SCOTTISH Water is urging householders and businesses across Scotland to ensure their water pipes are protected from cold weather this winter.

Property owners are being advised that preparing for sub-zero temperatures could prevent problems such as burst pipes and flooding – and all the inconvenience and expense they can cause.

Scottish Water has also launched its new free text alert initiative to encourage customers to be aware of any potential disruption to service in their area and how to prepare for every eventuality and is encouraging.

When temperatures fall below zero, water in pipes can freeze and expand and then contract if the temperature rises which can cause them to crack or burst.

Last winter, Scottish Water recorded a total of 3100 bursts across the country’s water network and more than 30 per cent of these were on customers’ properties.

The bursts and leaks also meant substantial amounts of the water Scottish Water produces was lost.

To help reduce the risk of a repeat this winter, the utility advises anyone with a home, holiday home or business premises to take action to protect their properties and pipes, whether the property is old or new.

The key advice about pipes is to heat, insulate and protect:

Heat: Most modern boilers have frost-protection built in, which will fire up the central heating system if needed, even when your heating is turned off. This applies if your boiler is inside or outside.

Different manufacturers take different approaches, but a common method is that if the water in the heating circuit drops below a certain temperature, the boiler will temporarily turn on.

Your boiler must be powered on for this feature to work. If you are not away on holiday in cold weather it’s unlikely the boiler would ever need to turn on for frost protection, as the temperatures at which it might be triggered (around 10 degrees) will typically be much lower than you would normally heat the house to (around 16-21 degrees).

If you don’t have frost protection built-in to your boiler, or are unsure, you don’t need to be concerned unless you are going away in cold weather where you expect the outside temperatures to drop below five degrees in the period you are away.

Insulate: Pipes don’t like the cold – whether they are outdoor or indoor, metal or plastic, new or old. Making sure pipes and water tanks are properly insulated is one of the simplest, and cheapest, things which can be done to help protect properties from the cold.

Make sure that there are no gaps at bends, valves or fitting, and that you use a suitable insulation material. If you have a condensing boiler, insulate the condensate pipe: efficient condensing boilers produce a small amount of condensate which drains away through a plastic pipe, usually outside.

If that pipe gets blocked with a build-up of ice, the boiler will stop working. Insulate the plastic pipe with foam pipe insulation to keep it warmer and prevent the condensate water from freezing and blocking the pipe.

Protect: If you're going away then make sure you have someone who can regularly check for any problems. If your neighbours don’t have a key for your home make sure they have contact details for someone who does in case of an emergency.

If your boiler does not have built in frost protection, then you can set your room thermostat to 10C and the programmer to 'On' or '24h' and it will fire up the boiler if needed.

If your property is going to be vacant over the winter months, turn off your house water supply and drain the water system – a plumber should be able to give you advice about this.

Visit scottishwater.co.uk/winter for further advice, information and films.