If you must leave the water on:
Then prepare your property with the following: Insulate pipes on exterior walls, crawl spaces & the attic. Open cabinet doors to allow heat to circulate around un-insulated pipes under sinks & appliances. Let warm water drip overnight to keep pipes from freezing.
Pipes, water heaters and other appliances can leak, or in freezing weather, pipes can freeze and burst, which can cause major damage in a home left unattended. If you are leaving for an extended period of time, the best protection is to have the water shut off and the water lines drained.
Unoccupied homes that have no heat, and where water is stagnant in the plumbing system, are much more likely to freeze over the Winter. That is only the beginning of the problem, as when frozen water expands it ruptures pipes and plumbing systems.
Insulation can help keep the pipes closer to the temperature of the water inside the pipe, but it does not add extra heat to the pipe and unfortunately will not prevent freezing if the pipe is exposed to prolonged freezing temperatures.
Pipes can still burst in freezing temperatures even after you turn off your home's water. The pipes will still have water inside them, which means the water may freeze and potentially burst your pipes.
Set the temperature at 55°F or higher to help keep the interior of the floor and wall cavities, where the water piping is likely located, above freezing temperatures. Keeping room and cabinet doors open can also help heat to circulate and warm the areas where pipes are located.
You might think about canceling all utilities since no one is in the house. However, heat and electricity will need to stay on to keep the pipes from freezing, the lights on, and the security system online. Many other utilities may be canceled, such as phone or wifi service, but consider carefully about others.
Antifreeze for homes is a liquid that contains chemicals that lower the freezing point of water, protecting pipes and other plumbing components from bursting. Without anti-freeze, residual moisture in plumbing systems can freeze and expand, causing cracks in the pipes, joints, or other fittings in a plumbing system.
Your Pipes Could Freeze and Burst
If you turn off your water heater, your interior temperature will drop, leaving the water in your pipes susceptible to freezing. When the water in your pipes freezes, it expands and becomes ice. That ice creates blockages in your pipes and causes pressure to build.
We all know that freezing begins at 32° F or 0° C, but at what point do pipes freeze within our own homes? Temperatures only need to drop to about 20° F for a few hours to put exposed pipes at risk. So, your best bet is to insulate your exposed pipes to keep that temperature well above the freezing point.
Even if a pipe does not burst, the expanding ice can still cause damage. This can lead to leaks which can cause significant damage over time if they go unnoticed. The best way to protect against frozen pipes and the resulting water damage is with an automatic water shut-off device.
For hidden pipes: Use an infrared lamp to target frozen areas. You may need to make an opening in your wall to access the pipe. For exposed pipes: Use a hair dryer, infrared lamp, portable heater, heating pad, heat tape, or steamed towels to apply heat (never use an open flame).
In general, it's recommended to set your thermostat to 55 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. This may seem high compared to the freezing point of 32 degrees Fahrenheit, but it'll help keep the interior of the floor and wall cavities – where your plumbing is often located – safely above freezing temperatures.
The cost to winterize a house ranges from $50 to $1,500. You can DIY certain tasks for as low as $65, but you'll need to hire a winterizing pro for more complex projects, which can cost $1,000 or more.
A couple of hours twice a day of heating, around 14-15 degrees a day should keep the internal temperature in the house above freezing and stave off any freezing in the pipes. Keep the heating on, at a very low level, (around 12 degrees Celsius) all the time.
Maintain Consistent Water Flow
To counteract this, allow a small, steady cold water drip to run through your faucets during extremely cold periods. This continuous movement from only a trickle can prevent water from standing still in the pipes, reducing the likelihood of pipes freezing.
Overall, it's best that you take heed and drip your faucets when temperatures dip below freezing. A simple trickle of hot and/or cold water—both from faucets inside and outside the home—can prevent you from having to deal with a much larger issue (and bill!) in the long run.
Some models have a timer to schedule run times. Some automatic dishwashers have settings to schedule loads. Consider waiting to wash dishes until late into the night. A small and steady stream of water will be enough to keep your pipes from freezing, and you can even collect the water in a bucket to water houseplants.
Your Lender Might Lock You Out. Vacant homes are targets for theft and vandalism. Therefore, when a homeowner's mortgage payments become delinquent, one of the first things many lenders do to protect their interest in the property is to look into whether the owner has abandoned it.
Typically, state governors—“the Executive Authority”— are authorized to issue orders for special elections to fill House vacancies. In contrast with the Senate, there is no constitutional provision for the appointment of interim Representatives.
Time a few interior lights to appear as though someone as home. Make sure the lights are on in rooms that face the street, but close the blinds so onlookers can't tell whether someone is inside. Remember the basics: keep all doors and windows locked (with additional padlocks, as needed). Beware advertisement.