combi boiler and holiday

[wrathkeg]

Hi all,

I have a Vaillant EcoTEC 831 Plus boiler. Is it safe to turn off the mains cold water supply but leave the boiler and heating on while on holiday?

I don't usually switch off the water supply, but today I've had to replace a leaking washing machine hose. While this was simple enough to sort out it did make me wonder what would have happened if I'd been on holiday

Thanks in advance,

wrathkeg

 

[bolshy]

Yes.

 

[dcawkwell]

Yes.
Always adviseable to switch the water off if leaving the house for any length of time.
Went to a house where a pipe in the loft had frozen and burst.
Took the complete house out. Owner was out of the house for 6 months waiting for repairs.

 

[wrathkeg]

thanks. and should i empty out the water from the taps etc. by opening a tap? if so, should I leave the tap open? this page suggests I should leave a tap open to help avoid frozen pipes:

http://www.yorkshirewater.com/your-...des-and-advice/frozen-pipes-and-no-water.aspx

but i am curious as to why: once the pipework is drained, surely there will be nothing in there to freeze therefore closing the tap again wouldn't make any difference?

 

[Burnerman]

By opening a tap you'll let a tiny volume of water escape which could conceivably give a slight expansion parameter should the pipes freeze - in practice it won't make any difference.
However, leaving the heating on should prevent any nasties anyway....if you have air bricks, you could block them off temporarily with a piece of slate to reduce the underfloor gale when you are away.
John

 

[Bunnyman]

The ecotec also has a 2 stage frost stat built in just in case you forget to leave the heating on