When should I winterize my outdoor faucets and pipes on Long Island?

Freeze dates for the Centereach area

These are NOAA's official 1991-2020 climate normals for Islip Long Island MacArthur Airport (station USW00004781), a few miles south of Centereach. Your yard can run a little earlier or later, especially in low spots where cold air settles.

• First freeze (32°F): November 2 in a typical year. 1 year in 10 has one by October 18; 9 years in 10 have one by November 15.
• First hard freeze (28°F): November 14 in a typical year.

Buried sprinkler lines and pipes inside a heated house aren't at risk from one light freeze. The parts that go first are the ones sitting in the cold: hose bibs and the short pipe behind them, hoses left attached, backflow preventers above ground, and pipes in garages, crawl spaces and exterior walls.

Outdoor checklist (do it before the first hard freeze)

1. Take the hoses off. Drain them and store them inside. The Red Cross says to remove, drain and store outdoor hoses before cold weather.
2. Close the indoor valve for each outside faucet, usually on the pipe in the basement or crawl space just inside the wall. Then open the outside faucet so the pipe drains, and leave it open. The Red Cross explains that an open bib lets any leftover water expand without breaking the pipe.
3. Frost-free hose bibs (the long-stem kind that shuts off inside the wall) don't need the indoor valve closed, but they still need the hose removed, because an attached hose traps water in the stem.
4. Shut off and drain the sprinkler system, including the above-ground backflow device. SCWA says sprinkler systems must be drained and turned off, and lines to unheated structures (sheds, detached garages, pool houses) should be shut off until spring. Don't put antifreeze in these lines unless the installer says to.
5. If your SCWA meter is outside in a vault, keep the lid closed tight and let snow cover it; SCWA says the snow acts as insulation.

Indoor checklist

1. Find and tag your main shutoff valve. SCWA lists this first. If a pipe splits, closing it fast is what limits the damage.
2. Insulate pipes in unheated spaces: crawl spaces, garages, unfinished basements, and runs along exterior walls. Foam pipe sleeves, fiberglass wrap, or UL-listed heat cable all work.
3. Fix drafts near pipes: broken basement or boiler-room windows, open crawl-space vents, gaps where pipes pass through walls.
4. On very cold nights, open sink cabinets on outside walls and let a cold faucet served by exposed pipe drip. Keep the thermostat the same day and night.
5. Going away? The Red Cross says to leave the heat on, set no lower than 55°F.
6. Closing up a seasonal house? SCWA says to shut the water off and drain every faucet inside and out plus the sprinklers. SCWA doesn't charge to turn the water off, but there's a $60 reconnect fee to turn it back on, and the quarterly service charge continues while the meter stays in.

What's SCWA's job and what's yours

• The line from the street to your house is yours. SCWA says if the service line between the street and the house freezes, it's the customer's responsibility to have it thawed (in practice, by a plumber). SCWA may also check that the line is buried at the required 4½ feet and require it to be relocated before service is restored if it isn't.
• Meter freeze damage is billed to you. SCWA maintains its meters for normal wear, but the customer pays for damage from freezing. Meters in property-line vaults are usually protected; meters in unheated indoor spots can freeze and flood.
• No water at all? It may be a main break or maintenance rather than your pipes. SCWA customer service is (631) 698-9500 for service interruptions.

If a pipe freezes anyway

• A faucet that only trickles during a cold snap usually means a frozen pipe, often on an exterior wall or where the water line comes through the foundation.
• SCWA's advice: shut the water off before you try to thaw it, because freezing can leave hidden cracks that leak once the ice melts.
• Warm the pipe gently with a hair dryer, an electric heating pad, a space heater kept away from anything flammable, or hot wet towels. Never a torch, kerosene or propane heater, or any open flame.
• Turn the water back on slowly and look for leaks. Check other faucets too; if one pipe froze, others may have.
• If you can't find or reach the frozen section, or it has already split, that's a job for a licensed plumber. See frozen and burst pipes.

Sources

• NOAA NCEI, 1991-2020 annual climate normals, Islip LI MacArthur Airport (first 32°F freeze 10%/50%/90%: Oct 18 / Nov 2 / Nov 15; first 28°F: Nov 14)
• Suffolk County Water Authority, Winter Water Tips (checklist, service line and meter freezing, seasonal shutoff and $60 reconnect fee)
• Suffolk County Water Authority, preparing for sub-freezing temperatures (tag the main valve, meter lid and snow, shut water before thawing)
• Suffolk County Water Authority, Schedule of Fees and rules (frost provision, 4½-foot service pipe cover, meter freeze damage)
• American Red Cross, Preventing and Thawing Frozen Pipes
• Farmers' Almanac, When to Winterize Sprinklers and Outdoor Faucets (frost-free hose bibs still need the hose removed)

General information, checked against NOAA, SCWA and Red Cross pages on Oct 25, 2026. Freeze dates are 30-year statistics, not a forecast; watch the National Weather Service forecast for your area.

Related services

• Frozen & Burst Pipes
• Leak Detection & Repair