Going Away for Christmas? A Bromley Home Frost Checklist

Leave the heating on a low or frost setting rather than off, open the loft hatch a little so some of that warmth reaches the tank, lag any bare pipes in the loft and garage, and drain the outside tap. If the house will be empty and cold for more than a few days, consider turning the stopcock off and opening a cold tap to drain the pipes. Then give a neighbour a key and ask them to look in, because a frozen pipe usually only floods when it thaws.

Print this, or screenshot it, and work through it the weekend before you go.

Why empty Bromley houses burst over Christmas

The pattern is the same every hard winter. A family goes away, the heating goes off to save money, a cold snap arrives, and the pipes in the coldest parts of the house freeze. Ice expands and splits the pipe, but nothing comes out while it is frozen. Thames Water’s own advice warns that the damage often only shows once the pipe thaws. Two days later the weather turns mild, the split opens up, and water runs into an empty house until someone notices it coming out under the front door.

In Bromley the houses most at risk are the 1930s semis of Hayes and Bromley Common, with their loft tanks and pipework in a cold roof space, and any house with plumbing in a garage, an outside toilet or a lean-to. The big Victorian houses towards Bickley and Sundridge have their own weak spot: cellars and long runs of pipe under suspended floors where cold air moves freely.

The checklist

1. Set the heating to come on low all day, or to its frost-protection setting, for the whole time you are away. Do not switch it off.
2. Open the loft hatch a few inches so warm air from the landing can reach the tank and pipes.
3. Check that the loft tank and every pipe in the roof space is lagged, with the joints and bends covered too.
4. Check the loft insulation is laid over the tank area but not directly under the tank, so warmth from the room below can still reach it.
5. Turn off the isolating valve for the outside tap from inside the house, then open the outside tap to drain it and leave it open.
6. Lag any pipes in the garage, utility, outside toilet or under a suspended floor you can reach.
7. Find your stopcock and make sure it turns. Write down where it is for whoever will be checking the house.
8. If the house will be cold for more than a few days, turn the stopcock off clockwise and open a cold tap upstairs and downstairs to drain the pipes.
9. Leave a key and your phone number with a neighbour, and ask them to look in every couple of days, especially after a cold spell ends.
10. Read your home insurance policy for anything it says about unoccupied homes or minimum heating before you go.

Should I turn the water off or leave the heating on?

Ideally both, if your system allows it. Leaving the heating on keeps the house above freezing. Turning the stopcock off limits how much water can escape if something does split.

There is one catch. If you have a combination boiler or a sealed heating system, the heating circuit stays full whatever the stopcock is doing, so the heating keeps running normally. If you have a hot water cylinder fed from a loft tank, turning the mains off means the tank will not refill, so do not run the hot water heavily while the stopcock is off. If you are not sure what system you have, leave the stopcock on, leave the heating on, and make sure someone is looking in.

What does my insurance say?

Many home insurance policies have conditions for homes left empty, especially in winter. Some ask that the heating is kept on at a minimum temperature, others that the water is turned off and drained after a certain number of days. The wording differs, so check yours. An escape of water claim from a house where the heating was off for a fortnight can be hard to win.

What should my neighbour look for?

Tell them to check the ceilings, especially under the bathroom and the loft hatch, to listen for running water, and to look for water coming out of the overflow pipe on the outside wall. If they see any, they need to know where the stopcock is and that it turns clockwise. Our guide on finding the stopcock in a Bromley Victorian house covers the usual hiding places; in 1930s semis it is often in the downstairs cloakroom or the garage.

What if I come home to a frozen pipe?

If taps are running slowly or not at all, a pipe is probably frozen. Turn the stopcock off, open the taps, and warm the frozen section slowly with a hot water bottle or towels soaked in warm water. Never use a blowtorch or a naked flame. Before you turn the water back on, run a dry cloth along the pipe to feel for a split. If water is already coming through a ceiling, turn the water off, switch off the electrics in that room and call. More on this on our frozen pipes in Bromley page.

Need a plumber now?

If you are away and a neighbour has found water, or you have just come home to a burst, Call 07868 281022. Tell us your postcode, what is leaking, and whether the water is off. We deal with burst pipes in Bromley over Christmas and New Year the same as any other night, and we agree the price with you before any work starts. For the wider area, see our Bromley page.