Home insurance - tips & advice - safety in the home

Home emergencies are never fun and, while repairs should always be carried out by one of our Home Repair Network experts (Available to Direct Line Home Insurance Policyholders only. Applies to claims above £3250), there are a few things you can do to limit potential damage…

Burst pipes

First things first: turn off all stopcocks.

Stopcocks are valves that can stop the flow of water, attached to the pipes. The first stopcock is usually in the kitchen beside or under the sink, while the stopcock for the storage tank, which feeds water into your cistern and bath, will probably be in the bathroom or in a bedroom.

If the water cannot be stopped immediately, open all cold taps to drain the pipes. Don’t turn on the hot taps, but do turn off the central heating and electric immersion heaters.

Frozen pipes

Again, turn off the stopcocks. If the pipe’s split empty the cold water by opening the cold taps, by flushing the toilet or by siphoning water from the cistern. If the pipe isn’t split, thaw it out slowly with hot water bottles or a hair dryer. Lagging pipes with foam pipe protectors can help prevent freezing.

Gas leak

Firstly, turn off the gas at the control valve (typically on the pipe coming our of your gas meter, often on the left-hand side), then open all the doors and windows. Put out any naked flames, don’t light cigarettes or matches and don’t turn on electrical switches. Then, call Transco, the 24-hour freephone national gas emergency service on 0800 111 999.

Fire

Always fit a British Standard’s approved smoke alarm (marked with the kitemark) and check the batteries every week. The best place to fit smoke alarms is at the top or bottom of the stairs, or in a flat in the hallway between the living and sleeping areas. In both cases they should be at least 30cm from the nearest light fitting.

Make sure your home complies with fire safety regulations regarding fire doors and escape routes. Contact your local authority’s Building Control department if you’re not sure.

In the event of fire:

• shut the door of the room where it is burning, then leave the building
• close all doors behind you to starve the fire of oxygen
• ring 999 once you have escaped

If you find yourself trapped:

• block gaps under doors to help stop smoke spreading
• stay close to the floor to avoid smoke

For more information go to www.firekills.gov.uk.

Be prepared

• Lag those pipes
• Have your boiler checked annually
• Locate your stop valve
• Keep emergency numbers listed by your phone
• Buy essential tools, such as a wrench and torch
• Ensure your family knows how to behave in an emergency
• Fit a carbon-monoxide alarm
• Have an evacuation plan in case of fire
  

Finally, it really pays dividends to take out insurance against emergencies. Direct Line’s Home Insurance includes the Home Repair Network (available to Direct Line Home Insurance Policyholders only. Applies to claims between the threshold values stated on your policy documents), with access to 24 hours emergency helpline, whilst our Home Response 24 membership guarantees the call-out of an approved professional 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It might also save money on repairs.