I know this sounds like a no-brainer but I see it all the time... Just saw it today in fact. If your going out of town for a few days, even just over night, LEAVE THE HEAT ON. Don't try and save a few bucks by turning the heat off. Now I would suggest turning it down, but certainly not off. The house I went to today had a bathroom with a vanity which sat against an exterior wall. When the family left for a few days of fun in the sun out in sunny California, they didn't expect to return to a flooded out home. But thats just what they got. You see, Dad thought he'd save a few bucks and turn the heat off. He didn't think it would actually get cold enough to freeze anything inside his home, after all, he had insulation. Well, he was wrong. The valve under his bathroom sink near the exterior wall froze and burst causing water to spray for 2 days non-stop before they returned home and were able to shut it off. The bathroom was on the main level of the home so water had permeated nearly every room on the main level and had made way down to the basement where it literally began to fill up like a swimming pool. Upon arrival, we found 6 inches of water throughout the entire basement to be extracted and thousands of dollars in contents damage... and even more in structural damages. Moral of the story? Leave the heat on when you leave town in the winter. You don't have to keep it at 70 degrees... but its a good idea to keep it at least above 50. The money spent heating your home will be the least of your concerns should you have a pipe burst like these guys.
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