On gas water heaters

A buddy of mine asked this question and since my b-i-l the plumber is traveling this week, I thought I'd ask youse people. His kid is going away over the holidays and wants to turn off the water to the water heater. There is no indication of failure, but he still doesn't entirely trust it. Because it is one where you have to physically relight to pilot using a match or lighter, the kid doesn't want to turn off the pilot. So... any particular reason you shouldn't turn off the water to the heater if you are not also going to turn off the pilot? Thanks.

Reply to
Kurt Ullman
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Yes. If the WH does leak, including via a leaking hot water faucet, and empties, the flame could damage the WH. This is a near certainty with electric WHs, not sure how likely with gas. You don't indicate whether the kid was planning to turn off the inlet, the outlet, or both -- if he doesn't know how to relight a pilot, perhaps he doesn't even know which valve is which. If he closes both and leaves the flame on, I think there's a high likelihood that the pressure relief valve will trip, discharging water wherever it does.

Also won't save any energy.

I believe that most gas WHs have a "pilot" setting, which keeps the pilot lit but does not allow the main flame to ignite. Same as most gas space heaters. May even be required.

If the kid doesn't know how to relight the pilot, he should not fool with the WH. If he doesn't trust the WH, he should call the landlord.

Edward

Reply to
Edward Reid

to koala bears: food, water, shelter and something to crap on."

Better is closing the water main, leaks can occur anywhere. My neighbor went away 2 days, the toilet on the second floor cracked, Walls and ceilings were canvas on plaster, floors and furniture were ruined. Turning down the water heater might save .50c a day

Reply to
ransley

The inlet valve. It is on the second floor of the house and he is concerned about it breaking and flooding the house before anyone notices it. It sits in a pan that supposedly drains to the outside, but he doesn't entirely trust that, either. He knows how, it is just sandwiched near the washer in a small area and is really hard to get to. He just doesn't want to.

As I said, energy isn't the concern, it is more flooding.

Owns the house.

Reply to
Kurt Ullman

It can't leak out of a hot water faucet...because there would be no pressure.

Reply to
Bob Villa

Edward Reid wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Wouldn't want to damage a leaking WH.

Reply to
Red Green

to koala bears: food, water, shelter and something to crap on."

Then turn off the main supply valve from the service line. Probably in a closet somewhere. If he can't find it there should be a ball valve atthe meter as well.

Reply to
jamesgangnc

is to koala bears: food, water, shelter and something to crap on."

That's part of my 'going on vacation' ritual - set up the lamp timers, turn down the thermostat, turn off the water.

Reply to
schmidtd

e is to koala bears: food, water, shelter and something to crap on."

Pretty smart ritual.

Reply to
jamesgangnc

My tank has a "vacation" mode, just above pilot.

Reply to
Iowna Uass

The question was not about turning off the HEAT - just the pilot.

Put the control on PILOT and shut off the water - no problem. If the heater leaks it will drown the pilot, but so what?

Reply to
clare

What I do every time I will be away for more than one night is turn the water off at the main and turn the water heater to the pilot setting. For a

50 gallon heater I have about an hours recovery time when I come home.
Reply to
Colbyt

Reply to
jimmy

Hope it's not "cool"...you need it to work! (and by electric...do you mean piezo?)

Reply to
Bob Villa

The "kid" should just get a long lighter and learn how to re-light the W/H.

Until those "long lighters" became a dollar $tore item, I had acually gone so far as to use a LPG torch to light a W/H. But those dollar $tore lighters are so cheap that you can just keep one permanent next to any gas appliance with a standing pilot.

Using a match was definitely a PITA.

If you worry about losing it, just take a long piece of string and tie it to the W/H.

Reply to
John Gilmer

Those foot-long fireplace matches work reasonably well, but the gas match is sure simpler - and they don't go bad from absorbing moisture.

Reply to
clare

is to koala bears: food, water, shelter and something to crap on."

How does that help in terms of getting to the water heater to re-light it? Plus, he then has to re-light anything else with a pilot.

Every gas water heater I've ever seen has a pilot light position on the gas control. That gas control knob is a lot easier to get to than to re-light the pilot, so hoperfully he can get to it. If he can't we'd have to wonder how the thing is installed or if there's a ton of crap blocking it.

Reply to
trader4

e is to koala bears: food, water, shelter and something to crap on."

Talking about turning off the water supply, not the gas. He's worried about a leak flooding the house because no one is home to notice it.

Frankly that's unavoidable though a multi-day leak is probably the worst. Most houses are unoccupied for hours at a time. A big leak can cause a lot of damage in a couple hours.

Reply to
jamesgangnc

ree is to koala bears: food, water, shelter and something to crap on."

I'm not so sure I'd turn off the water without turning the water heater to pilot. If he does that then he needs to leave a hot water faucet open to allow for pressure relief and avoid tripping the TPR valve. And then he's relying solely on the final failsafe mechanism in the gas valve to shutoff the gas in the event that the water heater does spring a leak and the water runs out.

Reply to
trader4

is to koala bears: food, water, shelter and something to crap on."

The pilot will not provide enough heat to cause any pressure/temp relief to open. Leaving it on VACATION should not be a serious issue either if the water is hot when he shuts off the water. To be safe, just crack the highest water tap in the house enough to cause a drip

- hot or cold doesn't matter. It won't drip unless the pressure builds, and will not fill the pipes with air which will make them hammer like crazy when the water is turned back on.

Reply to
clare

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