Power Vent WH: Vacation Mode or Shut off?

[edbreyer]

We recently acquired a lake cottage which we plan to visit somewhat routinely year-round - with typically 1-2 weeks between visits. It is fully insulated and heated year-round and I've added a wifi thermostat and Guardian flood sensors/main shut off - so pipes freezing should not be a major concern.

We have a large (60 gal?) Bradford White power vent natural gas water heater (TTW2 Hydrojet) and I'm wondering if I should turn it to vacation mode each time we depart or simply leave the thermostat alone and turn off the electric power to it (i.e. for the power vent system) so there is no heating done. Although I'd like to reduce unneeded gas usage I wonder if letting the tank cool completely and then reheat when we return adds any undue thermal stress to the tank from the temperature swings.

An advantage of simply turning off the power to it is that I could probably add a wifi switch to the outlet that the power vent system is plugged into that I could turn on when we're headed to the cottage so the water is hot when we arrive - and if I forget to turn it off I can do so remotely after we leave.

I should mention that the water heater is 23 years old - but appears to be going strong. The previous owner (who built the house and installed this heater) was a plumber so it's very possible he replaced the anode rod periodically - which I do on my 16 year old and counting water heaters at my home.

All thoughts/insights appreciated!

 

[Jadnashua]

There's probably an interlock switch that would stop the thing from running, but it might end up going through multiple firing sequences before shutting down - depends on what is self-powered, and what requires acv. Some might then require a manual reset so a remote power switch wouldn't help. You need to carefully read the owner's manual to see if that would work.

The normal setting on a WH will usually prevent any nasty stuff from growing in a WH, but when you shut it off, all bets are off. It may be prudent to run the aquastat up to high and wait a few hours after it reaches temperature before using any hot under those circumstances just to be safe.

On an old house, it probably wouldn't hurt to run each tap for a minute or so in case there's any lead as well.

I'd probably just put it in vacation mode.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Dj2]

If you go there frequently, and the WH is that old, keep it on vacation mode when you leave. The pilot burns very little gas.

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

I would set the heater on LOW... and turn it back up when you arrive at the home..

It makes me wonder, when you leave the cottage do you shut off the main water
coming into the home?? It would be prudent to leave the heat on low for the heater
and shut down the water to the whole house if no one is there for weeks at a time...

I have seen the horror of water running for weeks in a house......

.

 

[edbreyer]

Thanks everyone for the replies! Sounds like the clear consensus is to use the vacation mode when away - not shut off the electric to the power vent system - so that's what I'll do.

A couple folks suggested I also turn off the main water valve when gone. I am hesitant to do that because I'm on a well - which is new to me - and am not sure how turning off the main valve would impact the well pump. Would it still cycle on/off? Would I need to also turn off the well pump - and if I did that would there be any issue with restarting the well pump (i.e. do well pumps have to be reprimed if turned off too long?).

Because of those concerns - and the reality that my wife will be going there without me and I'm not sure if she will remember to turn water/pump on/off - to limit the potential damage from catastrophic leaks, I have installed the Guardian leak detection system (www.getguardian.com) with sensors in key places (water heater, well pressure tank, dishwasher, clothes washer, etc). If any of those detectors sense water the system shuts off the main water valve and notifies me via my smartphone. I've test it repeatedly and it has (so far) worked perfectly - so that gives me a little more peace of mind.

As for our 23 year old water heater - should I proactively replace it? Seems like it must be beyond its life expectancy and waiting for it to start leaking before replacing it could be a losing proposition. Also, if I do replace it I think there may be wifi enabled heaters that I could control remotely as we come and go from the lake cabin. Thoughts?

 

[Dj2]

I would replace the WH.
I have very little trust in a 23 y.o WH, located in a second home, to where the wife sometimes goes alone.

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

You need to get your wife up to speed on how to turn up your heater and turn off your well
when you come and go from the cottage... Simply LABLE the breaker in the breaker box
and then all you have to do is hit the breaker........

I personally would do the breaker and also shut off the
main ball valve coming off the well if that is possible...... its not hard to do
and any one with basic common sense should be able to handle it....

They make this stuff fool proof... so just put on your big boy pants and
lay some rules down on things that have to be learned and done when going to the
cottage....... I have to do this every so often at my house too.......

 

[Phog]

To add on to Master Plumber Mark's post above, this is my little PSA. If you ever flood out a basement, (as could happen if you're away from a leak for a couple weeks), and the water level rises above a non-GFCI protected electrical outlet, and you step into the electrified water, you can get killed. It happens to a few people every year. Someone thinks they will simply wade through knee-deep water to turn off a valve or whatever, and that is the last thing they ever do.

 

[Reach4]

If you ever flood out a basement, (as could happen if you're away from a leak for a couple weeks), and the water level rises above a non-GFCI protected electrical outlet, and you step into the electrified water, you can get killed. It happens to a few people every year.

I tend to be skeptical of that when I see it in the movies/TV.

 

[Phog]

I tend to be skeptical of that when I see it in the movies/TV.

It does happen... This poor guy lived near my parents:

https://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2011/06/ogden_man_found_dead_in_floode.html

 

[Reach4]

I suspect the guy touched one of those appliances rather than just walking thru the water. Had he worn rubber gloves when he touched stuff with his hands, I expect he would have been fine.

Now I am not telling you to walk thru the water to the breaker box to turn off the main breaker, but I don't expect a shock. I have seen TV shows where somebody gets electrocuted by walking across the shower room floor after the perp shaved the wire insulation and put the hair dryer on the floor.

 

[Phog]

I suspect the guy touched one of those appliances rather than just walking thru the water. Had he worn rubber gloves when he touched stuff with his hands, I expect he would have been fine.

Now I am not telling you to walk thru the water to the breaker box to turn off the main breaker, but I don't expect a shock. I have seen TV shows where somebody gets electrocuted by walking across the shower room floor after the perp shaved the wire insulation and put the hair dryer on the floor.

All it takes is to be standing in water that has a live conductor in it & to complete the circuit by touching something that is earth grounded. For example a copper pipe. I sure as heck would not be wading through knee deep water in my basement without the house mains shut off

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

All it takes is to be standing in water that has a live conductor in it & to complete the circuit by touching something that is earth grounded. For example a copper pipe. I sure as heck would not be wading through knee deep water in my basement without the house mains shut off

I probably saved some dumb ladies life a few years back....
she was in her basement walking around while talking to me on the phone and
she mentioned how bitter cold the water was that she was standing barefoot in.....

I told her to get out of the water immediately as their were live wires going to a bunch
of tread mills and other electrical TV radio equipment in the basement...

It is rare that someone will die but you really should not temp fate by acting like a
complete total dumbass either....... and end up flopping around like a fish in the water


The husband came home that night and started bitching to me on the phone about the
expensive bill for a Sunday call........ I told him to stop complaining to me because he was almost
made a widower that morning... and I explained how his wife was wading around like a fool
in a foot of water barefoot........

He went very quiet for a minute and that was the end of the argument ......

 

[Jadnashua]

IF you do not have a leak, your pump should not ever turn on. But, you wouldn't want to shut the supply valve off and leave the pump on in case the pressure somehow did drop, then the pump would be running against the valve, not be able to re-pressurize the system, and maybe end up costing you a bunch, either from burning out the motor or maybe just in electric bills.

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

IF you do not have a leak, your pump should not ever turn on. But, you wouldn't want to shut the supply valve off and leave the pump on in case the pressure somehow did drop, then the pump would be running against the valve, not be able to re-pressurize the system, and maybe end up costing you a bunch, either from burning out the motor or maybe just in electric bills.

Correction..
When the pump runs, it builds up in the bladder tank and shuts off when the pressure switch installed on the bladdeer hits about 60psi.
This is all built into the system long before the shut off valve which is usually installed on the outgoing line from the
bladder.....

I say, just shut it all off when you leave your little slice of heaven
or it could turn into hell real fast.....

 

[edbreyer]

Thanks everyone for all the additional replies - including about turning of the main water valve and possibly the well pump. I have flood sensors under all the major water appliances/sinks/basement floor/water heater/etc that when triggered will automatically notify me AND close the main water valve - which is indeed after the bladder tank. I can also use that flood sensor system to turn off the water valve remotely (phone app) if we decide to turn it off when we aren't there but forget to do it.

I've also decided to replace the 23 year Powervent WH. I installed twin Rheem Powervent water heaters at our house about 15 years ago and they are still going strong (I do replace the anode rods periodically). Is Rheem still a decent choice or is it just the luck of the draw?