Frost Protection – heating on timer or always on??

Going away for a wee while – is it better to leave the central heating on timer or always on but turned down to give sufficient frost protection but not cost a fortune in (scarce) oil??

How old is it? Modern boilers usually have a frost protection setting.

The boiler has frost protection on, but will that warm the house enough to stop the other water pipes freezing?

If you are worried about whole house protection I would suggest running it as normal, maybe just turning down a little – won’t be a cheap solution but it would be a safe one.

What mastiles said. Run it as normal, what will it cost you? A few pounds while you are away? How much will the alternative cost you? I think you know the answer.

I would suggest running it as normal, maybe just turning down a little

+1, that’s what we do. Looks like it’s getting cold for Crimbo!

thanks – minus 12 here last night – looks like that is here for a while.
Like you said the alternatives to leaving it on as normal do not bear thinking about!

Yup – ours has frozen twice in the last week – on a timer – leave it on .

Interesting post and a dilemma that I have been mulling over recently , as I will be leaving my house for 5 weeks. Surely a timer set for the early hours and late evening would be ok??

Wouldn’t it??

Is it worth leaving the loft hatch open to stop the pipes and tanks up there freezing?

Ours had extra insulation put in this year, and it’s significantly colder in the loft than before. On the other hand, the pipes and tanks are mostly lagged now, done at the same time.

Check your insurance details, they may require you to drain all pipes if the property is empty for a certain no of weeks.