Your Pipes Could Freeze and Burst If you turn off your water heater, your interior temperature will drop, leaving the water in your pipes susceptible to freezing. When the water in your pipes freezes, it expands and becomes ice. That ice creates blockages in your pipes and causes pressure to build.
Do NOT turn the water off unless there's an actual leak. The correct thing to do is to run the water 24/7 until temperatures rise.
There's no harm to turning off your hot water heater if you want. You'll just have to light it again when you get home. People are probably advising you to leave it on pilot so you can just turn it back up when you get home.
Shutting off the water will not keep the pipes from freezing. The water in the pipes could still freeze and burst the pipe. However, shutting off the water can prevent or reduce water damage when a pipe bursts due to freezing and causes water to f...
Keep your heat on
This is the easiest way to prevent frozen pipes. Even when you are away from your home, keep your thermostat set to at least 55°F (13°C). And be sure to regularly run hot water through the pipes to warm them up, if possible.
Any water heater can freeze if water is left inside it
So when the power goes out in freezing temperatures, the water eventually can freeze, expand and burst the storage tank.
Likely places for frozen pipes include against exterior walls or where your water service enters your home through the foundation.
If you suspect that there are pipes in or above the garage, use space heaters to heat up that space as well. Make sure to keep heaters away from anything potentially flammable! Your pipes will eventually begin to thaw on their own once the temperatures rise above freezing.
Overall, it's best that you take heed and drip your faucets when temperatures dip below freezing. A simple trickle of hot and/or cold water—both from faucets inside and outside the home—can prevent you from having to deal with a much larger issue (and bill!) in the long run.
Keep the heat on in your home even if you are on vacation or away for an extended time. Frequently pipes freeze and burst while homeowners are away on vacation and have turned off their heat. No one wants to come home to frozen pipes and potential water damage.
Generally, it's best to keep your water tank full and heated throughout the year. 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.
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.
It's better to leave the hot water heater on all the time, rather than turning it on and off. This is a very common energy saving myth. But in fact, you really don't need to be heating your water all the time. Your immersion heater or boiler will heat up hot water which is stored in a tank.
Your Pipes Could Freeze and Burst
If you turn off your water heater, your interior temperature will drop, leaving the water in your pipes susceptible to freezing. When the water in your pipes freezes, it expands and becomes ice.
If you find that your water heater has developed a leak, you should turn off the water via the valve on the heater to minimize leakage. If, however, the valve is broken, you must turn off the main water supply to prevent a never-ending flood.
The simple solution? In your have a tanked system be sure to insulate your water heater and your pipes—pipes only if you're dealing with a tankless model. Insulating pipes can keep water from freezing when the temperatures drop below the 30s.
DURING freezing weather:
If you plan to be away from home for several days, shutting off the water can reduce the chances of broken pipes. Set your home heat to at least 55 degrees. Shut off water to the house and open all faucets to drain pipes; flush the toilet once to drain the tank, but not the bowl.
Immediately after you turn off the main water valve, turn on a tub or sink faucet to its highest level, for both hot and cold connections. This relieves the pressure in the plumbing lines, and also ensures a full shut-down. Continue to open faucets around the house to drain down the home.
In general, you should let at least one faucet drip in each section of your home. This is particularly crucial if your home has multiple floors or distinct areas, like an extension or a wing. If you have the option, choose faucets that allow you to control hot and cold water separately and let both drip slightly.
The job goes more quickly by pouring hot water or a mixture of vinegar, baking soda and salt water down the drain. Space heaters, hair dryers and heating pads are highly efficient tools for unfreezing a drain pipe. If a frozen drain line ruptures, turn off your home's main water supply.
Yes, pipes can freeze overnight if temperatures plummet drastically. Uninsulated pipes in unheated areas like attics or exterior walls are most vulnerable.
Thawing Frozen Pipes
While you wait, reduce water pressure by opening all the faucets inside the home one-quarter turn. Water will begin to trickle out, helping the ice to thaw. Remember to close all faucets after full water pressure is restored.
This begs the question — can water heaters freeze? While extremely rare, it's actually not impossible for a water heater to freeze. The leading concern is that any standing water inside the tank or tankless unit will freeze and expand, permanently damaging the appliance at the same time.
The pipes most likely to freeze are those nearest to an uninsulated wall, door, window, garage, attic, basement, or along an uninsulated floor. Add insulation to exterior walls wherever possible and wrap pipes with insulation. Eliminate cold drafts near water pipes and your water meter.
If you suspect your water heater may be frozen, touch the outside of the unit with your hand until you locate a spot where it's ice cold. If you don't find such a spot on the tank or tankless unit, you may have ice in the pipes leading in and out of the unit rather than in the heater itself.