> Don't do this... please don't do this. Just set all your taps (internal and external) to drip slowly. That's all you need to do. Shutting off the main could actually make it worse because it creates an area without expansion.

Can you please elaborate on this? Why wouldn't shutting off the water supply to my house and then completely draining the pipes by running the lowest faucet in the house be the safest way to protect against burst pipes? Or am I misunderstanding your recommendation?