How to Prevent Frozen Pipes During a Massachusetts Winter

Pipes freeze where cold air reaches them and warm air does not. That sounds obvious, but it is genuinely the whole principle — every prevention measure below is either adding insulation, blocking cold air, or making sure heat gets to the pipe.

The fall checklist

• Disconnect every garden hose and shut off the interior valve feeding each exterior hose bib, then open the bib outside to drain it
• Insulate exposed pipe in the basement, crawl space, garage, and any unheated utility area — foam sleeves are inexpensive and effective
• Seal air leaks at the rim joist, foundation sill, and around any pipe or wire penetration through an exterior wall
• Close crawl space vents for the season if your crawl space has them
• Check that basement windows close and latch properly
• Know exactly where your main water shutoff is and confirm the valve actually turns

During a severe cold snap

• Open cabinet doors under kitchen and bathroom sinks on exterior walls so room air reaches the supply lines
• Let a pencil-thin trickle run from the faucet furthest from where the water enters the house, especially overnight
• Keep the garage door closed if any plumbing runs through the garage
• Do not turn the heat down at night below the mid-60s during extreme cold

If the property will be empty

Vacant properties account for the worst freeze damage, because nobody discovers the break for days. Never set the thermostat below 55°F. Better still, shut off the water at the main and drain the system, which removes the risk rather than reducing it. If the building will sit empty for a season, arrange for someone to check on it.

Problem areas in older Methuen homes

Supply lines run inside exterior walls during a past renovation, plumbing added to an unheated ell or enclosed porch, fieldstone foundations with significant air infiltration, and second-floor bathrooms above unheated garages are the recurring local trouble spots. If your house has any of these, that is where to concentrate the effort.

And if you are already past prevention this winter, our frozen and burst pipe repair

page explains what to do in the first few minutes.