Empty Pipes & Boiler

[davidn]

A quick question if i may, it may sound stupid but...... If i drain all the water from the boiler and heating pipes/radiators including all the water from the sanitary pipes / tap toilets etc. Will the pipes (Copper) split or crack? I assume they won't but having had two serious bursts DEC & Jan i don't want to take any risks. All the pipes are now lagged with black foam insulation and wrapped in a thick cotton/fibre material from the plumbers merchant. The last burst brought down about 180m2 of newly installed plasterboard and the newly installed laine de verre was very wet !! The house is only used a few times a year and from October this year i was going to drain everything and turn off the water supply until we return in spring. We anticipate moving in full time summer 2009. I am aware i can put antifreeze in the system but i want to be completely sure there is no dripping/gushing water.

Regards

David

 

[jondeau]

If you drain all the water from all the pipework then you will have no problem........However, it is extremely difficult to ensure all the water will be removed by just opening the drain valves, any low lying sections of pipework will retain water in them and this can still freeze.

By and large I would say there is no guarantee that you would be able to remove all the water........ I would not chance this as a way to ensure that the pipes will not freeze.

Alternatives are anti-freeze ........or frost thermostats, which will switch on the boiler/pump if the temperature drops to about plus one or two degrees.

[Cacknanty]

If you have a compressor you can always try blowing compressed air down the taps to clear most of any trapped water.

Putting salt in the ubends also helps to stop cracked toilets.

[tonyv]

[quote user="Cacknanty"]

Putting salt in the ubends also helps to stop cracked toilets.

[/quote]

Woo, what's the salt do to the beasties in the fosse, should you have such a thing?

[Cacknanty]

I'm certainly no expert but I wouldn't have thought that a pint or two of salty water per year would have a significant effect on the fosse.

We didn't salt our toilets last year, went back in the spring to a cracked loo, previously we had placed a couple of sticks in the water, clearly not enough. We have never drained either chauffe eau (5 years) and haven't had a problem - yet. We do get one or two issues, usually a failed joint to a tap.

[davidn]

I notice you are in dept 71 Cacknanty, i am in the Morvan last year four cast iron radiators shattered with the ice plus plenty of other pipes the heating was on but it was too cold and the bloody thermostat did not kick in

[jondeau]

This is always the problem.......

If you put in anti-freeze into your heating system, then you need not worry about it.....assuming of course that you get the dilution right.

I cannot remember the figures exactly, but lets say 10% dilution will protect against against -2C

20% dilution will safeguard -10C...........and so on ad infinitum...........

 

But of course non of this will protect your domestic pipework.........Frost thermostats will warm up the whole building and so protect your heating and domestic systems, but will consume more fuel, and of course the danger of running out of fuel supplies if you are away is ever present.

So you are left with the eternal conumdrum........

 

JD

[Cacknanty]

[quote user="davidn"]I notice you are in dept 71 Cacknanty, i am in the Morvan last year four cast iron radiators shattered with the ice plus plenty of other pipes the heating was on but it was too cold and the bloody thermostat did not kick in[/quote]

That must have been pretty cold. We don't have CH so haven't got that particular issue. We have stopped going in Feb due to the cold, by the time there is any heat in the house, its time to go back to UK along with the draining down palava, just not worth it.

Right now the sun is shining, has summer arrived at last ?