Please watch our video guides below or check out all videos in our quick fix series on our website here: Quick Fix Guides
Quick Fix - Looking after frozen pipes
Quick Fix - Guide to boilers
Quick Fix - Bleeding radiators
Quick Fix - Damp and Condensation
The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for 'heavy snow' accompanied by strong winds across the North West this week.
Widespread freezing conditions overnight means we could see temperatures drop as low as 1C (with 'feels like' temperatures feeling far colder at -3C) from Thursday morning.
Ice and snow will predominately impact Northern and Eastern areas with, in excess of, 5 - 10cm of snow predicted on higher ground in the North, from Thursday through to Friday.
If you are traveling during this time, we urge you to plan ahead and check for disruptions due to hazardous driving conditions on the Transport for Great Manchester website.
Cold weather can have a serious impact on our health please wrap up warm and take a moment to speak with vulnerable friends and family during this time.
(Details on how to contact your Neighbourhood Officer or access support via our Winter Warmth campaign can be found at the bottom of this page).
Frozen pipes are also a real concern as they can affect hot water and heating supplies. In extreme cases water pipes can burst so it's best to take some simple steps to prevent your pipes from freezing and help avoid frozen pipes, condensation, and boiler malfunction during this cold spell.
Avoiding frozen pipes:
- Insulate pipes and water tanks
Wrap pipes in cold areas with pipe sponge covers. Insulate any water tanks, especially in colder places like the loft. - Leave your heating on
Set your thermostat at 12-15C when you're away from the property. This keeps the air inside warm to help stop internal pipes from freezing. - Open cabinet doors and loft hatches
Allow warm air to circulate around pipes under sinks or in the attic. - Run your taps
It's harder for water to freeze if it's running, so turn your taps on and off regularly. Or let your taps trickle so water is always passing. If you’re on a water meter, make sure you keep an eye on your usage if you do this. - Drain your water system
If you know you'll be away in colder weather, think about draining the water from your system completely.
Repair frozen pipes:
If you have a burst water pipe, turn off the stop cock and report an emergency repair by calling 0161 226 4211.
However, if your pipes are only frozen, you could try defrosting them yourself. Make sure you’re safe before you do any work. If you’re not confident please get in touch - details on how to contact us for non-urgent repair can be found below.
3 Steps to thaw your frozen pipes:
1. Turning on the taps
- Turning on the taps in your home helps to relieve the pressure on the system. And it can show you where the frozen pipe(s) are.
- If water doesn’t come out of several taps, you should call a plumber to investigate. But if the problem affects only one tap, you may choose to sort out the frozen pipe yourself.
- Outside pipes or pipes in unheated places like attics are most likely to freeze. You may be able to work back from the affected tap to find the section that needs thawing.
2. Warming pipes by turning up the heat
If you’re not sure where the frozen pipe is or it’s not easy to access it:
- Try turning up your heating. Increasing the air temperature in your home can be enough to thaw affected pipes.
- Open up cupboards and loft hatches to let the warm air circulate around your
- You could use a portable heater for unheated internal areas like garages or lofts. If you do use a space heater, don’t leave it unattended
3. Applying heat to frozen pipes
- For an exposed pipe, you can try applying heat to the pipe itself.
- First, feel along the pipe until you find the frozen section.
- You need to warm the pipe slowly. Try using a hairdryer. If you’re not able to plug one in, you could wrap a warm cloth around the frozen section of the pipe instead.
- Do not use a direct flame like a blow torch. You could boil the water, causing your pipes to explode, or melt the pipe itself.
How to report emergency and non-urgent Repairs
Our phone lines are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week for emergency repairs. An emergency repair (for example; fire, flooding/water ingress that can't be contained, break-in, no heating, no hot water) must only be reported by calling 0161 226 4211.
Please note: During freezing temperatures, we receive a lot of calls about failed heating and hot water systems. The root of the problem is often frozen pipes. We recommend you try to thaw your frozen pipes before contacting us.
For non-emergency repairs there are a number of ways you can contact us:
- Email: enquiry@msvhousing.co.uk
- Call: 0161 226 4211
- Register on our customer portal ‘My MSV’
- Contact Form on our website
The response time for repairs is dependent upon the level of urgency and you will be advised of this when you contact us.
A repair that requires an emergency response will be prioritised. An emergency response may only be to make safe the repair, and additional work required to complete the repair may take place on a further appointment.
You will always be given an appointment time and date for your repair and we will send a text message to confirm the details.
Reporting via MSV’s Social Media
At MSV, we use social media to engage with you, build communities, and communicate any changes that may affect residents.
Please do not report repairs through MSV’s social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn) as they are not monitored by our repairs team. If you do comment or send a private message, you can expect a response between the hours of 9am to 5pm from Monday to Friday.
Important: Don’t post your personal details, such as your address or phone number, when posting publicly to our social media accounts.
