Winterising Your House and Outbuildings
Frost damage is a drainage problem more than an insulation problem. What to drain, what to isolate, and how to leave a property that will not burst.
Guide
Property records · PR-09
Autumn and Winter Home Checklist
A free printable autumn and winter home maintenance checklist — heating service, frost protection, gutters, and alarm testing before the cold.
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2 pages. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.
Print it and write on it
Fill it in type and save
The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.
What this sheet is for
Get ahead of the cold, so a frost or a storm does not turn into a burst pipe or a heating failure on the coldest night of the year.
Who it is for
Homeowners in any climate that gets a real winter, and anyone with outside plumbing or a heating system.
How to use it
- Print it in early autumn — the point is to be finished before the first frost.
- Book the heating service before the season starts, not during it.
- Do the frost section even in a mild year.
- Date each line as you go.
What is on the sheet
2 pages, in this order:
Page 1
Printed under the title: The jobs that stop a cold snap becoming an expensive one. Best done before the first hard frost, not after it.
Heating
- Service the boiler, furnace or heat pump before the heating season
- Bleed radiators and check system pressure
- Sweep the chimney and check the flue and cowl
- Check the oil or fuel level and order early
- Test the heating on a cold morning, not on the first cold night
Water and frost
- Drain and isolate outside taps; disconnect and store hoses
- Check pipe lagging in the loft, garage and unheated spaces
- Insulate the cold water tank and any exposed pipework
- Locate the stopcock again and check it still turns
- Run rarely-used taps and flush unused toilets to keep traps sealed
Outside
- Clear gutters after the last of the leaves have fallen
- Clear drains and gullies
- Cut back branches that could come down on the roof or the supply cable
- Secure fence panels, gates and anything that can blow about
- Check the roof again after the first storm
Page 2
Safety
- Test every smoke and carbon monoxide alarm and note the date
- Check extinguisher pressure and service date
- Check torches, batteries and candles are where you can find them
- Check the loft hatch seal and insulation depth
Ruled lines: Notes and anything specific to yours
Read next
Related sheets
Spring and Summer Home Checklist
Work through the jobs that are easiest in warm, dry weather, while access is good and the heating is off.
PR-08 2 pages
Outdoor Machinery Winterising Checklist
Do one pass through everything with an engine before the cold, so nothing needs a carburettor rebuild in spring.
OM-08 2 pages
Smoke and CO Alarm Test Log
Prove the alarms were tested, and catch the thing most people miss: alarms have an expiry date, and a working test button does not mean a working sensor.
SC-01 2 pages
Also in the resources library
The same subject, with a version you can fill in on screen.
Annual Home Maintenance Calendar
Which jobs fall in which month, decided once and written down.
HP-02 Calendar PDF Online
Winter Weather Readiness Checklist
What has been checked on the heating, hot water and pipework.
SF-499 Checklist PDF Online
