How to Prepare Your Plumbing System for Winter in Mallorca

When people think about preparing pipes for winter, it's easy to picture climates far harsher than Mallorca's. Here there are rarely prolonged frosts, but that apparent mildness hides a problem of its own: variability. Within a few hours a mild afternoon can turn into a cold night with a tramontana wind blowing, and it's precisely these sharp swings in temperature and humidity that put the most strain on a system that, for most of the year, needs no special care at all.

The first thing to check is any pipework exposed to the outdoors: runs along façades, patios, terraces or garden areas without protection. Although temperatures rarely drop below zero on the coast, inland areas or those at higher altitude can see nights close to freezing, especially where pipes are thin or poorly insulated. Simple thermal insulation, or at least shielding from direct wind, greatly reduces the risk of water cooling too much inside the pipe and of micro-cracks appearing as the material expands and contracts with temperature changes.

Outdoor taps deserve particular attention. It's common for them to be used daily in summer for watering the garden, filling the pool or washing the car, and then to be completely forgotten for weeks during winter. Before the first cold snaps arrive, it's worth closing the specific stopcock for those taps if the installation allows it, and draining any water left in the final stretch of pipe so a particularly cold night doesn't leave standing water inside a valve that could later crack. Checking the seals and the condition of the hoses at the same time avoids surprises when they're used again in spring.

Another key moment is right before a sudden cold snap, something that does happen in Mallorca with polar air masses or spells of northerly wind. On those days it's worth checking for any existing leaks, however small: a drip that's barely noticeable in summer can become a bigger problem if the water pooling around a pipe cools sharply. Using mild days to review the overall condition of the system, check for damp patches on walls or under sinks, and seal small leaks is far cheaper than repairing a burst pipe in the middle of a storm.

A particular case on the island is second homes and seasonal properties, which can sit closed for weeks or months over winter. In these cases, simply leaving the water system switched off with no prior check is not a good idea: it's worth draining circuits that won't be used, making sure the main stopcock is in good condition, and, if the property will be empty for a long time, considering shutting off the main supply altogether so an undetected leak doesn't cause significant damage while the owners are away.

At Tuberías y Aljibes we've spent more than fourteen years working on plumbing systems across the whole island, in both permanent and seasonal homes, and we know that most winter emergency call-outs could have been avoided with a preventive check in autumn. Spending one afternoon inspecting exposed pipework, outdoor taps and possible leaks before the cold arrives is the simplest way to avoid nasty surprises and to reach spring without unpleasant setbacks.