Tips to avoid burst pipes and other risks in your empty house

A Calgary homeowner got an expensive surprise on Tuesday when a water pipeburst, causing extensive damage to the house and neighbouring properties.

Calgary Fire Department spokeswoman CarolHenke said firefighters got the call around 9:40 a.m. from a neighbour in the Briar Hill area.

"When fire crews arrived, they had to force entry because there was a substantial amount of water closeto a foot of water in the basement of the home," she said.

"It appears that the furnace stopped working for some reason, causing the pipes to freeze. Now that it's warmed up a little bit, those pipes are now leaking substantial water into the home."

It's not the only thing that can go wrong when a house isleft unsupervised.

So, if you're heading out of town or won't be around a property for a while,there are some things you can do to prevent a mishap andreduce the risk.

Keep the heat on

The recent cold spell should serve as a reminder of just how low temperatures can go in Calgary.

If your house gets cold enough, all that water flowing through your pipes will freeze. Water expands when it freezes, leading to burst pipes and flooding. So keep your furnace low,but don't turn it off, while you're away.

Have someone check on the house

That furnace can still break, so make suresomeone is stopping in to check on the place and make sure everything's working the way it should. It won't take long to cool down if the furnace shuts off. It's also better to catch problems early.

Insurance companies often make this a requirement of home coverage, so if you don't have someone checking regularly, you might be out of luck in the case of a claim.

Lock your doors

It's a no-brainer, but take a few minutes to make sure you locked the doors even if you're rushing to catch a flight and the cab is waiting and someone's impatient with you and you're not sure if you packed those Speedos.

It's a good use of limited time.

Trick the burglars

If you can get a timer to turn lights on and off, that's great. At least don't leave the place dark at all times.

Maybe tell that nice person checking in on your place to rotate which lights they leave on, or invite them to spend some time and watch a movie on your couch.

Don't advertise your wares

It's probably not such a good idea to put your diamond-encrusted pug statue orbrand new iMacin the window while you leave for a few weeks.

You might even want to stash the goods people can't see, either off-site or somewhere hard to find. And if you did just buy a new computer, don't leave the box sitting out by the trash.

Don't advertise your absence

Telling friends and family you're going on vacationis one thing, posting the details on the Calgary Part-Time Burglars Facebook group or other public-facing social media is unwise.

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