In article ,
"SS" writes:
Hi guys looking for an answer re frozen pipes.

dad in laws house lying vacant at the moment (hospitalised) and just
realised after my wife had been down, she turned the elec off, meaning the
central heating will not have been working over the last week of the cold
spell (minus 6) So good likely hood of frozen pipes. Hopefully not burst but
possibility.

My intention is to turn the water off at the mains, as I am to far distant
to go back and forth to keep an eye on it.
Is it best (assuming nothing burst) to turn off at the main and leave the
taps open to ease expansion?

Any ideas.

You need to drain down tanks and heating system (if it has central
heating), if you aren't leaving it running in frost protection mode.
That's probably a condition of any insurance.

Turning off the water will limit the volume of water damage to the
tank(s) full if they come through the house as a result of a burst
pipe, but you could also damage a lot of the pipework and heating
system if the residual water in them freezes.

Might make sense to arrange to visit at same time as a plumber, so
he can do this for you if you aren't sure. There may already be some
damage which needs repairing too.

How long is the house likely to be empty? I would suggest leaving
the electricity on with some lights on timeswitches for security
purposes.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]