You may be planning to go away from home this Christmas, and whether it’s to stay with family or friends, you’re jetting off to the sunshine, or heading to the snowy ski slopes, you will want to ensure you have an enjoyable trip without worrying about the home you’ve left behind.
You may be wondering what to do with your oil central heating whilst you’re away. In the summertime it’s easy – you can simply turn off your boiler. But in the winter months, it can be more of a worry - with the potential of sudden cold spells that might lead to the risk of frozen pipes.
In this blog, we’re going to take that worry away from you, with our useful information which offers help and advice on heating your home whilst you’re away in the winter months.
Should I leave my heating switched on?
This can in itself depend on several factors such as, for instance, how long you plan to be away, what the forecast is for the period of your absence and how well insulated your home is. If you’re only going for a short weekend away and the weather is set to be mild, freezing pipes will not be a concern. However, if you’re away for a longer period, you may get caught out by a sudden and unexpected cold spell. So keep an eye on the weather forecast for useful information on forthcoming temperatures.
Whilst you'll be pleased to know that the freezing point of home heating oil is extremely low at minus 47 degrees Celcius, below-freezing weather conditions can lead to pipes freezing, especially when they’re not insulated – when water freezes it expands, creating more pressure than normal on the walls of the pipes, which can lead to them bursting as they thaw, particularly at the weakest points such as the joints in the pipework or bends.
Burst pipes are not good news! They can lead to significant water damage and necessitate costly repairs to ceilings, walls, and even your belongings once the ice thaws and the water begins to flow again. Not to mention the inconvenience of having to clean and dry out the affected areas which can take days or even weeks in extreme cases.
Whilst you might be tempted to turn your oil fired central heating off completely to save on your fuel bills, costly repairs if you do have burst pipes would outweigh any savings you’d make by a long way. Not just the cost of the damage to your home, but you’ll need a qualified and approved plumber to repair the damage to the pipework.
Prevention is always better than cure, so we would advise you not to turn your oil central heating boiler off completely, but to leave your heating ticking over at a lower temperature than normal to prevent your pipes from freezing, and additionally, consider insulating your pipework, especially external and exposed pipes, if you haven’t already done so. But if you really don't want to leave your heating system running, whilst not recommended if you're only going away for a few days, consider completely draining it if you're going to be away for a long period of time.
Constant low or timer controlled?
The next question you may ask ‘Is it better to keep your heating on constantly on low or set the timer so it comes on only for specific times of the day?’.
Whilst maintaining a minimum temperature will ensure your home stays above a certain temperature, it may increase your fuel consumption and result in a higher energy bill than if you set your timer so it comes on for an hour or two in the morning and evening, for instance. But there’s little point in leaving your heating on full blast is there’s no one home to enjoy it.
For short absences, it might be more suitable to use a timer, but if you’re away for an extended period during cold weather, we’d generally advise you to leave the heating on low to prevent frozen pipes – a temperature of around 16 degrees will keep your system ticking over at an economical level. And you won’t return to a freezing cold ice-box of a home after your lovely break away!
Of course, if you have a smart thermostat, you will be able to set the temperature remotely using your smartphone or tablet whilst you’re away, as long as you have an internet connection. Turn the temperature up, down, on, or off!
Smart thermostats also provide insights on energy consumption, and some can even incorporate weather data to anticipate temperature changes and adjust your heating settings accordingly. An ideal option if you’re away from home a lot!
And some modern boilers have a frost or antifreeze setting which allows you to set a low temperature at which point your boiler will come on automatically.
One thing to remember is to make sure your boiler is well maintained before you go away, and check that you're up to date on your annual boiler service. If your boiler service is over-due, we’d always advise you get it booked in before you go, and always recommend its done by an OFTEC registered heating oil engineer.
Stock up - or run down your heating oil tank
As the cost of heating oil rises, it can become a very attractive target to potential thieves so deciding whether to top up your tank or run it down before you go away can be a bit of a headache.
A primary factor in whether to top up your tank or run it down is how long you’re going to be away for and how much you’re planning on leaving your system running.
If you’re just heading off for a short break, you certainly won’t need to leave a large quantity of domestic heating oil to get you through, but if you’re going for a much longer break and are planning to leave your heating on, you will want to ensure you have enough fuel to keep you going until your return. Having a full tank ensures your system will continue to operate whilst you’re away. However, if you've run your tank down, once there is no fuel left in your heating oil tank or the level gets too low for the fuel to be fed through to your boiler, it will shut off automatically. Plus, if you have sludge or dirt at the bottom of your tank, this can get sucked through to your boiler when your fuel level gets very low and can block filters and fuel lines. In either case, if your boiler shuts down, you may need an engineer to attend, do a ‘bleed through’ and get you up and running again.
Of course, whilst the chance of having your fuel stolen is relatively low, when it does happen, it can be costly. And definitely something you want to avoid! And its worth checking your home insurance policy to make sure you're covered for heating oil theft and any potential damage to your tank.
Whilst there are some precautions you can take to deter potential opportunist thieves, such as fitting the tank with a good quality padlock, installing security lighting, and hiding the oil tank behind trellising or fencing, if your tank is in an easily accessible location, for instance right next to the roadside, this might be a reason not to leave it full to the brim.
Whereas if your tank is well-hidden and in a secure position, thieves are less likely to target it, or even know it’s there.
Whatever you decide, wherever you're going, we hope you've found these tips helpful, and that with a bit of planning you can have a relaxing and stress-free time away. So there's just one thing left to do - and that is to wish you a very happy Christmas!