Prevent Frozen Pipes And Bursts
Following the recent freezing temperatures, thousands of un-prepared second homes have suffered burst pipes and leaks – causing substantial water damage.
To avoid the prospect of returning to your holiday home and discovering water damage following a burst pipe or leak, take a few precautions to avoid being caught out by a big freeze…
Leave the heating on
One of the main causes of frozen pipes is switching the heating off completely when your holiday home is left empty. While this will save money in terms of fuel bills, it will expose your home to sub-zero winter temperatures and the cost of repairing water damage.
It is advisable to leave the heating permanently on (at least 10 degrees C), particularly during cold snaps. By only having the heating on for one hour in the morning and evening, pipes can still freeze during the day. You could also use the “frost” setting (usually marked with a snowflake symbol) on your room thermostats to keep the house above freezing.
Drain down the heating/water system
It you are leaving your holiday home unoccupied for a long period, it is advisable to drain down the water and central heating system. Turning off the water is not sufficient as there is still a lot of water in the system, which can cause damage if a burst pipe occurred. It is advisable to get a plumber or heating engineer to drain down the water and central heating system to remove the threat of water damage entirely.
Lag pipes and insulate to provide extra protection against frost 
Unlagged pipes in loft spaces, which have been insulated, are a common cause of bursts. Pipes and water tanks that are situated above the insulation become exposed to freezing temperatures as the heat from downstairs fails to penetrate upwards. If you install insulation, make sure that tanks and pipes get extra insulation too.
There might be no need to have insulation under water tanks because warm air will be unable to rise from the rooms below. Just insulate the top and sides.
Make sure all exposed external pipes are also lagged.
Open the loft hatch so that warm air can circulate.
During extreme temperatures, open your loft hatch to allow heat from your holiday house to circulate in the loft space. This will help prevent exposed pipes freezing.
Dripping taps
Replace the washers on dripping taps because if they freeze the pipe will block. Although letting a tap drip/trickle a little in cold weather to can stop freezing and pressure building up.
Know where your stopcock is
Locate your stopcock, as quickly turning off the water during a burst could reduce the damage caused by the escape of water. It is usually located somewhere on the ground floor.
Ask someone to check on your holiday home
Asking a neighbour or housekeeper to inspect your holiday home will enable frozen or burst pipes to be detected as soon as possible. The early detection of any leaks could help minimise damage. Also, any boiler or heating failures due to the power tripping will be identified which could prevent frozen pipes.
Check that you are insured
Check your level of building and contents insurance cover for water/frost damage and any heating terms or unoccupancy exclusions, which could leave your holiday home uninsured.
Finally, file your insurance documents in a safe place so you can quickly locate them following a burst.
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[...] A high proportion of the claims were caused by homeowners turning off their heating before going away. Take precautions to prevent frozen pipes and bursts. [...]