Most Likely Winter Home Emergencies

Winter is very much here with all its cold, dark and dreary delights. And with the weather taking a distinct turn for the worse, the risks of things going awry around the home are also very much on the increase.

Nonetheless, figures suggest that two thirds of UK households are unprepared for the dangers that may materialise in the months ahead. So what are the biggest winter home emergency risks, and what can you do about them?

Boiler failure

The undisputed champion of winter home emergencies is the broken down boiler. When temperatures really start to dip and you start to crank the heating up for longer and longer every day, that’s when the strain on any creaking systems really starts to show. If your boiler hasn’t had a service in a while and has developed any underlying faults, the hard work it has to put in over the winter months can really expose these and leave you well and truly out in the cold facing an expensive emergency repair bill. Get your boiler serviced asap to save yourself hundreds of pounds and give yourself that added peace of mind.

Frozen pipes

Unlike many other countries, the UK only infrequently experiences severe, sustained freezes when the temperatures don’t rise above zero for days or weeks on end - and that tends to make us ill-prepared when it does happen. Frozen pipes are the most obvious risk of a hard freeze, leading to plumbing systems backing up or cracks in piping that can cause flooding. Your boiler is also at risk from condensation pipes freezing. The best protection is to make sure all exposed pipework is appropriately lagged and keep drains clear and regularly cleaned, as blockages of solid waste increase the risk of cracking if the pipes freeze.

Pest infestation

While we often think of emergency situations in our home being all about appliances packing in and severe damage being caused, having our homes infested with rats, mice or other creatures can be no less distressing. The risk of this happening during winter increases dramatically because, like us, little critters are looking for somewhere warm to get out of the cold. Keeping your home, and especially your kitchen, clean and clear of clutter helps to make sure there is no food lying around to attract unwanted guests and no convenient places for them to hide away. It’s also a good idea to carry out a thorough check to make sure there are no obvious ways they can get inside.

Getting protected

There are, of course, other risks associated with severe winter weather, such as flooding and storm damage. Despite being the most destructive of all, these are, mercifully, less common than those listed above - although there’s little you can do to prepare if you are unfortunate enough to fall victim to them.

One thing everyone can do, however, is get themselves protected by taking out home emergency insurance cover. With only one in five home insurance policies providing protection for emergency repairs, give yourself that added peace of mind this winter with Row.co.uk’s exceptional value emergency cover.

*The information in this blog is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. Please seek a professional for expert advice as we can not be held responsible for any damages or negative consequences upon following this information.

Samsung’s flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S7 has taken the world by storm and if you are one of those lucky blokes who bought one after a major promotion at work, chances are that you are still living under a rock when it comes to knowing the various hidden functionalities present in your new friend. But don’t worry; here are 4 of those hidden secrets.

Click here for a Samsung Galaxy S7 Insurance quote!

· The One-Handed Mode

This is a function built into the S7 that allows users to use the phone with a single hand only; very handy for those who like spending countless hours in the kitchen or for those who dare to use their phones while driving (Strongly discouraged though). It is present in both the S7 and the S7 edge.

To enable it, head over to the setting and tap ‘Advanced Features’. Over here, you will come across the ‘One-Handed Operation’ mode and there will be two options; either you can reduce the screen size by hitting the home button three times or you can select the ‘One-Handed Input’ option to move the keyboard to a corner of the screen.

· Use Two Apps Simultaneously

Yes you heard it correctly! The Galaxy S7 features the ability to run two apps at the same time; now you can surf the internet and edit your thesis simultaneously. How do you access it? It’s simple. Press the square button (the overview button) and this will bring up a list of the most recently used apps.

Look carefully and you will see two rectangles on the left of the apps; tap on it and the app will open, taking up the half of the phone’s display. In the lower half, you will see the same list and you can select the app to multitask with.

· Place More App Shortcuts on the Desktop

The S7 comes with the ability to change the screen’s grid size to accommodate more shortcuts for your favourite apps, games, and widgets. Now you don’t have to worry about removing the ‘Flappy Bird’ shortcut to fit the health tracker app you just downloaded. Simply tap on an empty space of the screen and the ‘screen grid’ option will appear.

S7 comes with a standard 4x4 grid which means that you can keep up to 16 app shortcuts on the home screen. However, you can increase it to 5x5, thereby allowing you to store up to 25 app shortcuts on the desktop.

· Record Your Games

This feature is perfect for those who like to boast about their gaming exploits. The S7 comes with an app called ‘Game Launcher’ that enables you to play games on your handset seamlessly. You can record your gameplay and upload it to YouTube.

Go to settings, then advanced features, and then go to the games section. You will see an option called ‘Game Tools’; tap it to turn it on. Now whenever you are playing a game, tap the floating icon to start recording.

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