Quick answer: Long Island winters regularly bring hard freezes. Pipes in garages, crawl spaces, exterior walls and outdoor hose bibs freeze first. If a faucet only trickles in a cold snap, a pipe may be frozen; if it bursts, shut the main valve immediately.
Signs you need frozen & burst pipes
- Faucet gives a trickle or nothing during a freeze
- Frost on exposed pipe
- Bulging pipe or split fitting
- Water appearing when the weather warms (a thawed split)
What to do right now
- Shut the main valve first if you can: SCWA advises turning the water off before thawing, since freezing can leave hidden cracks
- Keep the faucet open so melting water can flow
- Warm the pipe gently with a hair dryer or space heater kept at a safe distance; never use an open flame
- Shut the main valve if the pipe has split
- Before winter: shut and drain outdoor spigots (unless frost-free), insulate exposed pipes
Before you hire: 4 checks that take 5 minutes
- License: Suffolk County generally requires a Master Plumber license to run a plumbing business here. Search the County's license lookup by business name or license number (license info). Ask for the license number and confirm the status is active: County licenses renew every two years. How to check a license, step by step.
- Price on the phone: ask for the trip/diagnostic fee and whether pricing is flat-rate or hourly, including after hours.
- Permit: for water heaters, gas work, and sewer or cesspool work, ask who pulls the town/village or County permit.
- Written quote before work, with parts, labor and cleanup listed.
Common questions
How do I stop pipes freezing?
Insulate pipes in unheated areas, keep the heat on when away, let a faucet drip on bitter nights, and shut and drain exterior hose bibs before the first freeze.
Can I thaw a pipe myself?
If you can reach it and it hasn't split, gentle heat is fine. Never use a torch. If you can't find the frozen spot, call a plumber.
Why did my pipe leak only after it thawed?
Ice expands and splits the pipe; the leak appears once water flows again.
If my water line freezes, is that SCWA's problem or mine?
Yours, from the street to the house. The Suffolk County Water Authority says a frozen service line is the customer's responsibility to have thawed, and customers pay for meter damage caused by freezing. If you have no water at all, SCWA can check for a main break or maintenance first.
When should I winterize outdoor faucets in the Centereach area?
By the end of October. NOAA's normals for nearby Islip MacArthur Airport put the median first freeze on November 2, and 1 year in 10 freezes by October 18.
Related guides
Towns we cover for frozen & burst pipes
- Centereach
- Selden
- Lake Grove
- Ronkonkoma
- Farmingville
- Coram
- Holbrook
- Port Jefferson Station
- Stony Brook
- Smithtown
We're a referral service, not a plumber. Centereach Plumber Connect doesn't do plumbing work or hold plumbing licenses. When you send a request, we try to match you with one independent local plumber. You decide whether to hire them, with no obligation. We may be paid by the plumbers we refer. Always confirm the plumber's Suffolk County license, insurance and a written price before work starts. Look up a Suffolk County license.