Frost precautions.

[pelican]

We are contemplating spending time in Southern Spain next winter and are concerned about frost damage to our house whilst away.
What precautions do you take. Not concerned over security.
We live in Hampshire.

 

[grasscutter]

We turn water off at the mains and leave heating set to 14c.

 

[Jim]

We turn the water off and leave the heating on but only on frost settings. We forgot to do this once in wales in a particularly cold snap, and the ice punched holes in most of our radiators. That proved to be an expensive mistake!

 

[MichaelT]

Check what your insurer says , we leave heating on 15c and turn mains water off.

 

[Nirvanauk]

Keep the heating on to 15 degrees 24/7. May cost a bit but not risking anything.

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[Lenny HB]

Normally leave our heating set to12° but check your insurance policy some require 15°. Also some insurances require the house to be checked weekly, you need to read the small print.

 

[MichaelT]

Keep the heating on to 15 degrees 24/7. May cost a bit but not risking anything.

Last winter our heating only clicked on for about an hour in 8 weeks.

 

[The Wino]

I think it depends on the type of heating system you have. When we used to go away skiing we used to turn the heating to about 12 degrees and leave the loft hatch open my main concern was the water tank and pipes freezing in the loft and I didn't want to turn off the stopcock in case the header tank needed to top up the heating. Now with a Combi boiler I would just leave the heating on about 12 degrees with an hour at a higher temperature in the morning to keep the place aired. No one likes to waste energy but a plumbing and redecorating bill would wipe out quite a few years of saving

 

[pelican]

I think it depends on the type of heating system you have. When we used to go away skiing we used to turn the heating to about 12 degrees and leave the loft hatch open my main concern was the water tank and pipes freezing in the loft and I didn't want to turn off the stopcock in case the header tank needed to top up the heating. Now with a Combi boiler I would just leave the heating on about 12 degrees with an hour at a higher temperature in the morning to keep the place aired. No one likes to waste energy but a plumbing and redecorating bill would wipe out quite a few years of saving

We have oil fired which can also heat hot water tank. Good tip re loft hatch.

 

[Odd-no-more]

I have been thinking about this as we intended going for 3 months in January, we had to postpone for hospital appointments. I did intend to shut the water off and drain the cylinder. Now we're going in March I will not bother to drain down. I will set the heating to 15 and heat the hot water too.

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[Simon Meadwell]

Water off combi boiler heating set at15.
Only just started doing this after advice on here. Also started turning the water off everytime we go away just in case. It would be catastrophic to come home to a burst.