What to do with CH system in vacant property

Morning all,

Whilst we're waiting for probate on my grandfather's estate to be granted, his house will have to remain unoccupied. During this time (probably another couple of months), what's the best thing to do with the central heating and water system? It's a 1960s bungalow, still currently furnished etc.

The most obvious answer is to turn it all off to save the energy, but am I likely to have problems starting it up again in a couple of months' time? Am I better to set it to come on for an hour or so every day?

Thanks for the advice.

You don`t mention wether it is a combi or not.If combi it should be o.k. if open vented (Hot water cylinder, pump) it may be wise to fire it up for a couple of minutes every couple of weeks just to ensure pump doesn`t stick.

if its going to be empty for a couple of months you could drain it all down.

but then again if it is empty for a couple of months the council may move some one in.

I would also change the light swithces to ones with random times (gives vague apperance some one is in

I'd turn the gas/oil off at the meter/tank, but don't drain the central heating. The pump might stick when you want to use it, but they usually free up by spinning the impeller. Most systems are off for 4 to 6 months anyway. If it gets to winter and it's still unoccupied, I'd either turn off the water & drain everything or else leave the CH on permanently with the thermostat set low, say 14 to 16 degC. A frost thermostat would be useful.

Most domestic insurance policies don't cover properties left empty for more than 2 weeks, so you need to check the policy would pay out to the estate in the event of any claim, and that it will cover an empty house.

Thanks all.

It's an open-vented system. And it's only down the road from my parents house, so they go round daily to draw the curtain etc and they've got some lights on timers. I'm fairly comfortable with the risk of burglary as it's in a low-risk area. Besides, there's nothing of value in the house anyway, so I've be more worried about damage by vandals than anything getting nicked.

Hopefully, it will all be solved before the cold weather really starts, so I'll turn it all off for the time being, running it every couple of weeks for a short time as suggested.

Thanks chaps.