The short answer is yes, as long as you don't mind using cold water. Shutting off the input to your water heater will not affect your home's main water supply. You can still run appliances like your washing machine or dishwasher, flush your toilet, and use your shower, sink, or garden hose.
Your water heater may be turning off because it is short-circuiting or because it has other electrical problems. Such damage may have developed from water damage, impact or wear-and-tear. This is also a problem that's better left to the professionals.
If an electric water heater is not producing hot water, it could be a simple problem like a blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker. Additionally, some electric water heaters have a circuit-style safety switch located near or on the thermostat.
A tripped breaker or blown fuse will result in total loss of hot water and is always the first thing to check. If, for any reason the tank gets too hot, the high temperature safety switch will shut off all power to the water heater. You must then firmly push the red button on the top thermostat to reset it.
When the water in your water heater gets too hot, it trips the emergency cut off, or ECO. In other words, water that is too hot will cause your water heater's reset button to trip. If your water heater is tripping the ECO repeatedly, there is likely a problem with the system that needs to be repaired immediately.
WAPT spoke to four plumbing companies that all said that homeowners should turn off the water heater if the water is not running for more than 24 hours. Residents can go to the breaker box in the home and throw the breaker to the “off” position for the water heater.
A sudden voltage increase could overload a heating element of your water heater, burning it out. All elements of a water heater have voltage ratings. Voltages exceeding the rating of an element will burn it out.
Turning off the source of the heat (gas, electric) while you're away will not damage your water heater.
Well, their concern is absolutely valid. Because according to the National Fire Protection Association, hot water heaters were responsible for 11 percent of fires started in the past decade. This percentage is quite alarming and serves as a reminder for us to understand how water heaters are a fire risk.
The force of gravity delivers the water to residents, but during an outage, the water supply is limited to the amount in the tank and could run out during a lengthy outage. As long as there is still water, your sinks, non-pressure-assisted toilets and tank-style water heaters should still work.
When a hot water pipe is leaking, or if you need to repair or replace a water heater, there are shut-off valves located near your water heater. A water heater has two shut-off valves. A cold water inlet valve (often identified by a blue handle) feeds cold water from the main supply into the water heater.
One way to know that your water heater is not working as it should is if you're experiencing inconsistent water temperatures. Inconsistent water temperature could signal an issue with the thermostat, but it could also point toward a problem with the heating element, which is a bigger issue to address.
If the circuit breaker has not been tripped and if the water heater does not appear to be leaking, it's likely you need to reset the electric water heater.
Another common diagnostic for an unfunctional water heater is a damaged gas control or burner. A water heater cannot work properly if the burner is dirty or non-functional, hence causing the water to not heat up. The solution is to replace the damaged gas control or burner assembly – also known as a thermocouple.
If it's a Gas Water Heater:
Be sure all the valves between the gas source and the heater are “on.” Light the pilot light. If the pilot light refuses to start, the problem may be dirt or debris in the pilot supply tube. If the pilot light won't stay on, your thermocouple probably is defective and needs to be replaced.
Average Water Heater Recovery Times
60-70 minutes (for a gas tank water heater) 120 minutes (for an electric tank water heater)
Step 2: Find the reset button on your water heater. It's usually located near the bottom of the unit, but sometimes it can be on a side or back panel instead. Step 3: Press and hold the reset button for three to five seconds.
Decreased or Varying Water Temperature
If you notice that the water temperature from your hot water heater is not as consistent as it used to be, or if the water temperature is noticeably lower than it used to be, this could be a sign that the unit is beginning to fail.
You likely seldom think about your hot water heater, but you ought to, and below I'll lay out a few reasons why. According to the National Fire Protection Association, on average there are 5,400 home fires a year, resulting in about 20 fatalities from water heaters.