Advice for Council Tenants and Homeowners During Cold Weather

image of a snowflake with the question 'are you prepared for the winter ahead?'

Cork County Council is advising homeowners and Council tenants to take preventative measures to winterproof their homes throughout the extended cold weather.

All exposed pipes, should be adequately insulated: Insulate or wrap a towel around outside taps to help prevent them from freezing over
Check to ensure your stopcock valve can be opened and closed easily in the event of a leak. If you're going away, you may want to consider turning off your stop valve and draining the system so there is no water in the pipes to freeze.
Ensure any gaps under doors and around windows are covered or sealed as cold air coming from outside can cause pipes to freeze inside your home
Leave heating on for longer periods at lower settings, even while away. Doing this allows warm air to circulate and will help prevent pipes and tanks from freezing in the cold weather.
Opening doors to unheated areas of your home occasionally to allow warm air to circulate can prevent pipes and tanks from freezing in the cold weather.

Please note that leaving taps running does not prevent water pipes from freezing. Further useful information and useful tips are available from Uisce Éireann: https://www.water.ie/help/supply/winterproofing

Council tenants are advised to contact Cork County Council’s maintenance call centres in the event of any leaks or water supply issues that occur during the cold spell or to contact (021)-4800048 for emergency issues that arise outside of normal office hours.

Uisce Éireann Customers can check the https://www.water.ie/ website and social media channels for updates and can get in touch with any issues or concerns via its 24/7 customer care centre at 1800 278 278.