How to Prevent Burst Pipes While Your Home Is Empty

Leaving a home empty — whether you are heading on a long holiday, letting a second property stand between tenants, or managing a probate property — creates one of the most common conditions for a burst pipe: no one there to notice the warning signs until the damage is already done.

The good news is that most burst-pipe disasters in vacant homes are entirely preventable. Here is what to do before you lock the door.

---

Why Empty Homes Are at Greater Risk

When a property is occupied, small problems get caught early. A dripping tap, a radiator that feels cold, or a brief drop in water pressure are all things a resident notices and acts on. In a vacant home, a slow freeze or a failing stopcock can go undetected for days or weeks.

Water damage from a burst pipe in an empty property can be severe — ceilings collapse, floors warp, and mould sets in quickly. Many home insurers also require that certain precautions are taken for a vacant property to remain covered, so it is worth checking your policy wording before you leave.

---

Option 1: Drain Down the System

If the property will be empty for more than a few weeks — or if it is a second home that sits unused through winter — a full drain-down is the most reliable protection.

How to drain down:

1. Turn off the water at the main stopcock (usually under the kitchen sink or where the supply enters the building).
2. Open all the cold taps and leave them open to let air into the pipes.
3. Flush every toilet until the cisterns are empty.
4. If you have a hot water cylinder or header tank in the loft, drain those too — there are usually drain-off valves near the base of the cylinder and at the lowest point of the system.
5. Consider asking a plumber to add a small amount of antifreeze to any traps (such as under sinks and in toilets) so U-bends do not crack.

A qualified plumber can carry out a full drain-down quickly and give you confidence it has been done correctly. This is particularly worth arranging for loft-level tanks, which are the most vulnerable to freezing.

---

Option 2: Keep the Heating On Low

If the property needs to remain habitable at short notice — a rental between lets, or a home you visit regularly — keeping a background level of heat is often more practical than draining down.

What to aim for:

• Set the thermostat to no lower than 12–13 °C. This is enough to prevent pipes from freezing even in a cold snap.
• Use a frost thermostat (sometimes called a frost stat), which only fires the boiler when the temperature drops to a set threshold, keeping running costs low.
• Make sure the heating covers the whole building — including hallways, loft hatches and any unheated utility rooms where pipes run.

A frost stat is a small, inexpensive device that a heating engineer can fit to your existing system. It is one of the most cost-effective precautions you can take for a regularly vacant property.

---

Option 3: Insulate Vulnerable Pipes

Even with the heating on, pipes in unheated spaces — loft voids, garages, external walls and under suspended floors — can still freeze if temperatures drop sharply.

• Fit pipe lagging (foam insulation sleeves) to any exposed pipework. It is available from any DIY merchant and straightforward to fit.
• Pay particular attention to pipes near the loft hatch, in the garage, and along external walls.
• Check that loft insulation is laid around pipes rather than on top of them — pipes above insulation lose the benefit of heat rising from the rooms below.

---

Practical Checks Before You Leave

Before locking up, run through this short list:

• Locate and test your main stopcock. If a pipe does burst, whoever responds first needs to be able to turn off the water immediately. Make sure it turns freely — stopcocks that have not been used in years can seize.
• Leave the stopcock location written down for a keyholder, neighbour or letting agent.
• Tell a trusted neighbour or keyholder that the property will be empty, and give them the number of a plumber they can call in an emergency.
• Check your home insurance policy for any vacancy conditions — some require you to inspect the property every 30 days or to notify the insurer if it will be empty beyond a certain period.
• Consider a water leak detector. Battery-powered sensors that alert you by phone when they detect moisture are inexpensive and can save thousands of pounds in damage.

---

If a Pipe Bursts Despite Your Precautions

Even with the best preparation, things can go wrong. If you return to find a burst pipe, or receive an alert from a neighbour or sensor:

1. Turn off the water at the main stopcock immediately.
2. Switch off the electricity at the consumer unit if water is near any electrics.
3. Open cold taps to drain the system.
4. Call a plumber straight away.

If you are in the TW postcode area and need urgent help, call Emergency Plumbers TW on 07725 479493. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and can reach most areas across Twickenham, Richmond, Teddington, Hounslow, Feltham, Staines and the surrounding area.

A little preparation before you leave is always far less stressful — and far less expensive — than dealing with the aftermath of a burst pipe in an empty home.