If you’re lucky enough to own a holiday home or string of
holiday homes it is probable that with vacation season being over your
properties are more than likely to see a reduction in the number of holiday
makers, guests and visitors.
As the nights get darker and the weather and temperatures
cool your holiday homes will require more regular maintenance with an absence
of body heat from passing people, traffic and day-to-day activities.
While you are not present at your holiday home, you should
put in place such a maintenance program to keep your property in good working order not only to keep running costs down but
to be sure that it is at its most efficient and attractive when holiday season
begins again.
Taking consideration to risks will keep
your property safe, secure and functioning when you are unlikely to be visiting
or renting out.
Prepare for winter
As many of us have experienced over the winter months, when
temperatures plunge there is a high likelihood of pipes freezing or bursting.
Such damage can not only be harmful to your home but also to
your bank balance and if it happens at a time when your holiday home is
unoccupied, it can mean the burst pipe can go unnoticed for weeks which can
cause even further damage – damaged ceilings, water-soaked furniture and ruined
electrical appliances can be the nasty consequences of such an eventuality.
Without taking the right precautions freezing temperatures
are likely to damage the plumbing and pipe systems for your vacation property.
There are many ways that you can prevent burst water and
heating pipes and leaks:
Switching on NOT off
One of the main causes of frozen pipes is turning off the
central heating completely when your holiday home is empty. While this can seem
a cost efficient solution in terms of saving energy and money while your
holiday home isn’t occupied it can expose your home to the outside temperatures
in addition to the exposure of irreparable damage being caused to burst pipes.
As one of the main causes of frozen
pipes, switching off your central heating completely and preventing the
continuous flow of water is not the solution. It is recommended to leave your
heating on a low temperature to minimise such dangers particularly during the
coldest months (aim between 7 and 15 degrees) and consider a timer.
Lagging
Hot water
or heating pipe work contained in unheated areas such as lofts, cellars and
basements or those within the walls of your holiday home will be more prone to
freezing. As pipes are often situated
above the insulation you should ensure that they are lagged well with
insulating foam coverings. The thinner the pipes, the thicker the insulation
sleeves should be. Water tanks also need insulation too. If your pipes are
located in a loft space, keep the loft door ajar to allow heat to circulate.
Drip Drop
You will have noticed a reoccurring theme in the above two
methods – flow. Keeping the fluid within your pipe work continuously flowing
will prevent water from freezing and therefore bursting as it provides pressure
relief.
Simply turning off a tap for the
prolonged period that your holiday home is empty will not be enough to prevent
freezing as with a lot of water already in your heating and hot water systems
putting a stop to the flow will build up pressure. Allowing your taps to drip
slightly will keep water flowing albeit extremely slowly.
Drain
Suddenly stopping a continuous flow for a long period is
likely to cause problems. Ask yourself, where is the water already in the
system going to go? If it is cold, it will freeze; pressure will build up and
as a consequence – burst.
Consider getting a
qualified plumber to drain down the water and central heating system which will
remove any risks to freezing completely.
Temperature
maintenance/Trace heating
While lagging outside or under insulated pipes can seem like
enough, it isn’t always which is when having a temperature
maintenance or trace heating system fitted can lower the risks the freezing
temperatures can pose.
Having a low voltage electrical cable with frost thermostats
wrapped around your pipes beneath the lagging is an excellent prevention
method.
Thermostatically controlled, the heating cables only ever
energise when temperatures drop below a stipulated figure, acting to prevent
the disastrous consequences of winter.
Never overheating, with extremely low
running costs purchasing trace heating from Cross Electrical can bring
investment benefits for many years to come and do not require drainage of your
water systems or interrupt your current electrical supplies. Find out more about our trace heating
solutions here.
Insurance
Having the right type of holiday home insurance to cover
every eventuality is key to protecting your holiday home. By predicting and implementing such cover you
will ensure that your property is not rendered worthless following any
misfortunes.
To find out more
about our hot water pipe work, temperature maintenance products and trace
heating solutions contact Cross Electrical today.
