Gardena water timer frost and winter storage

Updated: 23 October 2026

A Gardena water timer left full of water on a UK outside tap can split when the night freezes, including a late frost in April or May. Weatherproof plastic sheds rain. It does not make the valve frost-proof. This page is from the Products Compared editorial team, updated on 21 October 2026, from the Select manual, Gardena's UK smart page and amazon.co.uk reviews. We did not freeze a unit in a lab. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The listings are on the Gardena water timer comparison.

Our top picks

Badge	Product	Control	Power	Sensor	Note	Price	Offer
Best overall	Gardena Gardena MultiControl Duo (1874-20)	Removable panel	9 V alkaline, not included	Optional, not in the box	9.6	about £106.27	View offer
Best value	Gardena Gardena Water Control Easy (01896-20)	One radial knob	Not in the table; a review says batteries are extra	–	9.6	about £28.82	View offer
	Gardena Gardena Water Control Select (1891-28)	Twist and press	–	Connection stated	9.4	about £53.99	View offer

Best overall

Gardena Gardena MultiControl Duo (1874-20)

9.6/10about £106.27

View offer

Best value

Gardena Gardena Water Control Easy (01896-20)

9.6/10about £28.82

View offer

Rank 3

Gardena Gardena Water Control Select (1891-28)

9.4/10about £53.99

View offer

On this page

1.What frost does to these valves
2.How to store a Gardena water control
3.What a frost alert does not do
4.The tap and the hose

What frost does to these valves

UK reviews describe cracked casings and leaks after cold nights on the Select, the Flex and the MultiControl Duo, including a Duo left out over winter and frosts in April and May. An EasyPlus review says freezing could crack the body. The Easy listing gives no frost rating. The 1169-20 does not claim frost resistance, and water left inside it can freeze even with no battery to remove. A greenhouse is not automatic storage. One review records a leak a buyer blamed on a greenhouse that support did not treat as frost.

How to store a Gardena water control

Before frost is forecast, close the feed, run a short cycle so the pressure drops, and unscrew the computer. Tip the outlets until they stop dripping, and take the battery out of electronic models. The Select manual says to keep the controller and the valve in a dry, enclosed, frost-free place, away from children. A heated room is one retailer's extra caution, not a rule that it must live under a sink. A shed that tracks the night air fails that line. Do the same for the Flex, the Duo, the Easy, the EasyPlus, both smart models and the mechanical timer. When you refit a Select, set the clock first, on how to programme a Gardena water control. There is no single UK date for the first frost, so use the forecast.

Testsieger

Gardena Gardena MultiControl Duo (1874-20)

9.6/10about £106.27

View offer

What a frost alert does not do

The Gardena smart Water Control, ASIN B0G1Z7TWFT, lists a frost alert. Gardena's UK page says the app sends a warning so you can protect the equipment. The alert does not drain the valve, heat it, or mean the housing may stay outside below freezing. If you are away, someone still has to take the unit off, and a gateway is not named in that amazon box. Safe Stop skips the next cycle. It is not a frost programme. Five-year cover depends on registration at gardena.com, which is not a frost guarantee. Warm-weather absence is watering the garden on holiday.

The tap and the hose

The timer is not the backflow device. An outside tap needs a double check valve under the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999. WaterSafe says to check that valve and not to leave a hose end in a pond, a bucket or a butt. Southern Water says the check valve should be protected from frost, ideally indoors, because it can freeze after the Gardena is in the cupboard. Disconnect the hose as well. A hose full of water can split the tap. Coil it empty. In spring, open the tap briefly before you refit the computer. If the tap never had a double check valve, ask a plumber to fit one.

Common questions

Can a weatherproof Gardena stay on the tap all winter?

No. Weatherproof means rain during the watering season. The Select manual wants the controller and the valve in a dry, enclosed, frost-free place, with the battery removed. UK reviews describe split bodies after frost, including a late-spring frost. A greenhouse or a shed that freezes is not that place.

What exactly do I remove and where do I put it?

Take the whole water control off the tap, drain the outlets, remove the battery on electronic models, and keep the controller and the valve somewhere dry, enclosed and frost-free, away from children. That wording is the Select manual. A shed that falls below freezing fails it even if the shed is tidy.

Does the mechanical timer freeze as well?

Yes, if water is left inside it. The 1169-20 listing does not claim frost resistance. There is no battery to remove, which does not make the body safe on the tap. Drain it and store it with the electronic units. Reviews also include bodies that split when the tap was turned on.

What does the smart frost alert actually do?

It sends a warning through the smart app so you can protect the equipment. Gardena's UK page does not say the valve may stay outside in a freeze. The alert does not empty the water. If you have not fitted the separate gateway, do not rely on a warning away from home.

Should the battery stay in?

No. The Select manual says to remove it for storage. A cell left in a cold, damp computer can leak onto the contacts. Flex and Duo reviews describe a 9 V cell that was never in the box. Smart listings clash between 9 volts on amazon and three AA cells on the UK pages, so follow your manual, then take those cells out.

Is a split after frost a warranty job?

Do not assume a refund. Five-year wording on the smart bullets and on the Easy Plus page depends on registration, and it is not a frost guarantee. One review describes a greenhouse leak that support did not accept as a frost fault. Ask the seller with the order details. This page cannot promise a replacement.

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