Frozen Pipes at the Top of Crystal Palace: Winter Prep

To stop pipes freezing in a Crystal Palace house, lag every pipe in the loft, the roof space, under the eaves and on outside walls, insulate over and around the cold water tank (not under it), isolate and drain outside taps, and keep the heating on low when you are away. Crystal Palace sits on the Norwood Ridge, which reaches about 116 metres near Church Road, so it is one of the most exposed spots in south London, and the first hard frost of the year is when the ceiling-leak calls start. Above all, find your stopcock now; in a flat, find the building’s main as well.

Why the ridge freezes first

Height and exposure both matter. The houses along Westow Hill, around the Triangle and up Anerley Hill and Gipsy Hill catch the wind, and a lot of them are tall Victorian houses with lofts, rear extensions and pipes running on the outside of walls. The water in an unheated loft or a pipe on a north-facing wall gets cold fast on a clear, windy night.

What tends to freeze:

• the cold water storage tank and its pipes in the loft;
• the small heating header tank and its feed;
• pipes in rear extensions with cold flat roofs;
• pipes running through cupboards on outside walls;
• outside taps and the pipe feeding them;
• the condensate pipe from a boiler, if it runs outside.

Water expands when it freezes. A frozen pipe often does not leak until it thaws, which is why a burst usually shows up as water through a ceiling the morning after the cold snap breaks.

Before winter: a checklist for Crystal Palace homes

1. Find the main stopcock, and in a flat, the building’s main stopcock too. Make sure it turns.
2. Go up into the loft and lag every pipe with foam pipe insulation, including the bends and joints.
3. Fit a proper insulated jacket or cover on the cold water tank and the small heating tank.
4. Leave the loft insulation away from directly under the tank, so a little warmth from the house rises to it.
5. Lag any pipes in the eaves, under rear extension roofs and in cupboards on outside walls.
6. Turn off the isolation valve to the outside tap, open the tap to drain it, and fit a frost cover.
7. Check the overflow pipes from the tanks are clear and not dripping.
8. Set the heating to come on for a while overnight in very cold weather, or use the frost setting on the thermostat.
9. If you go away, leave the heating on low, and ask a neighbour to look in.
10. Write down our number and keep it with the stopcock.

Flats in tall Victorian houses

Most of the big houses around the Triangle and down the hills are now flats, often with one original supply for the whole building. If you are in a top flat, the loft above you may hold the tank for the whole house, or for you alone. If you are in a lower flat, a frozen pipe upstairs can still flood you.

Ask the freeholder or managing agent:

• where the building’s main stopcock is;
• who has access to the loft and the tanks;
• whether the loft pipes and tanks have been lagged;
• who to call out of hours.

If a pipe freezes

Thames Water’s advice, in short:

• turn off the water at the stopcock (usually under the kitchen sink, turn clockwise);
• open the cold tap nearest the frozen pipe so water can escape as it thaws;
• thaw the pipe slowly, starting from the tap end, with a hot water bottle or warm towels wrapped round it;
• never use a naked flame or a blowtorch;
• before turning the water back on, run a dry cloth along the pipe and joints to check for any splits.

If you cannot tell which pipe is frozen, or it is in a place you cannot reach safely, call us.

If a pipe bursts

• Turn off the water at the stopcock straight away.
• Switch off the electrics for any room where water is near lights or sockets.
• Open the cold taps to drain the system and flush the toilets.
• Turn off the immersion heater.
• Put buckets under drips and keep away from any sagging ceiling.
• Photograph everything for your insurer.

Boilers in a freeze

If your condensing boiler stops in a freeze, the condensate pipe outside may have frozen. The boiler manufacturer’s manual usually explains how to thaw it with warm (not boiling) water. Anything inside the boiler is a job for a Gas Safe registered engineer. We do not work on gas.

Crystal Palace’s other winter problem

Height brings low mains pressure at the top of the ridge, and that is when a frozen or half-frozen pipe can make it worse still. If your pressure drops in a cold snap, check for a frozen pipe before assuming a supply problem.

Going away for Christmas?

See our winter going-away checklist for what to do before you lock up, including when it makes sense to drain down.

When to call

Call us if a pipe has frozen and you cannot thaw it safely, if a pipe has burst, or if water is coming through a ceiling. We handle frozen pipes in Crystal Palace and burst pipes in Crystal Palace. More on the area is on our Crystal Palace area page.

Need a plumber now?

Call 07868 281022 and tell us your postcode, which floor you are on, what is frozen or leaking, and whether the water is off. We agree the price with you before any work starts.