Going on holiday for 10 days - heating off, or set a minimum temperature?

What_time_is_it

sully1311 said:

What_time_is_it said:

Not thought about the water stop. What's the advantage/disadvantage there?
I've got a combi boiler so presumably if the heating is set to off then the hot water is also off?

Burst pipes

Do you mean that there is a risk of burst pipes if I don't turn off the water stop? Forgive my ignorance, but I don't really understand.

What_time_is_it

chris_n said:

If your house is going to get down to 10 degrees over the course of 10 days with the temperatures forecast you need to have a serious look at your insulation and draught proofing! 

Agreed! It's a problem and we are looking into getting better windows and loft insulation.
Yesterday we had the heating on for 1 hour in the morning before work and it was down to 14 when we got home.

k_man

Astria said:

What_time_is_it said:

Astria said:

I would set it to maintain an inside temperature of at least 10 - 12c.

Before you decide I'd check your home insurance as some specify minimum temperature requirements to provide cover.

How would they know?

They wouldn't, unless you made a claim for damage caused by low temperatures.

Considering we are not expecting freezing temperatures then if you set your thermostat at something like 10c then the heating shouldn't come on anyway, so it won't cost any more than leaving it off.

And weather forecasts can change over 10 days too.
There is no real downside of leaving on, but at a low temperature just in case.

SAC2334 said:

Off for me too as no chance of hitting sub zero unless you live high up in Northern Scotland ,
 Electric on only for the fridge/freezer/alarms .Water stop !!!!!! also turned off .

If there is no chance of hitting sub zero, why turn off the water stop?

chris_n said:

If your house is going to get down to 10 degrees over the course of 10 days with the temperatures forecast you need to have a serious look at your insulation and draught proofing! 

Current forecast for Newcastle upon Tyne (an example location in northern England) over the next 2 weeks is low of 2 or 3C and high of 8 or 9.
Over 10 days, with no heating, I think many houses would get down towards 10C.

Swipe

What_time_is_it said:

Sub-zero seems very unlikely. I'm in northern England and the minimum forecast temperature is 3 degrees. What temperature is a problem? 0 right?

It would take a considerable number of consecutive days of sub zero temperatures to freeze internal pipes. A few nights at 0C isn't going to be an issue, even for a header tank in the loft or an outside tap.

tripled

In the summer I would have it off completely, but being mid November I would leave it on at a very low setting on the thermostat, some have a frost setting, otherwise the lowest temperature (for example, mine goes down to 10 degrees). If the weather is mild it is unlikely to come on much if at all, however if there is a cold snap you don't want to come back to burst pipes.

What_time_is_it said:

Do you mean that there is a risk of burst pipes if I don't turn off the water stop? Forgive my ignorance, but I don't really understand.

When water freezes, it expands, can damage the pipe, and then when the water thaws, it will pour out. Turning off the water stop will prevent large amounts of water pouring into your house, but not completely prevent the risk of burst pipes unless you drain down your system.

daveaspy

What_time_is_it said:

Do you mean that there is a risk of burst pipes if I don't turn off the water stop? Forgive my ignorance, but I don't really understand.

there is always the risk of a burst pipe (its a pretty low risk, but massive consequences if it happens). I had one go in a hot water flexi pipe while I was at work - that flooded the bathroom and kitchen below, as I had a combi the boiler was keeping the leaking water hot too. However, I've never turned off the water when I've gone on holiday since then, but thinking back I probably should - leaking for a week could be a heck of a mess, depends how careful you want to be.

Petriix

My heating is never 'off'. It has an 'away mode' which I use whenever everyone will be out of the house for more than a couple of hours which is set to 11 degrees (in practice it never gets that low, even after a week of sub zero outdoor temperatures). I can set an optional return date/time and the house will be back up to temperature when we get back.

Gerry1

What_time_is_it said:

sully1311 said:

What_time_is_it said:

Not thought about the water stop. What's the advantage/disadvantage there?
I've got a combi boiler so presumably if the heating is set to off then the hot water is also off?

Burst pipes

Do you mean that there is a risk of burst pipes if I don't turn off the water stop? Forgive my ignorance, but I don't really understand.

If there's a burst pipe and the water hasn't been turned off outside the property then you could have absolutely massive flood damage from a torrent of water running through the house for several days.  If you have a meter then you'd also have a crippling water bill.
If it's been turned off, then it's 'only' (!) a tankful.

Best to turn the water off and leave the heating on 24/7 at 10° - 12°.  Chances are that no gas will be used, but you can relax knowing that you've covered all the bases, even if something unlikely-but-not-impossible delays your return, e.g. being quarantined, or flights suspended because of a solar flare, Putin going nuclear, etc.

Apodemus

Another vote from me for turning the water off.  It's not just the risk of a frozen pipe.  Something like a ball-valve failing in a header-tank might be a minor issue if you are home, but could become a bigger issue if you are away for an extended period.

oldagetraveller1

daveaspy said:

What_time_is_it said:

Do you mean that there is a risk of burst pipes if I don't turn off the water stop? Forgive my ignorance, but I don't really understand.

there is always the risk of a burst pipe (its a pretty low risk, but massive consequences if it happens). I had one go in a hot water flexi pipe while I was at work - that flooded the bathroom and kitchen below, as I had a combi the boiler was keeping the leaking water hot too. However, I've never turned off the water when I've gone on holiday since then, but thinking back I probably should - leaking for a week could be a heck of a mess, depends how careful you want to be.

Similar 6 years ago when a flexible supply pipe to the toilet cistern burst at 2am one night. Mains pressure. Big and expensive insurance job. Bathroom, landing, kitchen below, dining room and hallway all flooded. Also fried boiler (below in kitchen)main circuit board and other boiler internal electrics.

I have a "Surestop" fitted now and use that to turn off the supply every time the house is left unoccupied, even if for a shopping outing.

Oh, the cistern is now filled at low gravity fed pressure from the loft cold water tank!