FAQ
How do I winterize my Hamptons house?
Heat it or drain it, and tell someone. Heated: leave the thermostat at 55°F or more — the insurance industry’s “reasonable care” standard for an unoccupied house, and the fact pattern a 2024 New York court case turned on — open the cabinet doors under the sinks, insulate the exposed runs, shut and drain the outdoor lines, and put a Wi-Fi freeze alarm (from about $25) on the boiler and a smart shutoff ($579.99 for the one we could price) on the main. Drained: a plumber shuts the main, drains the supply lines, water heater, traps and outdoor lines and adds antifreeze; no Long Island company publishes the price, so ask. The pipes will see 15.7°F at Islip’s design temperature, and a burst costs $200–3,000 to fix and $1,000–4,000 in damage.
Last updated · Reviewed by Wainscott Plumbing Co.
Why this is the Hamptons question
About 60% of the Town of East Hampton’s housing and half of Southampton Town’s is seasonal or vacant; Bridgehampton is 57%, Montauk 60%, Water Mill more than 60%. Most of the South Fork is empty when the design temperature arrives, 15.7°F at Islip and 11.9°F at Westhampton by the ASHRAE figures heating systems are sized to, and an uninsulated crawl space on the ocean side sees the wind with it. The winterization is the plumbing job that decides whether May begins with a reopening or a remediation.
Heat it
Leave the heat on at 55°F minimum. That is the insurance industry’s standard for an unoccupied house (Travelers publishes the number), and a 2024 New York court case on burst-pipe coverage turned on a 55°F thermostat; insurers have pointed to low utility bills as evidence the heat was off. Then make the house tell you when the heat quits: a Wi-Fi freeze or temperature alarm from about $25 (some with a $5–10 monthly subscription, some without), a smart shutoff on the main that closes on a leak or a freeze ($579.99 for the Phyn Plus; Moen’s Flo we could not price), and a person with a key. Open the cabinet doors under the sinks so warm air reaches the pipes, insulate exposed runs with sleeves or heat tape, let an at-risk faucet drip in a cold snap, shut the interior valves to the outdoor spigots and drain them, and keep the garage door closed. Tropical Storm Isaias in August 2020 took out about 645,000 Long Island customers for up to eight days; a winter outage with no one watching is why the alarm needs a battery and the plan needs a name.
Drain it
For a house with no heat, no manager and no plans until spring, a plumber winterizes it: main valve closed; every faucet, the low drains and the outdoor bibs opened; the supply lines drained or blown out; the water heater drained and its power or gas off; the traps emptied and filled with antifreeze; the outdoor shower, the irrigation, the pool-house and guest-cottage lines shut and drained; the well pump’s power off or the meter closed. None of the Hamptons companies we could read publishes a winterization price, and we do not invent one; ask, and ask what the spring reopening costs, because the same company should do both.
What is at stake
A burst pipe repairs for $200–3,000, about $500 typically, and the water damage runs $1,000–4,000 more with drywall at $250–750; one insured home in sixty files a water-damage or freezing claim each year, the second most common claim after wind and hail. We could not find an insurer that publishes a discount for a smart shutoff, so we do not claim one.
The reopening
In May the plumber reverses the drain-down: the main opened slowly, faucets closed one by one, the water heater filled before it is lit, the well pump and pressure tank checked (a pressure tank replacement is $800–3,800, a pump $975–2,821), the outdoor lines opened and a walk under the house for what the winter did. We send you to a company that does both ends of the year in your town.
Services
Related services
Winterization & House Reopening
Drain it or heat it: the 55°F rule insurers apply, what a winterization includes, the $580 shutoff and the $25 alarm, the temperatures the pipes will see, and the spring reopening.
Emergency Plumbing & Burst Pipes
What a burst pipe costs to fix ($200–3,000, about $500 typical), what the emergency call adds, the first ten minutes before the plumber arrives, and why one home in sixty files a water-damage claim every year.
Well Pumps & Water Treatment
A well pump at $975–2,821, a pressure tank at $800–3,800, the iron and manganese in South Fork well water, what SCWA charges and is doing about lead and PFAS, and the softener price nobody publishes.
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