FROST PROTECTION

We are lucky living in the south of England that we do not suffer a lot from frost but at certain times you could get caught out.

If you are going to leave the home empty for a period of time you may have thought of protecting it from frost but not too sure how far to go.

Some of the suggestions may appear to be obvious, but serve as a reminder.

A well insulated home becomes like a fridge in cold weather without the heating on.

The same can be said of well lagged pipes, they take longer to thaw out. Naturally the pipes should be lagged to conserve the heat as well as for frost protection.

Here are my tips for frost protection. If you have any others that I may have missed I would be pleased to hear from you.

Keep the heating on a low setting on the room thermostat for 24 hours a day while you are away. Even if the boiler packs up at least the pump will keep the water flowing and will stop it from freezing in these areas.
Fit a frost thermostat if your boiler is in the garage or you have pipes in exposed areas. This will automatically bring on the boiler in the event of cold weather.
Fill the system with anti-freeze. They do make antifreeze for central heating systems. Do not use car anti-freeze as it may not be suitable.
Buy a greenhouse thermometer which shows the high and low temperatures. If you then have a neighbour looking after the property they can see exactly how cold the home is getting and can adjust the thermostat accordingly.
Ensure that the loft area is getting some heat. Usually the tanks are put over the hot water cylinder cupboard to prevent frost. If they are not then it may be worth considering opening the loft door a touch. ( I am not over keen on this idea as all the heat from the home goes out through the loft). You may want to leave the hot water set for twice a day, this may help.
Turn the water off. The boiler and system does not use any water and so is quite happy without the water on. If you are unlucky enough to get a burst, it will not totally wreck the place.