5 Tips to Prepare Your Property for Winter

[@dogbreath6974]

Great episode. one point on the rock salt, if you have concrete paths it will damage the surface, as it did with mine.

[@trolleyproblem7195]

Thanks for these tips. A how-to on those aluminium platforms would be really helpful.

[@smashyrashy]

The scaffolding?

[@slackbladder69]

Am I the only one that can relate to "I've got a slightly small one here just to fit in to this hole"? Thanks for the tips, great video as always :)

[@jamiegleave7620]

and... "If you can get in there, give it a good push" 😄

[@wywywywywywywy]

I've got some Ikea GU10 non-dimmable LEDs outside for nearly 10 years now. Still work as good as the first day! Highly recommended

[@topgazza]

In general their reliability as a technology is woeful. Except the IKEA ones for me as well. Well done IKEA 😀

[@tonkatoy200]

Seconded for LED bulbs, for other bulbs, keep your receipts, most shops will replace them if they fail short of average lifetime. (25000 hours is 3 years permanently on)

[@andy_rb]

Thanks for the timely reminder! Gutters are now done.

[@ProperDIY]

Well done!

[@deanwellerassociates]

Great vid Stuart, practical tips nearly as good as your comedy cuts.

[@derbyshirebirdwatcher6054]

Good stuff this. I also oil outside locks and hinges to keep them moving freely when the cold weather arrives.

[@ProperDIY]

Good tip

[@DjGiluk]

Great tips thanks Stuart. Love these type of videos, really handy. The rock salt one is a good shout - bit like a snow shovel! Keep up the great content 👍🏻

[@ProperDIY]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@theCybershot123]

Tip i use for light bulbs is put some blue tack on bulb glass for removal and fitting then wipe glass with clean cloth.

[@ProperDIY]

Great tip!

[@2Peachcobler]

Great tips. I have a HVAC system instead of a boiler. I’ve had it checked and all my plumbing around my house. Need to replace my security lights and find someone to clean my gutters. Love the garden hose housing you have I need to find that. Currently I manually recoil my hose and carry it to my basement. Still want to paint some trim so I’m hoping I’ll have a few nice days before it gets too cold. Thanks for your video.

[@2Peachcobler]

@@millomweb yes they have hose reels in the big box stores but they cost more than I’m willing to pay.

[@2Peachcobler]

@@millomweb Garden centers are even more expensive. Besides it’s winter now and I’ve carried everything inside for safe keeping against the harsh winter.

[@Gal980]

Where I am, I expect a total of ~3 m of snow by the end of winter. I prepare for that by renewing my snow removal contract in late September. I don't have your type of furnace - heat-pump with an electric furnace. Totally different. As for gutters, there are aluminium covers that prevent clogging... Outdoor lights? Use "regular" LED lights similar to the ones you used in your attic. Way cheaper and easier to find than these little projector types. I like the grease idea though. As for the garden hose, please remove the spray adapter when emptying the hose. It's faster. I really like your roll-up contraption to store the hose. Rock salt? Well, that's obvious, Cheers

[@somewhereelse3813]

Brilliant again. Getting colder here in Cornwall too! Gas boiler and fire serviced only Wednesday by BG - check. Gutters already done and protected by those hairy brush like things - check. Hosepipe, good thinking - now on the list. External light, very recently cleaned and working - check. Salt not needed, council one just up the road (shhh I helps me self) - so check. And finally wife makes great stew & dumplings - so big check

[@ProperDIY]

Excellent! You have got things well under control. I need to find my local council rock salt bin and visit one evening I think!

[@BDX55]

@@ProperDIY Don’t get caught or you’ll be in big trouble!

[@BillyHey72]

@@BDX55 you know they're there for public use? At least our ones are.

[@BDX55]

@@BillyHey72 Yes but only for use on public roads. You’re not allowed to take it for use on private property, at least not where I live.

[@mattkaramccarthy677]

With Viessmann boilers it is best to leave them powered on year round but turn off the heating. They have a pump exercise function built in where if the pump hasn't been turned on in 24 hours it will run the pump once a day for a short time to prevent pump seizing.

[@MinkieWinkle]

i bought 100 kg of rock salt a few years back. picked it up for silly money, a few bob per a bag. i have used it every years since. the stuff is great. as stated in the video. it never goes off. keep it in a dry place. and you are all set every winter.

[@ProperDIY]

Nice one

[@JA-ti3wd]

On the gutters I suggest a gutter brush. It sits in the gutter and allows water through but keeps lumps of moss and leaves out. Very fine moss gets through but the down pipe can deal with that. It can be a pain to fit and I used cable ties to be completely confident it wouldn't move but I've had no issues with overflowing gutters since.

[@JA-ti3wd]

@@millomweb the ones I've had were a bit springy and were a pain to fit. Keep plenty of long cable ties handy - make sure they are the same colour as your guttering. The first house I fitted them to kept getting blockages in the down pipes due to moss. The quote to have my roof chemically cleaned and treated so it wouldn't grow back was several hundred pounds. I looked for other alternatives and bought the gutter brush for £20 or so. The down pipes never blocked up after that. Even if they are difficult to fit I still recommend them but if you use a ladder rather than scaffolding be very careful.

[@JA-ti3wd]

@@millomweb I've heard Zinc is meant to be good for killing moss. I've never tried it myself so I can't say. I know copper is meant to be good at killing bacteria so what you're suggesting might work. Give it a go and if it works out put a video up and tell people about it.

[@alanpervin]

Time to get back into the workshop and bring us some winter projects, no buggering off for some winter sun mate. 😎

[@ProperDIY]

I don't have time to go anywhere!

[@caskwith]

I was planning to fire up the CH this weekend now you mention it. A few of the other jobs can wait though, we don't get proper bad weather in Devon until Jan/Feb.

[@AllenHart999]

The pump doesn’t work like that on a Viessmann Boiler. It’s an ERP pump and you need to push the screwdriver in hard and push before you turn it. Also, your boiler uses the pump for the hot water, As do most systems these days. This advice is more suited to a very old gravity system where the pump isn’t used in the summer months. Hope this helps.

[@ProperDIY]

'Push it in hard and turn it' - that's what I said in the video. You maybe need to re-watch it.

[@AllenHart999]

@@ProperDIY You wouldn’t do that on that boiler. It’s an erp pump,

[@t_parker6780]

Allen hart is spot on.also you shouldn’t be taking you boiler case off unless your gas safe or Competent.not all sealed system have the filling loop some are key or tap on boiler

[@mikeredmond3986]

Allen Hart: “it’s an ERP pump you need to push it in hard and push before you turn it” Proper DIY: “push it in hard and turn it that’s what I said” Allen Hart: “you wouldn’t do that, it’s an ERP pump” Wtf is going on?

[@AbertaweJack]

Love your videos, good presenter

[@frankspencer6935]

Good advice. For many I would recommend using a reputable firm to clear the gutters once a year for less than £100. Getting a safe ladder with all the trimmings is double that, plus the risk isn't worth it. My gutter firm suggested getting some plastic leaf guards for the downpipes which they would chuck in next time they are round. There are some giant pipecleaner things too but they have mixed reviews and more expensive.

[@michaelevans1658]

Good idea just to switch heating on once a month in summer keeps pump primed I was told .

[@ProperDIY]

Good tip

[@paulgray3065]

Great tips as always. Just checked radiators and central heating system and bled radiators 👏

[@ProperDIY]

Nice one!

[@daveg6948]

Great video, great tips too as always. just ordered a 25kg bag of that grit, thanks. All the bast.

[@ProperDIY]

Thanks - nice one

[@antonyporter5045]

great tips, as they say a penny of prevention is worth a pound of cure

[@Baronshill16]

Brilliant advice.

[@carllamb6711]

Hi Stuart Some good advice there mate thanks 😊 it helps when ya best mate is a Gas engineer and lives only four doors down 👍👍👍👍

[@ProperDIY]

You are lucky!

[@gibidygubidy]

6.15 broken roof tile.. possible leaker. Also, I think the visible horizontal groove in the tiles is a minimum headlap indicator....

[@10mray]

Staurt that aint a garden!! Its a park!!! Lucky man

[@awantamta]

Some great tips there. Thank you.

[@ProperDIY]

No problem

[@jimmcdonald6465]

Really helpful. Thank you so much!

[@ProperDIY]

Glad it was helpful!

[@nicholadstoap6944]

I love the way you cracked the joke about the toilet rolls

[@michaeldesouza4911]

Another great video Stuart and some tops tips, in particular the greasing ! I plan to do my pre-winter checks tomorrow. Hope your well and looking forward to a beer on a Friday evening. Best wishes Mike

[@johnsteed9083]

Great I'll be there, where are we going?

[@ProperDIY]

Thank you. After managing to get out a video every Friday I am always ready for a beer in the evening!

[@ruaraidhmcdonald-walker9524]

"If you're feeling nostalgic" ;) love it.

[@ProperDIY]

👍

[@hoodedvendetta]

I think a kind reminder that Rocksalt isn't very kind to dog paws, so do be mindful where you do put it. Other than that, great video, I have the same outside lights and will be buying a lifetime tub of grease as soon as i'm out next, thanks for the tips.

[@thomasbrown5081]

Great video stu stay safe my friend

[@PolymathPete]

Hi, I really like the channel and videos. on the flex hose close the inlet valve first it will leave the hose at lower pressure 1-1.5 bar instead of 3-4 bar of the municipal water supply line, keeping the hose in top shape for longer, I have been told, and seems to make sense ;) cheers!

[@harryinhuahin1272]

I think I mentioned to you before that I live in SEAsia... so I wasn't going to bother with this episode... but I've enjoyed all your videos since you started... so, why not... 1. We don't have central heating but some of us do have air-con, so the theory operates similarly - in reverse... 2. Eaves overhangs are usually 1-2 metres (to help keep heat and rain out) and rarely have gutters but I still learned why not to drag the debris to the downpipe... (I should have known this but I've never cleared guttering...) 3. This one actually does apply to us... Lol 4. I've never seen a hose-reel here - pipes tend to lie on the ground and empty automatically... 5. Don't make me laugh... But I still enjoyed the video - especially for the humour. I suspect you spend more time planning/scripting each video than editing them... so well done you... and a Merry Christmas as well to you and yours.

[@gudjonolafsson]

Thanks for the tips. I do, however, have issues with use of salt on driveways and paving: We had dogs for many years and the salt would hurt their paws. So we stopped using salt. I found that some types of cat litter (especially the ones that would not clump together) work really well on slippery paving. It did not melt anything, but they were no longer slippery. PS - I live in Iceland, so I know a little about ice and snow ;-)

[@pandraus]

well, I trust you anything ice related right after reading your name, sir.

[@CologneCarter]

That's the reason why we in Cologne (not sure about the rest of Germany) are no longer allowed to use salt on and around most properties. There are very strict rules when and where salt can be used. It also can't be used on pathways next to trees or lawns next to waterways and ponds/lakes and the like. There are just a few places with heavy foot traffic where it can be used. Around the cathedral and innercity museums for instance.

[@michaelsmythe6741]

Great vid as usual. Surprised not to see bleeding of radiators and isolation/draining/lagging of outside taps though.

[@outoftheburrough]

A project for you to consider doing in readiness for next year; adapting a hoover to make a gutter hoover so you don't need to be so up close and personal 👍🏻

[@keefykeef]

Ha ha what s great ending🤣🤣🤣 brilliant video as always!

[@ProperDIY]

Thanks Keith - I can rely on you to see it to the very end!

[@Stu1982]

Prober job again me old china. 5 perfect top tips and highly recommended your vids to friends, 5🌟s mate

[@ProperDIY]

Thank you very much - much appreciated.

[@MarcusT86]

Great tips mate

[@ProperDIY]

Glad you enjoyed

[@uhtredthebold2]

I isolate my outside tap over winter to protect it against frost

[@danielfoord7464]

Good video thanks

[@MrSmid888]

An offset on that great little gutter cleaning jig would make it easier. Nowt worse than cleaning gutters sir

[@Abbo888]

I've never had a so called "long life" bulb live a long life.....can't believe Trading Standards aren't all over the manufacturers for those claims.

[@ProperDIY]

Exactly! If they stated 1000 hours I wouldn't mind!

[@AJellySnakeRebel]

whilst on the topic of plumbing there.... any chance of a video that shows how to deal with lost pressure in a shower could be.? potential causes and solutions maybe?

[@samuelbeckett4632]

Stuart, on your other channel, in your review of the Emirates A380, the bar & lounge uses a variety of OEM SMD LED strips & 1w LEDs in bespoke assemblies; all intentionally underdriven (~80%) with a focus on thermal performance to meet the airline reliability requirements. When I did a 2 year reliability check of fleet flight hours verses reported faults, we were actually on track to achieve our declaration of 40k- 50k hours I bet you wouldn't get that from a Poundland bulb 😂

[@ProperDIY]

See thats probably the reason - after me spending many thousand of pounds flying business on Emirates over the years, they have all the money to buy decent LED's and I now have to get mine from Screwfix!

[@flyc3]

Who doesn’t like a squidgy type feel…..great top tips there!

[@ProperDIY]

Ooo I know!

[@nickwalton8864]

My boiler packed up this morning. Freezing cold shower. Brrrrrrr. New fan ordered by gas engineer.

[@波波盡]

Cheers

[@valborchardt3596]

Thanks Stuart…..

[@ProperDIY]

Welcome!

[@DP80s]

Is your house a self build or an uncharacteristically generously-plotted new build?

[@ProperDIY]

It's the latter actually - took me a bit to find it

[@timhubbard4039]

My tip is to buy better quality GU10s than LAP, you get what you pay for.

[@samuelbeckett4632]

Wrt LED bulb life, unfortunately you get what you pay for, even from decent OEMs. They often contain a poor quality capacitive dropper or SMPS & depending on the type of LED used within (1 or 3W luxeon), the typical killer is a lack of adequate heat dissipation away from the aluminium pcb substrate.

[@ProperDIY]

I was going to say that!

[@SprocketN]

Or, in English the GU10 shape is hopeless as an LED lamp as the LED driver circuit gets too hot. They weren’t much good as halogen lamps either, again over heating. I have nine of them in my kitchen, replace one every few months. Eventually I’ll get round to changing the fittings to something that takes a different lamp.

[@dhewitt2514]

My wife solves the first potential issue by never switching the heating off! 🙄😂

[@ProperDIY]

Now I didn't think of that solution!

[@dhewitt2514]

@@ProperDIY don’t mention it to her 😂

[@beplh5242]

08:36 top one looks cross-threaded

[@MegaGavinski]

GU 10 bulbs are generally shite, and never get anywhere near the stated lifespan. I’ve got 15 in my kitchen and hardly ever have a full working set. For me Aldi bulbs were good and cheap, but guess what … they’ve stopped doing them!

[@ProperDIY]

I'm glad I'm not the only one then!

[@topgazza]

I assume that was a halogen lamp ? That kind of reliability also applies to LEDs as well. The great con of the eco loons that will save energy and as a bonus, costs, has been exposed LEDs, even the top brands, fail well before their claimed lifespan. Not all but it’s a lottery. The electronics are driven at their limits and fail way too early. The much higher costs of the lamps wipes out any energy saving Good video though, as usual 😀

[@ProperDIY]

Thanks. These are all LED's. Maybe it means 25000 h if kept on continuously!

[@topgazza]

@@ProperDIY I think that’s what they mean. As an ex electronics engineer I’ve taken a few apart and the component ratings are the minimum they need to be on most of the no name makes and even in some of the brands names. Saves money. This means they are stressed out no matter how long they are on. Guaranteed early failure due to heat. Especially in GU10s where there often no ventilation around the lamp base. Run a GU10 for 30 mins, take it out , and feel how hot the base area is But the 25000 hours should be time in use. So your outside lights should last for years. It really is smoke and mirrors and clever marketing

[@eamonnmckeown6770]

I thought the English way of preparing for winter was to retire to Spain? Just kidding. lol.

[@Smithb83]

I was literally complaining to the wife that some of the LED bulbs have gone in the lounge and they've only been going for a year. She promptly corrected me that they've been there 3 years. Either way they didn't serve 25000 hours and I'm a bit upset 😅

[@MrSmid888]

Good channel this, watched most, been some good banter and pros vs cons on various videos. That’s got me thinking……. I wonder how many let’s just say “non hands on” guys or also known as absolutely useless ******s have tried to complete one of these “proper diy” jobs to absolute disaster? 😂 Let’s be honest, these are great videos but they’re definitely a step up from bog standard diy jobs like some tedious IKEA flat pack. When you know how it looks easy. Good luck all! 🤩

[@danclayton2137]

Not square enough?!

[@ProperDIY]

Yes, square enough has been taken!

[@danclayton2137]

Proper DIY 😉😉

[@craigwilliams6734]

You can get a sucker to screw that up Stuart!

[@pandraus]

25 thousand hours?

[@mattsan70]

Removing the outer cover of a combi boiler is illegal unless gas safe registered as it forms part of the combustion process, especially in condensing boilers. Love your vids but this is very bad advice really for the average DIYer.

[@williamcollett4726]

Worlds most boring comment goes too....

[@joshk528]

Fuck laws… it’s private property do what you want

[@IWANASLAPTHAT]

BUY Rock salt? WHAT. go to a salt tub at the side of the road, It's your anyways as you have paid for it.

[@garvielloken3929]

Nooice!

[@george-1961]

25,000 hours my ar@@ 😂

[@ProperDIY]

Nice to see some people watch until the end!

[@lozhunter9575]

getting sick to death of the four and five pound haligen bulbs, says ten years, more like ten months

[@ProperDIY]

Exactly!