A big part of living in the UK is dealing with the regular bouts of rainfall. With climate change, it is likely that we will see more extreme weather and perhaps we will therefore experience periods of very heavy rainfall, which can cause all sorts of problems.
Flooding is not uncommon in the UK, especially during the winter months. Storms sweeping in from the Atlantic, as well as melting snow running off the mountains and hills into already saturated ground are two of the causes of flooding in the winter.
However, as more land is being used for building, there is also the concern that this is not giving anywhere for the water to drain away to and making the risk of flooding in some areas of the UK higher.
When homes are built, it is a legal requirement that they need to have a way to remove any water from the roof of the house. This is typically done by using a rainwater downpipe, which nowadays tends to be made of uPVC, however, on older properties you might find that they are made of a metal like iron.
Although these are a great system and are good at doing their job of moving the water from the roof and into the ground, it is important to make sure that they are well cared for and maintained if you want to make sure that they are protecting your property fully.
Something to look out for in the winter is the pipe becoming blocked up with debris. Moss, twigs and old birds nests can accumulate in the pipes which then cause them to block up and stop doing their job correctly. Keeping an eye on it throughout the winter is essential if you want to make sure it works well during periods of wet weather.
Downpipes are usually attached with brackets, so are designed to be easy to remove and clean out when necessary.
You can also use pipe protectors like these www.meterbox.co.uk/pipe-protectors to give your pipes that extra protection. This is especially good if your home is quite exposed to the elements, or you want to make sure that your pipes last for longer.
