West Berkshire Lifestyle Nov - Dec 2022

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PREPARE YOUR HOME FOR WINTER Taking on some basic maintenance can help prepare your home for winter as the changing weather conditions can cause costly damage. With a few easy steps you can be winter ready for the long, cold months ahead... 1. SERVICE YOUR BOILER Your boiler should be serviced annually to make sure that it’s still safe to use and works efficiently. Ideally this should be done before the heating season. This will give you some time to make sure everything is still working before the days get too cold! There are other ways to ensure your central heating is efficient. Bleeding radiators, to release trapped air, is a DIY task. While power flushing, a job best left to the plumbers and heating engineers, can ensure a build up of sludge is removed from radiators. 2. INSULATE YOUR LOFT SPACE If you haven’t already insulated this space, or you have poorly performing insulation that has slumped over time, tackling this project will quickly pay dividends over the colder months. 3. CHECK YOUR GUTTERING An essential task when preparing your home for winter — look for leaves, moss and other debris and clear gutters and downpipes to prevent blockages in heavy rain and snow. Cracked, missing or damaged rainwater goods or brackets should ideally be replaced, too. Leaky rainwater goods, can, over a period of time lead to damp, so it’s important to make these cheap fixes now — rather than making costly remedial work at a later date. 4. GET YOUR CHIMNEY SWEPT The winter weather can cause damage to your chimney, so the pre-winter months are a great time to get your chimney professionally swept. Sweeping will improve the efficiency of your chimney by ensuring any potential blockages, such as nests or a build up soot, are removed before you start using your open fire or log burning stove. 5. INSULATE YOUR PIPES Insulating (or lagging) your pipes can reduce the loss of heating and also prevent them freezing and bursting. This is particularly important when plumbing is located in cold areas such as in uninsulated loft spaces and garages. Keep the heating at a low level (above 4°C) even when you’re away from the property, as this will help maintain a consistent temperature around the pipes. Just in case of emergencies, know where your stopcock is to enable you to turn the cold water system off and limit further damage. The stopcock is usually located under your kitchen sink and normally looks like a tap/lever. 6. MAKE SURE YOUR OIL TANK IS TOPPED UP If your property has an oil tank, make sure it’s topped up for winter. Doing so will help you avoid peak winter prices and make sure you don’t run out of oil through the colder months. 7. GET YOUR OUTDOOR SPACE READY Making sure your garden is clear, clean and ready for winter is a good idea. Secure anything that could be swept away by the wind such as greenhouses, plant pots and wheelie bins. 8. GET YOUR ROOF CHECKED Roof slates/tiles can become loose throughout the year and this could lead to leaks through the winter. It may be a good idea to get your roof inspected by a professional to make sure there are no areas that need fixing before the colder months. 9. DRAUGHT PROOF WINDOWS, DOORS AND FLOORS With current energy prices rises, undertaking draught proofing measures can be a relatively simple and costeffective way of improving your home’s thermal performance. Measures include insulating loft hatches, adding draught proofing strips to doors, and blocking up unused chimneys. Some tasks can take minutes — others, such as insulating beneath timber suspended ground floors, are more invasive and will require considerably more work. 10. MAKE SURE YOUR PROPERTY IS INSURED One of the most important things to consider when heading into winter is whether you have home insurance. The winter months bring darker nights which lead to higher crime rates, plus the UK weather obviously starts declining in the winter. Not only will most home insurers provide cover for things like theft, but also fire and flood too. 20 | www.minervamagazines.co.uk
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Page 2 and 3: D&R FURNISHERS BEAUTIFUL INTERIORS,
Page 4 and 5: COMPETITION To enter any (or all!)
Page 6 and 7: A CHRISTMAS CAROL WRITTEN BY BETH F
Page 8 and 9: Putting Girls First GSA Schools Cre
Page 10 and 11: FESTIVE Not a fan of traditional Ch
Page 12 and 13: CHOCOLATE & HAZELNUT SNOWFLAKE Prep
Page 15 and 16: VEGAN CHOCOLATE & COCONUT CARAMEL P
Page 17 and 18: Image Hypnos Beds LEADING BRANDS AT
Page 22 and 23: GIVING COUNT With Christmas around
Page 24: MG4 EV ALL ELECTRIC HATCHBACK Motor
Page 28 and 29: the joys of RETIREMENT From keeping
Page 30: NEVER MISS A MOMENT WITH THE SMALLE

West Berkshire Lifestyle Nov - Dec 2022

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