Water Heater Vacation

Protect your water heater. Unless you protect it, your water heater may be under more stress while you’re away than when you’re at home.

When heated, water expands. If you don’t have an expansion tank, the expanding water places stress on your water heater as well as the piping and valves in your plumbing system.

When you’re at home, pressure is relieved every time someone uses water to wash their hands, flush a toilet etc. It doesn’t matter whether you use hot or cold water; either will relieve pressure.

When you’re away for an extended time, there’s no relief for the pressure so it is constantly rising and falling as the water heater cycles on and off. This is usually not a problem but if your water heater is getting old, or has a weak point in the tank, this pressure problem could result in a rupture.

If the tank ruptures while you’re away, water could run for days, resulting in a damp disaster.

• Set the thermostat for "pilot" or "vacation." Lowering the temperature will reduce the amount of expansion while saving energy while you’re away. If you have an electric water heater, turn it off at the breaker panel.
• Turn the water off. For even more peace of mind, close the main water valve. This relieves all pressure and prevents a plumbing system nightmare.

Vacation Checklist For Plumbing

• Thermostat set to Vacation or Pilot (Gas WH)
• Power off at circuit breaker (Elec. WH)
• Main Water Valve turned off (recommended)
• Toilets have been flushed
• Toilets not running/not leaking
• Outside hydrants turned off

Texas Plumbing License Number M-35912

Koen Plumbing Company - Dallas plumbing contractor services include: leak detection, clogs, pipes, sump pumps, sewer problems, repair, standard and tankless hot water heaters, installation, kitchen and bathroom plumbing and fixtures, shower pan replacement, bathtubs (tubs), tub repair, toilets, dishwashers, disposals, faucets, sinks, water filters, ice makers, washing machine hoses, and more in the following Dallas area suburbs: Addison, Allen, Arlington, Carrollton, Coppell, Fairview, Farmers Branch, Flower Mound, Frisco, Garland, Grapevine, Highland Park, Highland Village, Irving, Lake Dallas, Lewisville, Lucas, McKinney, Mesquite, Plano, Princeton, Richardson, Rowlett, Sachse, Southlake, Trophy Club, University Park, and Wylie. If you don't see your city on the list, it doesn't mean we don't work there. Please contact us to discuss your plumbing needs!