Going Away? The Plumbing Checklist Before You Leave
Five minutes at the door that prevents coming home to a swimming pool.
The one that matters most
Turn the stopcock off. An empty house with the mains off cannot flood, whatever fails while you are away. For trips over a week, open a tap afterwards to drop the pressure in the pipes.
In winter
Heating stays on low, 12 to 15 degrees, not off. Frost damage to an unheated house costs more than a fortnight of gentle heating every time. If the house will be empty for months, drain the system down properly instead.
Worth two extra minutes
Washing machine valves off (hoses fail at full pressure), dishwasher too, and a neighbour with a key plus our number on the fridge. The difference between a drip and a disaster is usually how many days nobody noticed.
Short absences
Under a fortnight, the main thing is heating: leave it on low, around 12 to 14°C in winter, rather than off. Turn the stopcock off if nobody will visit. Run every tap and flush every toilet before you leave so no trap is left to evaporate, and again when you return.
Long absences and winter voids
Drain the system: stopcock off, every tap open until dry, toilets flushed, and the boiler left on frost protection or drained per its manual. Empty washing machine and dishwasher hoses. Leave a key with a neighbour and tell them where the stopcock is, the difference between a wet floor and a wet house is who can reach the valve.
What insurers actually require
Most policies impose conditions on unoccupied properties, commonly after 30 or 60 days: heating maintained at a minimum temperature, or the system drained, plus periodic inspections. These conditions are frequently unmet and frequently decisive when a claim is assessed. It is worth reading that clause before the trip rather than after the flood.
Ten minutes in November that prevent the two most expensive January callouts.
The changes that genuinely cut water and heating costs, ranked by payback.
When black mould is a leak, when it is condensation, and how to tell before spending money.
Fifteen minutes a year that catches the failures before they choose their own timing.