Despite how well-known the threat is, burst pipes from heating failures are one of the largest insurance expenses for secondary properties in Canada, affecting countless cottages every year. Even with all the information available about winterizing and cottage care, thousands of properties still face these surprises annually. Power outages go undetected, pipes freeze and burst, and owners arrive to costly damage they thought they’d prevented.
That’s why most of us have a checklist: set the heat low, drain the pipes or keep them warm, unplug non-essential appliances, and ask a neighbour to peek in. The basics often work, but what happens between check-ins when conditions change quickly?
To help you stay ahead of those issues and keep your cottage a cozy year-round retreat, here are four ways to upgrade your winter cottage care and gain real peace of mind.
Drain your pipes, or back it up with a freeze sensor
Draining your pipes is Cottage Winterization 101, but if you want to use your place year-round, you can’t keep everything drained all the time. That’s where a freeze sensor changes the game.
“A freeze sensor gives you a live warning if temperatures drop toward freezing, so you can act before damage happens, even if you’re not there,” explains Mary Little, Marketing Director at CabinPulse. “It’s especially helpful when the power cuts out overnight, the heat fails while you’re away, or a cold snap hits faster than expected.”
Instead of hoping everything stays warm enough, you get a real-time heads-up and the confidence to enjoy your place more often, even in colder months. CabinPulse’s freeze detection alerts you the moment conditions become risky, giving you time to call a neighbour or take action before small problems become expensive disasters.
Set your heat low, and actually monitor it
Setting your thermostat to 12°C is a good start, but it’s not foolproof. What if the power goes out or the furnace fails? Even smart thermostats need WiFi, which also stops working during outages.
Here’s an all-too-common scenario: You leave your cottage during a cold snap with the heat set low. A day later, there’s a power outage overnight. By morning, the inside temperature has dropped significantly, and your pipes are at risk of freezing. With CabinPulse, you’d get an alert as soon as the temperature starts falling or the power goes out, so you can call a neighbour or get someone there before it turns into a burst pipe repair.
“It’s the difference between hoping it’s fine and knowing it’s fine,” says Little. Remote temperature monitoring means you’re never guessing about conditions inside your cottage.
Unplug what you can, and know when the power goes out anyway
Power outages happen, especially during winter storms. Many people unplug their appliances to save energy or avoid surges, but what if you want to leave food in your freezer for the next weekend visit? What about your heating system?
CabinPulse’s power monitoring works where other systems fail. It’s plugged into a standard wall outlet and continuously monitors whether it’s receiving grid power. The moment grid power stops, CabinPulse instantly switches to its built-in battery and sends a “Power Outage Detected” alert over cellular, so it still works even when your WiFi and router don’t. When the power returns, it sends a “Power Restored” alert and includes the outage duration.
“Most devices out there rely on WiFi and stop working the moment the power goes out,” explains Little. “CabinPulse is built differently: a hefty backup battery with a wide network of cellular connectivity designed for truly remote monitoring, so you stay connected for up to three days, even without electricity.”
Don’t rely on neighbours who can check in only once a week
Neighbours are amazing, but asking them to be your full-time monitoring system isn’t fair to them or reliable for you. Most cottagers rely on “Hey, can you take a quick look this weekend?” And that works … until it doesn’t.
“People get busy, roads get icy, plans change, and in shoulder seasons (spring and fall) conditions can swing fast,” notes Little. “A warm afternoon can drop below freezing overnight, or a small issue can turn into a big one before anyone even thinks to check.”
CabinPulse keeps watch 24/7 and alerts you the moment something changes, from power outages or temperature drops to leaks or other unusual conditions. You’re never depending on someone else’s schedule.
“Neighbours are great for backup or for helping out if CabinPulse detects an issue,” adds Little. “But CabinPulse is the safety net that never sleeps, and it’s already monitoring over a thousand properties across North America.”
Expand your coverage
CabinPulse has the essentials built in, but also works as a remote sensor hub, allowing you to expand its built-in monitoring with up to 30 wireless add-on sensors. These include additional temperature sensors, leak sensors, and a growing collection of others, at no extra subscription cost. The add-ons are perfect for bunkhouses, heated garages, and areas near water tanks, as well as adding any specific monitoring capability your property needs.
All connectivity is included with built-in cellular that works on all major networks. No WiFi, third-party SIM cards, or separate data plans are needed. Starting at $10 a month, you get comprehensive monitoring that works when you need it most. Plus, CabinPulse is proudly Canadian, with devices assembled in and shipped from Saskatchewan.
Since its launch two winters ago, over 1,000 property owners have trusted CabinPulse to monitor their cottages, cabins, and even non-residential properties like government facilities and public buildings across North America.
Ready to stop worrying about what’s happening at the cottage when you’re not there? Learn more at CabinPulse.com.