How Do I Keep a Vacation or Seasonal Property From Freezing in Winter?

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Why unoccupied properties freeze so easily

A vacation property is vulnerable because nobody is there to notice a furnace that has stopped working, a tripped breaker, or a thermostat battery that died. In an occupied home, someone usually catches a cold house within a day. In a seasonal property, a heating failure during a cold snap can go unnoticed for weeks, and that's long enough for water in pipes to freeze, expand, and split a copper or PEX line. Once a pipe cracks, the real damage often happens later when it thaws and starts leaking, sometimes flooding the whole property before anyone finds out.

Metro Vancouver winters are generally mild, but interior BC, the Sea-to-Sky corridor, the Fraser Valley, and higher-elevation properties can see sustained sub-zero stretches, especially during arctic outflow events. Coastal cabins and older cottages with limited insulation or crawlspace plumbing are particularly exposed.

What actually works

• Set the thermostat to a minimum of 10-13°C and leave the heating system running all winter — never shut it off completely at an unoccupied property.
• Open cabinet doors under sinks so warm air can reach pipes along exterior walls.
• Insulate exposed pipes in crawlspaces, attics, and unheated garages with pipe sleeves or heat tape on the most vulnerable runs.
• Install a Wi-Fi or smart thermostat so you can monitor the indoor temperature remotely and get an alert if it drops.
• Add a standalone freeze sensor or water leak detector near vulnerable plumbing — these are inexpensive and send a phone alert independent of the thermostat.
• Keep the furnace or heat pump on a maintenance schedule so it's less likely to fail unnoticed during the season you need it most.
• For extended vacancy, have the plumbing professionally drained and winterized instead of relying on heat alone.
• Arrange for a neighbour, caretaker, or property manager to do a walk-through every week or two during cold snaps.

When to call a professional

If the heating system at the property is older, has failed before, or you're not confident it can reliably hold a set temperature through a hard freeze, it's worth having it inspected before the cold season starts. A pre-winter check can catch a failing igniter, a dying thermostat, or restricted airflow before it becomes a frozen-pipe emergency two provinces away. If you're setting up a property for the first time as a seasonal home, we can also advise on pipe insulation, freeze-alarm placement, and whether a full winterization (draining the system) makes more sense than trying to heat an empty building all winter.

Frequently asked questions

Reviewed by the CANRO Heating & Cooling service team — July 07, 2026. Technical Safety BC gas licence LGA0043870 · boiler licence LBP0046450 · Red Seal certified · WorkSafeBC and liability insured · 4.9★ from 85+ Google reviews · serving Metro Vancouver since 1999 · (604) 359-1081.