause condensation and rot.
• Isolate and drain outside taps, then fit an insulated tap cover. A frozen outside tap can crack the pipe inside the wall.
• Pay attention to the condensate pipe on a combi boiler. If it runs outside, it will freeze on the first hard frost. Lag it, ask your engineer about upgrading to a wider diameter, or better still, have it rerouted internally.
• Find your internal stopcock and the external stop tap on the pavement, and check that both actually turn. A seized stopcock discovered at 11pm on a freezing night is a miserable experience.

Clear Gutters, Downpipes and Drains

Sheffield's tree cover is one of its pleasures and one of its maintenance burdens. By late November most gutters are carrying a full load of leaves, moss and grit, and blocked gutters are the starting point for damp patches, blown plaster, rotten fascias and water tracking into the roof space.

• Clear gutters and downpipes after the main leaf fall, then check them again in mid-winter. Clear any gutter guards while you're up there.
• Test downpipes with a hosepipe to confirm water is reaching the drain, not soaking into the wall.
• Check gully covers and drainage channels for leaves and silt, particularly on sloping driveways where water runs towards the house.
• Look for slipped slates, cracked ridge tiles and heavy moss growth after a gale. A pair of binoculars from the pavement is usually enough to spot anything obvious.
• Make sure the ground level around the property falls away from the walls rather than towards them.

Service the Boiler and Get the Heating Ready

Book your annual boiler service for September or October, before every engineer in the city is dealing with breakdowns. An annual service by a Gas Safe registered engineer keeps the manufacturer's warranty valid, confirms the appliance is burning safely and often catches a failing part while it is still cheap to replace.

• Run the heating for a full twenty minutes before you need it, so any fault shows up in mild weather.
• Bleed radiators that are warm at the bottom and cold at the top. If the whole radiator is cold at the bottom, the system may need flushing and inhibitor adding.
• Check thermostatic radiator valves turn freely rather than being stuck open or shut.
• If the property will be empty, leave the heating on a low background setting of around 15°C rather than switching it off entirely.
• Test carbon monoxide alarms and smoke alarms, and replace the batteries now rather than in December.

Draughts, Damp and Ventilation

Sheffield's damp climate means draught-proofing and ventilation have to work together. Sealing a house up tightly without providing air movement simply moves the problem from cold to mould.

• Draught-proof letterboxes, keyholes, external doors and ill-fitting windows, and consider secondary glazing on single-glazed sashes.
• Never block air bricks or sub-floor vents. They keep the timbers under your ground floor dry, and blocked vents are a common cause of rot.
• Use extractor fans in kitchens and bathrooms, keep internal doors closed when cooking or showering, and avoid drying washing on radiators where you can.
• Sweep chimneys that are still in use, and fit a ventilated cap to any flue that isn't, so rain and birds stay out but air still moves through.
• Deal with dripping overflows, leaking showers and damaged flashing before the frost arrives.

If the Property Will Be Empty, and When the Cold Bites

Landlords with a void over winter should check the insurance policy conditions on regular inspections, and make sure the heating is maintained rather than shut down. Long voids are best drained down properly, with the water system emptied and the boiler left according to the manufacturer's guidance. Give tenants clear written advice at the start of the tenancy on where the stopcock is and who to call out of hours.

When a cold snap is forecast, keep a simple kit to hand: a torch, spare batteries, salt or grit for paths, and the number of a trusted local plumber. If a pipe does freeze, turn off the stopcock, open the nearest tap and thaw the pipe gently with a hairdryer, warm towels or hot water bottles, working from the tap end back. Never use a blowtorch or naked flame. If a pipe bursts, shut off the water, drain the system by opening the lowest taps, and call a professional. A little preparation now is far cheaper than a repair in February.