Technical Manager Darren’s Holiday Home Winter Tips!
If your holiday home is going to be empty this winter, then our technical manager Darren has some top tips of the best way to leave your home/lodge.
Drain down the domestic water system.
Drain down means stopping the property’s water supply at the stopcock and draining out all of the excess water in the systems so that the pipes in the property are empty. You can stop the water supply by turning off the domestic water supply via the stop cock under the sink. Once you’ve done this simply turn the taps on until water stops coming out and this will drain the system. By draining down the property before leaving it empty, you can ensure there will be no burst pipes whilst you are away. This is particularly relevant in colder months when water in the pipes can be at risk of freezing and splitting pipes leaking water into the property until detected. During just a single day, thousands of litres can leak from a burst pipe and consequently cause a great deal of internal damage to fittings and fixtures.
Fridge Freezer
If you are leaving your holiday home for long periods Darren would highly recommend emptying your fridge freezer, cleaning, turning off and leaving the doors open. Use paper towels or dry cloth to dry it. The moisture left in the fridge can form bad odour. This won’t only save you a load on your electricity bill and reduce your environmental impact, by unplugging an empty freezer. There is also risk in storing your food in the fridge for that long period. Keeping it on for 2-4 weeks can be manageable but for more than a month does not make any sense.
High Voltage Surge was the leading cause of peril to refrigerators assessed by StrikeCheck last year. When there is an increase in voltage from a power surge, it causes an inrush of electrical current within the refrigerator. This surge generates an excessive amount of heat, which can damage multiple parts of the refrigerator. Three components in particular that we often see damaged by a high voltage surge are the control board, the compressor, and the ice maker.
Heating
You may think that because no one is there to turn the heating off. However, it is recommended that you have your heating on the lowest setting, when the temperature drops the boiler will kick in automatically but on a very low heat. The benefit of this is to reduce condensation, any chance of mold and in extreme circumstances, pipes freezing causing plumbing and water damage. Luckily, you don’t have to heat your home much to protect it from the elements.
Leaving Your Internal Doors Open
It is also a good idea to ensure that all the interior doors are kept open for this reason, as well as to encourage airflow throughout the holiday home. Leaving your internal doors open will allow for the home/lodge to have plenty of ventilation and reduce the risk of mould or condensation. Furthermore, to yet further reduce the risk of this it would be recommended that window vents are left open for this exact reason. The combination of heat and ventilation will reduce the risk of mould tenfold!
Clean gutters
We would highly recommend this if your property is under or next to trees or bushes. Clogged gutters, caused by a build-up of debris, can hamper effective rainwater drainage and long term can cause expensive and preventable damage to your property.
