Don't Let the Cold Snap You: A New England Homeowner's Guide to Winter Preparedness By Lamont Plumbing & Heating · Holliston, MA

If you've lived in New England for more than one winter, you already know the drill. January hits, the temperature drops to single digits, and suddenly everyone is Googling "frozen pipes" and "no heat." We've been on those emergency calls. We'd rather help you avoid them altogether.

This is our honest, practical guide to keeping your home's plumbing and heating systems safe through a New England winter — written by the people who show up when things go wrong.

🌡️ Set It and Forget It — Keep Your Heat On

This is the single most important thing we can tell you: do not turn your heat off or set your thermostat below 55°F — ever — when it's cold outside. Not when you leave for work. Not when you go on vacation. Not to save money on your heating bill.

Pipes don't care that you're trying to save a few dollars. The moment temperatures inside your walls drop below freezing, water expands as it freezes — and pipes burst. The repair bill for a burst pipe and the resulting water damage will erase years of thermostat savings in a single afternoon.

The rule: 68°F when you're home. 62°F minimum when you're away or sleeping. Never below 55°F under any circumstances. If you're going away, have someone check on your home every day during a cold snap. A smart thermostat like Nest or Ecobee lets you monitor and adjust from your phone — worth every penny.

🚰 Open Cabinet Doors — Your Pipes Need Warm Air Too

Your home's insulation protects the living spaces, but the pipes inside your walls — especially on exterior walls — are often in unconditioned spaces with very little protection from the cold. The most vulnerable spots are under kitchen and bathroom sinks on outside walls.

The fix is almost embarrassingly simple: open the cabinet doors. When you open the cabinet under your kitchen sink, warm air from your living space circulates around the pipes. It costs nothing and takes two seconds. On the coldest nights of the year — single digits or below zero — make it a habit before bed.

Where to focus: Kitchen sink on an exterior wall · Bathroom vanity on an exterior wall · Any cabinet that backs up against the garage · Pipes in unheated basement spaces near the foundation.

💧 Let the Water Drip — Moving Water Doesn't Freeze

On the most dangerously cold nights — single digits, below zero, or any night with a wind chill well below zero — let your faucets drip. Moving water is significantly harder to freeze than standing water. A slow drip from both hot and cold handles keeps water circulating through vulnerable pipes and dramatically reduces the risk of a freeze.

Focus on faucets fed by pipes running along exterior walls or through unheated spaces. Yes, you'll use a small amount of extra water. It is absolutely worth it.

When to drip: Any night the forecast calls for temperatures at or below 10°F, or wind chill below 0°F. If a multi-day cold snap is forecast, keep faucets dripping continuously — don't stop just because it's daytime.

🔥 Take Care of Your Heating System Before Winter Hits

Your boiler or furnace has been sitting idle since spring. The worst time to find out it doesn't work is 6am on a January morning when it's 8°F outside. Schedule your annual heating system tune-up in September or October — before the season starts and before every plumber in MetroWest is booked with emergency calls.

Annual heating checklist:

• Professional tune-up before heating season

• Bleed radiators if you have a hot water baseboard or radiator system — trapped air reduces efficiency significantly

• Check your boiler's pressure gauge — it should read 12–15 PSI cold

• Replace furnace filters — a clogged filter causes your system to work harder and can cause overheating

• Test your thermostat — switch to heat mode now and confirm the system fires up

• Make sure all vents and radiators are unobstructed by furniture or curtains

• Know where your emergency shutoff is — the red switch near the top of your basement stairs

• Check your fuel supply if you're on oil or propane — don't let it run low in January

🚿 Protect Your Water Heater in Cold Weather

Your water heater works harder in winter — incoming cold water temperature drops significantly, meaning the unit has to do more work. A water heater coasting along fine in October may struggle in January, especially if it's aging.

If your water heater is in an unheated garage or basement, consider insulating the pipes leading to and from the unit. Foam pipe insulation sleeves are cheap, available at any hardware store, and take fifteen minutes to install.

Tankless water heater owners: your unit has built-in freeze protection, but it requires power and gas to work. If your power goes out during a cold snap, that protection stops. If you'll be without power for an extended period in very cold weather, shut off the water supply to the unit and drain it.

🏠 Don't Forget These Often-Overlooked Spots

• Garage-facing walls: If your kitchen or laundry room shares a wall with an attached garage, those pipes are at risk. Keep the garage door closed on the coldest nights.

• Outdoor hose bibs: Disconnect all garden hoses before the first freeze. A connected hose traps water in the bib and can crack it — even on frost-free models.

• Sump pump discharge line: Make sure it isn't frozen or blocked. A blocked discharge on a wet winter day floods your basement even when the pump is running.

• Vacation and seasonal properties: Leaving a Cape property unoccupied all winter? The right move is a full winterization — drain all pipes, the water heater, and appliances. Don't just turn the heat down and hope.

• Know your main water shutoff: Make sure every adult in your household knows where it is and how to use it. In a burst pipe emergency, every second counts.

📞 When to Call Us

If you suspect a frozen pipe — you turn on a faucet and nothing comes out — do not try to thaw it yourself with an open flame. A torch near a pipe inside a wall has started more than a few house fires. Call us. We have the right equipment to safely thaw frozen pipes, assess for damage, and make repairs before a small freeze becomes a major flood.

Signs of a frozen or burst pipe: No water from one or more faucets · Unusual banging or gurgling sounds · Visible frost on exposed pipes · Water stains appearing on walls or ceilings · Sudden drop in water pressure. If you see any of these — shut off your main water supply and call us immediately.

Lamont Plumbing & Heating · 508-429-6227 · Holliston, MA · Serving MetroWest Boston Book online at lamontplumbingandheating.com