"Outdoor plumbing" in Manhattan means something specific: hose bibs on building exteriors, irrigation lines on rooftops and in courtyards, exterior supply runs to common-area spigots, and drainage for terraces and roof decks. None of it is inside a heated envelope, which means winter is the thing that decides whether it survives. Most outdoor-plumbing emergencies we respond to in January started as an un-drained line in November.
What we repair
- Hose bibs and sillcocks — leaking exterior spigots, stripped handles, and the frozen-and-split bibs that show up as a gush inside the wall the first time the faucet is turned on in spring.
- Frost-free hose bibs — replacing standard sillcocks with frost-free models whose valve seats inside the heated wall, so the water drains out of the exterior portion and can't freeze.
- Rooftop and courtyard irrigation — drip lines and sprinkler systems for roof gardens and courtyards, including winterization (blowing out the lines so they don't split).
- Exterior supply lines — runs to common areas, garages and outbuildings that aren't protected by interior heat.
- Roof and terrace drains — the scupper and drain work that keeps rainwater off roof decks, which overlaps with drainage work elsewhere on the site.
The freeze problem
Water left in any exterior pipe freezes, expands, and splits the pipe or the fitting. The break is usually inside the wall or below grade, so you don't see it until the thaw — or until the faucet is opened and water pours from the split instead of the spout. The fix is two parts: repair the broken section, and prevent the next freeze. That means frost-free fixtures where applicable, proper slope so lines drain, and blow-out winterization for irrigation systems before the first hard freeze. We do the preventive work in the fall so we're not doing the emergency work in February.
Why outdoor lines fail differently
Interior plumbing fails mostly from age and corrosion. Outdoor plumbing fails from temperature cycles, UV exposure on exposed runs, and the simple fact that nobody drains a hose bib in October because they're not thinking about January yet. A sillcock that worked fine for ten years can split in a single cold snap if the hose was left attached and held water in the valve. Removing hoses before winter and shutting off interior supply valves to exterior lines is the cheap version of the protection we install.
A split exterior supply line that's actively leaking inside a wall is an emergency. Frozen risers that burst in prewar hallways are covered under pipe repair — the same freeze physics, indoors. And rooftop amenity systems with pools and spas have their own circulation work, which is on our pool plumbing page.