Undetected water leaks

The honest answer is that it depends on the season, the property and — critically — what your own insurance policy says. There is no universal standard, and anyone who gives you a single number without asking about your policy is guessing.

That said, the practical logic is straightforward. The damage from most vacant-property failures is proportional to how long they run undetected, so the visit interval is effectively a cap on your worst-case outcome. A leak found after three days and the same leak found after three weeks are very different events.

In practice, weekly is the most common cadence for an Alberta property during the heating season, with owners increasing to twice weekly or every 72 hours during extreme cold. Through summer, weekly or biweekly is common. Properties with known risk factors — poly-B plumbing, an aging hot water tank, a history of basement water, or no water shut-off — warrant more frequent visits than a newer, lower-risk property.

The number that actually matters is the one in your policy. Many policies contain a required check interval during extended absences, and some specify who must perform it. Call your insurer or broker and ask directly before you leave.

Less dramatically than people imagine in the first month, and more than they expect over a year.

Within weeks: plumbing traps dry out and sewer gas enters the building, producing the characteristic stale smell of an empty house. Dust settles undisturbed. Air becomes stale without the ventilation that ordinary occupancy provides.

Within months: pests find their way in, particularly through the fall. Small leaks that would have been noticed immediately run continuously. Moisture accumulates in unventilated spaces. Landscaping deteriorates visibly, and the property starts announcing its own vacancy.

Over a year or more: systems left idle can seize or fail on restart. Moisture problems develop into mould. Rodent populations establish. Exterior maintenance issues compound — a small roof problem becomes a leak, a drainage issue becomes a basement problem.

Almost all of this is prevented by ordinary attention: heat maintained, water managed, fixtures run, the property visited, and problems caught while they are still small.

For an extended absence in an Alberta winter, shutting off the water is the single most effective step available to you. It removes the mechanism for the most expensive thing that happens to vacant homes.

The reasoning is simple. A supply line that fails while the water is on runs continuously at full pressure until someone closes a valve. The same failure with the water off produces nothing. Shutting off does not prevent pipes from freezing, but it dramatically limits what happens when one does.

For it to work properly, shutting off is not enough on its own — the system should also be drained. Open the lowest fixtures to relieve pressure and let standing water out. Water left in the lines can still freeze and split a pipe; you simply avoid the continuous flow afterwards.

Some caveats. If your property has a fire sprinkler system, do not shut off the supply — that system needs to remain charged. If the property has a boiler or in-floor heating, the heating loop is separate from the domestic supply and needs different handling. If the shut-off valve is old, seized or leaking, force it and you may create the problem you were preventing; have a plumber deal with it first.

Also check your policy. Some insurers require water to be shut off and drained during extended absences in the heating season, and some accept maintained heat as an alternative. Which one applies to you is worth knowing before you decide.