Burst pipe repair in Sheffield

Water expands as it freezes. The ice itself rarely splits the pipe where it forms. The pressure builds between the ice and a closed tap, and the pipe gives way there. That is why the leak often shows only when the weather warms up.

Sheffield has more cold weather than its city status suggests. The city rises from 29 metres at Blackburn Meadows to 548 metres at High Stones on the Derbyshire border, and the Geography of Sheffield notes that Deepcar and Stocksbridge are often among the first places to get snow. Homes on the western edges, in Fulwood, Lodge Moor and Dore, also sit high and exposed.

The pipes most at risk are in unheated spaces: loft tanks and pipes, cellars with a grate open to the street, outside taps, and pipes on north facing walls.

If the burst is inside your house or on the pipe between your boundary and your house, it is yours to fix. If water is coming up through the pavement or road, it is probably a Yorkshire Water main or communication pipe. Report that to Yorkshire Water rather than calling a plumber.

Some Sheffield terraces share one supply pipe between several houses. If the burst is on a shared section, the owners share the repair, as Yorkshire Water explains on its supply pipe leaks page.

Most bursts can be prevented. Lag pipes and tanks in lofts, cellars and garages with proper foam lagging. Fit an isolating valve and drain the outside tap before winter. If you go away in a cold spell, leave the heating on low rather than off.

Yorkshire Water's winter advice also suggests checking pipes, taps, cisterns, tanks and meters in unheated areas. In stone terraces with cellars, the cold usually comes in through the cellar grate or a gap around the supply pipe. Blocking the draught is often as useful as the lagging.

Most repairs use the same material as the pipe that burst, so joints are simple and strong. Push fit plastic pipe is flexible and copes better with freezing than copper, which makes it a good choice in a cold loft or cellar. Copper is still the right choice near the boiler and where pipes are on show.

If your house still has lead pipes, a burst is a good moment to think about replacing that run. Yorkshire Water says homes built before 1970 may have lead pipes, and it runs a lead renewal scheme for the part in the street once you replace your side. We can explain what that involves and how the application works before you decide.

One more thing to check after a lead or galvanised pipe is replaced with plastic: older homes were sometimes earthed through the metal water pipe. Yorkshire Water advises getting an electrician to check the earthing if your home was built before 1966.