Turn off Gas or Electricity If you have a gas water heater, find the temperature dial (thermostat) on top of the heater and switch it to the OFF position. For an electric water heater, go to your home's circuit breaker box and turn off the electricity line to your water heater.
No, unless you're going on vacation for a month or longer, you shouldn't turn off your water heater. Here's why: You won't see significant energy savings. You'll create more problems by turning your water heater off/on repeatedly.
If you have a standard gas water heater with a gas control unit at the bottom, turn the control knob to the "off" position. If your heater has a touch screen display and user interface module (UIM), disable the water heater using the "enable/disable" switch. Turn off the electrical supply to the water heater.
If yours is a combi boiler with a direct water supply, you'll shut it off by closing the main stop valve. But if you use a hot water cylinder, it uses an indirect supply, and you'll find a valve on the pipe entering the hot water cylinder from the water storage cistern. Turn it off once you find it.
For electric hot water systems, all it takes is to switch off its circuit breaker. Gas-powered systems, on the other hand, can be turned off by twisting the gas valve to the off position.
Using a non-contact circuit tester, check the power wires to make certain the power is off. WARNING! Working on an energized circuit can result in severe injury or death from electrical shock. Check wires with a volt meter or circuit tester to make sure power is off.
Usually not on the unit itself. The on/off is on the breaker panel. You can add a separate on/off switch if you want to. Gas water heaters have a gas shutoff near the unit.
Sinks, water heaters, toilets, etc. all have shutoff valves located near the fixture that allow you to shut off water access individually.
Else, if you have a full water tank, and you need to turn off the water for an issue unrelated to your water heater, then it really doesn't matter if you turn the water heater on or off.
Operating Your House Valve
Your house valve can be one of two types: a gate valve (Photo 2) or a ball valve (Photo 3). Gate valves are operated by turning the wheel clockwise until the water is off. Ball valves are operated by turning the handle a quarter turn clockwise until the water is off.
Cons of turning off your heater:
It results in no hot water in your water supply when you need it. You may also encounter difficulties turning the power back on, delaying the use of warm water.
When Can You Turn Off Your Water Heater? You should only consider turning off your water heater if you're going away on an extended vacation of about a month or longer. At that duration, you could make a dent in your energy bill and avoid problems created by turning your water heater on and off repeatedly.
This should be on a 2 Pole 30 Amp Circuit Breaker.
You will have to turn off one at a time in order to figure out which one kills the power to the heater.
First, locate the temperature dial on your gas water heater and twist it into the off position. Look around the top of the water heater to find the supply line and switch off the valve to stop any more water from flowing into the heater. Next, you need to switch off the gas supply to the heater.
A lot of the times there is a “meter/main” panel. This will be one “box” on the outside of your home that houses your electrical meter and your main breaker. This will sometimes also have additional breaker spaces. An electric water heater will typically run on a 240v circuit.
Your hot water heater might keep turning off due to several reasons. If it's a gas water heater, it could be due to issues with the gas supply, a dirty or damaged thermocouple, or a clogged pilot tube. If it's an electric water heater, it could be due to problems with the thermostat or heating elements.
For Gas Water Heaters: Turn the knob on top of the thermostat clockwise to the off position. The thermostat is located near the bottom of the water heater. For Electric Water Heaters: Go to your circuit breaker panel, find the breaker for your water heater, and switch it to the off position.
You can turn off your water heater when it is done safely, but only do this when you have a problem or if the tank won't be heated anytime soon. Turning off your water heater to save on energy bills is not usually recommended.
For gas water heaters, turn the gas shut-off valve to OFF, both at your unit and at your home's main gas supply. For electric water heaters, turn the power switch on your unit to OFF, and turn the unit circuit breaker to the OFF position. Turn the water supply to your unit clockwise until the valve lever stops.