Frost Protection - What we did

[ditchcrawler]

1 hour ago, Idle Days said:

I think you would have to drain down rather than just closing a valve.

If a pipe bursts water damage would be minimal, you may need to replumb the boat

I wonder how many gas boilers and shower mixers have been claimed for ?

 

[Momac]

40 minutes ago, David Mack said:

10 degrees is ridiculous. Frost stats are normally set to 4 or 5 degrees C.

In any event, neither the insurer nor the policyholder can prove what the internal temperature in the vessel was maintained at. So its just a dishonest way of saying that you aren't covered for burst pipes if you have central heating.

But apparently you are covered if you have no CH and you leave your water system undrained with the main stop valve closed.

I have had a couple of frost damage incidents . But not sufficient to exceed the policy excess. In any case it's not worth making small claims.

The wording in this case doesn't do the insurer any favours . All insurances require reasonable care to be taken. That is all they really need to say.

[David Floyd]

I have been looking at my insurance and have so far found this, I am now hunting down the "Conditions that must be met"

 

I will report back when I find them.

 

D

[David Floyd]

After much scanning for the PDF's I found this..

 

I guess evidence would be the fitting of the frost thermostat etc.

 

 

[David Mack]

2 hours ago, doratheexplorer said:

The policy doesn't say "no central heating", it says "not centrally heated".  Two different things.  The second seems to allow for having some form of central heating but not using it.  In which case you have to turn the water off.  A much simpler and cheaper solution than running CH all winter.

The first paragraph of the text I was responding to said that central heating must be turned on and set to maintain a temperature of at least 10 degrees C. So in this context "not centrally heated" can only mean that no CH is fitted. This policy does not cover you for frost damage if you have CH and don't use it.

[doratheexplorer]

7 minutes ago, David Mack said:

The first paragraph of the text I was responding to said that central heating must be turned on and set to maintain a temperature of at least 10 degrees C. So in this context "not centrally heated" can only mean that no CH is fitted. This policy does not cover you for frost damage if you have CH and don't use it.

It depends how you read it.  The first and second paragraphs can be read to together as an either/or.

 

In any case, as has been pointed out, the whole section functions as an exemption clause to ensure the company won't pay out on any burst pipe issue relating to cold temperatures.  So just do whatever to feel appropriate to protect against it.  I'd recommend turning off the water a draining it as the central heating option risks failing due to breakdown (and it costs a load).

 

[Momac]

59 minutes ago, David Floyd said:

After much scanning for the PDF's I found this..

 

I guess evidence would be the fitting of the frost thermostat etc.

 

 

That's not unreasonable 

.

[ditchcrawler]

If you are turning off the water you need to remember to do every step Then There Were Three. 4th March | Narrowboat Oleanna

[AndrewIC]

5 hours ago, David Mack said:

In any event, neither the insurer nor the policyholder can prove what the internal temperature in the vessel was maintained at.

If you were claiming for frost damaged pipes, then it’s pretty obvious that the temperature was not maintained at 10deg.