No heat in a Medford winter, a lockout that will not clear, water where it should not be — call any time. The emergency telephone line is available 24/7 and true Explain urgent symptoms first.
General inquiries: 7 AM–7 PM · Emergency calls: 24/7 · (888) 766-1474
Thirty seconds that save thirty minutes.
Emergency triage is only as good as the information you give. The five facts that matter: 1) fuel type (gas or oil — check the meter/tank), 2) boiler age (data plate, or "very old"), 3) the symptom (error code, lockout pattern, leak, smell), 4) how many units/people affected, 5) service history ("never serviced" is useful data).
With those five, triage routes you precisely — right tech, right parts expectation, right priority. Without them, it is guesswork. Take thirty seconds before you call; it saves thirty minutes after.
Know the line.
What helps.
Note the error code (gas) or lockout pattern (oil), and check the tank gauge if you burn oil. Protect pipes: open sink cabinets on exterior walls, let taps drip. If water is leaking, close the boiler feed valve if safe. Do not keep resetting a locked-out burner.
Medford's emergency season.
Medford emergencies cluster around the first sustained freeze — usually November into December. Systems that sat idle since April fire up, weak components fail, and everyone discovers it the same weekend. If your boiler is over 20 with spotty service history, the first freeze is its exam. A September tune-up is the cheat sheet; without it, keep the triage number handy.
What to check before you call.
It is 3 AM, the house is cold, and you are deciding whether to call now. Run these checks first — they take minutes and sharpen the triage. Thermostat: display lit, setpoint several degrees above room temperature. Electrical: breaker or fused disconnect at the boiler not tripped. Pressure gauge: a cold boiler should sit around 12–15 psi; if the needle is near zero, the system lost water — our boiler pressure guide explains the likely causes. Oil homes: glance at the tank gauge — at a quarter tank in January, order immediately; below that, a run-out may be the whole story, and the burner will need attention even after delivery.
Write down the exact error code (gas) or the lockout pattern (oil) before you dial. And do not keep hitting reset on a locked-out burner — repeated resets do not fix ignition or fuel faults, and on oil they can flood the chamber. One exception overrides everything: if you smell gas, skip the checklist, leave the building, and call the utility or 911 from outside.
Straight answers before you call.
Check the thermostat, the emergency switch (the red switch plate, often at the top of the basement stairs), and the breaker — then call (888) 766-1474. Do not keep resetting a locked-out burner; repeated resets without a fix can flood the chamber with unburned fuel. In a multi, tell us how many units are affected, because several cold households move to the front of the queue.
No heat in freezing weather, any sign of a gas leak or strong oil odor, water actively leaking from the boiler, or a system that keeps locking out and will not stay running. Cold radiators on a mild day or a strange noise with heat still working are repairs, not emergencies. When in doubt, call — triage will sort it in a minute or two.
Do not flip switches or relight anything — leave the area and call your gas utility's emergency line from outside, then call us at (888) 766-1474. Gas odor around a boiler is the one symptom that skips triage and goes straight to emergency protocol. The utility makes it safe; we handle the boiler side after.
If the heat is out and temperatures are still dropping, yes — frozen pipes burst as they thaw, and a thaw without heat control turns a no-heat call into a water-damage call. Call the 24/7 line and mention the freeze explicitly. While waiting, open faucets slightly and keep cabinet doors open where pipes run along outside walls.
Tell them you are calling for emergency triage now, at (888) 766-1474 — Massachusetts heat law does not pause for the hour, and a dead boiler in a rental is urgent. Then call us with the address and what the tenant reported. We will triage it like any no-heat emergency and keep you looped in.
Related services in the Medford area.
