How to avoid escape of water in your holiday home
Another common danger for unoccupied holiday homes is a water leak. This is normally caused by a burst pipe, leaking toilet or malfunction with a central heating system.
It’s likely that you’ll spend less time in your holiday home over the winter months, and this is the time when burst pipes are most likely to happen, especially as a result of freezing temperatures. There are a few things you can do to stop this happening though.
Insulate pipes
This is known as 'lagging' and involves wrapping waterproof and insulating material around pipes to stop them freezing.
Insulate water tanks
Again, these can freeze over in cold conditions. Most DIY shops sell materials for you to do this yourself.
Keep the property heated
If you have your heating on a timer while you’re away, this could help heat the property sufficiently to stop pipes freezing. Consider leaving it on at a minimum of 13°C.
Know where your stopcock is
If you’re in your house when disaster strikes it’s helpful to know where the stopcock is so that you can shut off the water quickly and minimise damage. Similarly, if you aren’t there and you need to call out a plumber, you can direct them to the stopcock with ease. Better to know before an emergency than after it happens.
Maintain your boiler
Cold snaps and frost are among the most deadly property threats, especially to a vacant holiday home. Make sure your boiler is serviced annually and that any external pipes (ie condensing boiler pipes) are insulated properly.