Long story made short, We purchased a home this past March (2012) that was built in 1954 after we had a total loss home fire that didn�t allow us to rebuild. The boiler (which is original to the home) went through the inspection and we were told that it would eventually need to be repaired, but we could make a couple of years on it. We moved in and about one month later and three service calls we were told that there was nothing more that could be done for the boiler and we should replace the system. We were obviously not prepared for such an investment so soon and we have been using cold water with no issues throughout the summer. The home has had it�s plumbing issues and we�ve done all we can do at this point including shutting the hot water valve off to the home.

We have hot water baseboard heating throughout the one level ranch over a basement. We are in Maine and unfortunately the heating system cannot be replaced for a few months due to financial issues. Can I have the baseboard heaters drained so I don�t have to worry about them freezing, but continue to use cold water to flush toilets and run water in the bathroom sink/kitchen sink? We used a couple of infrared heaters from March-spring last year and the upstairs was comfortable, but I am very nervous about pipes freezing and the baseboards freezing up. I just don�t want more of a headache than we have already had regarding the heating system.

I appreciate any suggestions or input anyone has about this situation.