Protect your home at Christmas

As the wintry weather begins to take effect, homes all around the United Kingdom are simultaneously turning up the heating and preparing for all things festive. The combination of Christmas decorations, lit candles and fairy lights can seriously increase the risk of fire in your home. When you add cold weather to the mix, there is also the danger of freezing pipes and water damage. Here are five simple precautions that you can take to look after your homes this winter:

Check all smoke alarms

It doesn’t take long to check that your smoke alarm is working. If you don’t have a smoke alarm in your house, it should be top priority to fit one. The best present you can give your family is safety.

Take care with open fires

A log fire is wonderfully cosy and charming, but to enjoy your open fire safely, you must make sure that your chimney is in proper working order. If you haven’t already, get it checked by a building surveyor to make sure it is structurally sound before lighting a fire. Always make sure that flammable items such as cards and decorations are kept well away from any open flame.

Prevent freezing pipes

If you go away over Christmas, turning your heating right off could prove to be a false economy, because the damage that can be done by a burst pipe will be far more expensive to repair than any money you saved on gas bills. Make sure that your pipes don’t freeze by keeping your central heating on at a low level while you are away. This also means that your home will warm up more quickly when you return.

Another trick to guard against frozen pipes is to install lagging and insulation around them, and also around your water tank. This will increase the energy efficiency of your heating system giving you better value for money for your heating bills as well.

Have your boiler serviced

Ensure your boiler doesn’t break down this winter by getting it serviced regularly by a gas safe engineer. Not only will the engineer make sure the boiler operates as efficiently as possible, they will also check for signs of dangerous carbon monoxide gas.

Keep your home secure

If you are leaving your home unattended at Christmas, guard against break-ins by making sure that you don’t leave any valuable items on view. Double-check that all doors and windows are secure and tell your neighbours that you are going away. You may wish to invest in a timer switch to turn a light on and off at various times so that your house doesn’t look empty when it gets dark.

Best wishes from reallymoving.com for a happy and safe Christmas!

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