Winter in Vermont in 2015 has not been as harsh as winter in Massachusetts as far as the snow totals go but the temperatures have been brutal with many days in subzero. When we arrived at our house for our winter vacation this past weekend, it was an icebox. We could see our breath inside and the windows in the kitchen were iced up. Fearing the worst we immediately checked the pipes…no water! Slight panic set in and we immediately called the emergency oil company and our plumber. They were both out at the house within 1.5 hours and it took 15 minutes to correct the issue and have the furnace up and working again. The house was up to temperature and “thawed out” within 12 hours.

Our plumber said we “dodged a bullet” and no major damage to the pipes/fixtures was done. Thank goodness! This is our biggest concern with having a second home. We are not there on a day to day basis and with subzero tempertures and winter weather many problems can occur. We are determined to not let this happen again and will be addressing our options with doubling up on remote alarm systems, possible caretaker for winter months, etc.

A few things we found invaluable through this experience:

• having a super reliable, responsive, caring and professional plumber
• knowing innkeepers in the area who can accommodate us in emergency
• owning a 4-wheel drive SUV (knowing we could escape at any moment and weather condition)