How to Winterize Plumbing In Your Queens Home
October 06, 2026
To keep the plumbing in your Queens home’s running smoothly during the winter, it’s important to prepare it for freezing temperatures. Even minimal preparation can prevent your pipes from bursting and causing severe water damage to your home.
Ensure your plumbing is ready for the long winter with these tips:
- Keep your home properly heated
- Keep kitchen and bathroom sink cabinet doors open
- Turn on your indoor faucets to drip
- Winterize your outdoor hoses
- Insulate exposed plumbing pipes
- Know where your main water shut-off valve is located
We’ll review each step below. That way, you won’t have to worry about a burst pipe during the winter or when you’re on vacation away from home. With some simple steps, you can have peace of mind that your plumbing will serve you well for years to come!
Want an experienced plumber to review the plumbing in your home and provide recommendations for winterization?
Contact Ranshaw Plumbing & Heating! Our plumbers have served the Queens area for more than 60 years, and we’re known for providing dependable and responsible service. We also provide flat-rate, upfront pricing and can complete most jobs on the first visit.
Keep Your Home Properly Heated
Even if you're away from home, don't turn your heat completely off during freezing weather. If you're leaving for an extended period, keep your thermostat set to at least 55°F (13°C) to help protect your plumbing from freezing.
Lowering your thermostat may save a little on heating costs while you're away, but the potential savings aren't worth the risk of a burst pipe and costly water damage.
Keep Kitchen and Bathroom Sink Cabinet Doors Open
Pipes beneath kitchen and bathroom sinks may be especially vulnerable to freezing when they're located along exterior walls or in poorly insulated areas.
During periods of extreme cold, leave cabinet doors beneath sinks open to allow warm air from your home to circulate around the plumbing. This can help keep the pipes warmer and reduce the risk of freezing.
This simple precaution can be especially helpful overnight or during extended periods of below-freezing temperatures.
Turn On Your Indoor Faucets to Drip
When temperatures remain below freezing for an extended period, water inside vulnerable plumbing pipes can freeze. As ice forms and creates a blockage inside the pipe, pressure can build in the water trapped between the blockage and a closed faucet. If that pressure becomes high enough, the pipe can rupture.
In many cases, you may not realize a pipe has burst while it is still frozen. The problem often becomes apparent when temperatures rise and the pipe begins to thaw. As water starts flowing again, it can escape through the damaged section of pipe and cause significant water damage.
During periods of extreme cold, allowing vulnerable faucets to slowly drip can help reduce the risk of a burst pipe. Keeping a small amount of water flowing can make freezing less likely, while an open faucet also helps relieve pressure that can build if ice does form inside the pipe.
Consider allowing faucets to drip when Queens temperatures are expected to remain well below freezing for several hours, particularly faucets connected to pipes located along exterior walls or in other poorly insulated areas. Continue taking precautions until temperatures have safely risen above freezing.
Winterize Your Outdoor Hoses
Ideally, at the beginning of winter, you should drain and shut off your outside hoses and faucets. Leaving your outdoor hose connected during winter can damage its valve, and any water left inside can freeze and expand.
Drain Outdoor Hoses
Here’s how you can drain your outdoor hoses:
- Close the inside valve: It’s the valve that supplies water to your outdoor faucets and is typically inside your home on the wall closest to your outdoor faucet.
- Drain the inside valve: Unscrew the small drain plug on the side of the valve, allow the water to drain out into an empty bucket, and then screw the drain plug back on.
- Disconnect your outdoor garden hose: Disconnect your hose from the spigot and then store the hose for winter.
- Drain the outside valve: Turn the spigot all the way to the left, in a counterclockwise fashion, to ensure you’ve drained out the remaining water from the outdoor valve. Then, turn it entirely to the right (clockwise) to shut the spigot off.
Insulate Outdoor Spigots
After you’ve completed the above steps, place insulated faucet covers over your outdoor spigots. These “mitten” like covers help prevent your water fixtures from freezing, expanding, and rupturing due to the frigid weather.
Most manufacturers make them from styrofoam, rigid plastic, or nylon to insulate efficiently. You can contact a professional plumber for their recommendations or ask them to cover the spigots for you.
Insulate Exposed Plumbing Pipes
Certain plumbing pipes are more susceptible to freezing than others that are near the outer walls of your home, in crawlspaces, or in your attic. You can insulate them with:
- Heat tape: For extra protection, wrap all exposed pipes with heat tape, which is ribbon-like strips of plastic covering electrical wires. Afterward, plug the tape into a GFCI outlet to warm up and heat the pipes. This will prevent any water inside of them from freezing. Make sure to only purchase tape approved by Underwriters Laboratories, a safety certification body, and install it properly.
- Pipe wrap tape: This type of tape looks like duct tape. You install it by wrapping it around any exposed metal pipes to provide a thick layer of insulation to prevent them from getting too cold.
- Pipe insulation: Also known as pipe lagging, pipe insulation uses foam or rubber tubes that look like pool noodles. They come in various thicknesses so that you can choose which one has the insulating power you think you’ll need.
Know Where Your Main Water Shut-off Valve Is
If a frozen pipe bursts, acting quickly can significantly reduce the amount of water damage to your home. This may require shutting off your home’s main water supply until a plumber can make the necessary repairs.
Before freezing weather arrives, make sure you know where your main water shut-off valve is located and how to operate it. This is especially important because a burst pipe may not begin leaking until temperatures rise and the frozen pipe starts to thaw.
If you discover a burst or leaking pipe, shut off the water supply as quickly as possible and call a licensed plumber. Knowing where your shut-off valve is ahead of time can save valuable minutes and help minimize damage to your home.
Need a Trustworthy Plumber in the Queens Area To Help You Winterize the Plumbing in Your Home? Contact Ranshaw.
Ranshaw can help you prevent unnecessary damage to your pipes and home this winter. We’ve worked hard to become one of Queen’s most trusted plumbing contractors.
Homeowners in the area come to us because they trust us to truly care about doing things right. You’ll get superior workmanship that saves you time, stress, and money in the long run.
Call us today at (718) 767–0707 to see why we have hundreds of 5-star reviews.