A real simple lesson. Turn off your water at the source, whether a well or city water and open several faucets to allow ice expansion.Maybe add some pink stuff to toilet tanks and bowls. This may cost a few dollars but makes for cheap insurance. Have a relative or neighbor check house daily if possible.

Good advice. My buddy was out of the country visiting family and called me at 11 one night frantic. He has a Nest thermostat that was showing 42 degrees and the outside temp was in the single digits. He was mainly worried about his birds.I went over and got the heat working again, but that could have been catastrophic if it had deeply frozen. I laughed at him when he bought the $300 thermostat... but that was cheap prevention for what could have happened!!!

stetwood wrote:A real simple lesson. Turn off your water at the source, whether a well or city water and open several faucets to allow ice expansion.Maybe add some pink stuff to toilet tanks and bowls. This may cost a few dollars but makes for cheap insurance. Have a relative or neighbor check house daily if possible.Yikes, sorry to hear that happened to you.Hopefully no treasured heirlooms were damaged.

Yep, stuff happens. Sometimes even if you think you're planned for all eventualities. Murphy's always hanging around, just waiting.

stetwood wrote:Maybe add some pink stuff to toilet tanks and bowls. This may cost a few dollars but makes for cheap insurance. Have a relative or neighbor check house daily if possible.I don't want cheap insurance, I want good insurance. No mention of leaving the heat on??

2oldman wrote:stetwood wrote:Maybe add some pink stuff to toilet tanks and bowls. This may cost a few dollars but makes for cheap insurance. Have a relative or neighbor check house daily if possible.I don't want cheap insurance, I want good insurance. No mention of leaving the heat on??Read post #2 above. Leaving the heat on is no guarantee.

Family returns from vacation to find home flooded, frozen

fj12ryder
Explorer III
Feb 02, 2018
I guess I'm just one of the foolish. In 50+ years of traveling I have never shut off the water, or had cameras to watch my stuff, or had wifi thermostats to notify me of issues, etc., and believe it or not have never had a single issue. The house was always still standing when I returned home. Amazing. Of course most of the times away from home were only for 3 or 4 weeks at a time.

And believe or not, I never, ever gave it a second thought or worried about it for a minute. Whatever floats yer boat I guess.
John___Angela
Explorer
Feb 02, 2018
2oldman wrote:
fj12ryder wrote:
2oldman wrote:
wnjj wrote:
The best insurance is having a human check on it.
..checking the weather and looking at the remote thermometer on your smartphone work just a bit better.
Because we all know electronics never fail. :)
I think some of you should just stay home.

:)
2oldman
Explorer II
Feb 02, 2018
fj12ryder wrote:
2oldman wrote:
wnjj wrote:
The best insurance is having a human check on it.
..checking the weather and looking at the remote thermometer on your smartphone work just a bit better.
Because we all know electronics never fail. :)
I think some of you should just stay home.
fj12ryder
Explorer III
Feb 02, 2018
2oldman wrote:
wnjj wrote:
The best insurance is having a human check on it.
..checking the weather and looking at the remote thermometer on your smartphone work just a bit better.
Because we all know electronics never fail. :)
beemerphile1
Explorer
Feb 02, 2018
I always shut off the main water valve when leaving on a trip.

I have an alarm system that monitors the house temperature and has water detection. Simplisafe uses a cellular connection so no internet connection is needed.

A coworker had a pipe freeze and break on the second floor while away. Everything below that point was destroyed. The house had to be gutted and rebuilt.
ljr
Nomad
Feb 02, 2018
A couple years ago I left the house for the winter with the water off at the valve and the pipes drained. The furnace quit in Feb. The house valve froze and ruptured. I returned to find 28,000 gallons of water in my finished basement.

I now have the township turn the water off at the curb. That involves a fee and some hassle but it’s well worth it.
2oldman
Explorer II
Feb 02, 2018
wnjj wrote:
The best insurance is having a human check on it.
..checking the weather and looking at the remote thermometer on your smartphone work just a bit better.
moresmoke
Explorer
Feb 02, 2018
The Homesitter from Control Products also works well to let you know if something goes wrong. I can verify that the power outage and water alarms work. Haven't had occasion for the temp alarm to go off. Battery backup so a power outage isn't a problem.
westend
Explorer
Feb 02, 2018
My BIL and SIL left for a month to Belize. They turned the hot water boiler set at 45f. They also have heated floors in the kitchen and baths. An accessory gas fired space heater is mounted in a stone fireplace. The latter two were turned off. On the second week of their trip, temps fell to -10f and the boiler failed. Before my wife could make her weekly inspection and recover messages and mail, all of the radiators split, as did all the heating system piping. The water main was closed so water supply lines to sinks, toilets and baths were mostly intact. I poured RV antifreeze in all the drains.
I never asked but recovery was probably $65K --$100K.

This year, they are trying 58f on the thermostat and have a phone app to alarm about falling temps. I don't get it, $10K for the month in Belize but can't afford a monthly heating bill. Some folks.
wnjj
Explorer II
Feb 02, 2018
2oldman wrote:
wnjj wrote:
Read post #2 above. Leaving the heat on is no guarantee.
No, but the OP didn't mention anything about leaving the heat on.

Would YOU leave your home in winter with no heat on because it's "no guarantee"?

My comment was only a response to your “good insurance” and “leaving the heat on”. Leaving the heat on is a good idea, but it’s not really “insurance” because it’s not guaranteed to pay out (i.e. stay working).

The best insurance is having a human check on it.

Heating systems are not reliable, even more these days it seems. Our 5 year old heat pump system broke last winter and this one. Last winter it was a $7 part inside an otherwise $1000 blower motor. This year it was a $9 contactor. I fixed both myself.