September 2004
Welcome home to the disaster zone
With autumn here and the cold nights starting to creep in, many of us will long for warmer climates and will think about heading abroad. With so many cheap deals at the travel agents it’s hard to resist packing your bags for a warm winter break. So there you are, bags packed, doors locked, electrical items unplugged, but what have you done to stop your pipes from freezing or bursting while you are away? An unattended burst pipe can cost thousands of pounds worth of damage, but there are steps you can take to ensure your welcome home is not met with disaster.
The first thing you need to do is check your insurance policy. Somewhere in your policy there may be a detailed ‘get-out’ clause for the insurance provider where burst pipes are concerned. Some insurers specify that you must completely drain your heating system whilst on holiday, and others may require you to leave your heating on constantly.
If your Insurance documents state you should leave the heating on, the Institute of Plumbing & Heating Engineering (IPHE) advises to leave your heating systems on constant running at a low setting, or if you have a room thermostat leave the heating on constant and set the room thermostat to a low setting. This will mean that the boiler will only ‘fire-up’ to heat the house once the air temperature meets the temperature selected on the room thermostat. However, make sure that the lowest setting on the room thermostat does not disable it, if unsure select a setting of around 10°C (usually the lowest setting).
However some heating systems are fitted with Frost Thermostats, this may be fitted as an addition to the system and some new boilers have a frost thermostat as an integral fitting. A frost thermostat if fitted correctly will detect cold temperatures and will ‘fire-up’ the heating system accordingly to prevent freezing and ultimately burst pipes.
Before going away you should also turn off your cold water stop tap, as it is not only heating pipes that freeze. It is more common for cold water pipes to freeze in winter months, as the incoming water can already be around 5°C so is more prone to freezing. By turning off the supply, if a pipe bursts there will be less damage as the leak will be isolated.
You should also check that all pipework carrying water is insulated to reduce the chance of freezing, pipework at risk of freezing is usually in areas such as roof-spaces (lofts) and garages. Insulation for pipes is readily available through Plumbers/Builders Merchants etc. It is also very easy to install as it simply wraps around the pipework. You may also wish to leave the hatch to the roof space open so that warmth from the house will warm the roof space.
For further information on this or to find a qualified plumbing and heating engineer, visit the IPHE website at www.iphe.org.uk.
ENDS (500 WORDS)SEPTEMBER 2004
