Turn the heater off?

[Broken Arrow]

Earlier, I remember someone mentioned that it may be unhealthy to turn off the water heater? Am I remembering that correctly?

Now, what about the central heating (using natural gas)? Whenever I leave for work, I would turn it off on the thermostat. And when I come back, I would turn it back on.

I also do this for the summertime, to reduce my AC bill.

What do you think?

[Thrifty Ray]

We heat by wood stove. DH re-started the fire when he left for work about two hours ago...and my house is STILL not up to 60 yet...brrrrr

The 'office' where I work is in the lowest part of the house (bottom of the tri-level) and it is about 52 in here...my fingers are pretty numb...lol. I think it is time to bring in my portable heater!! lol

During the coldest months, we get up throuout the night to toss another log on the fire...I think we are almost there.

There are days Id LOVE to flip a switch and have the house warm within a half hour!!! But our wood is basically free and my electric bill is at its lowest in winter...so Im not complaining (too much )

[MonkeyMama]

Sounds like a plan - don't see anything wrong with that. THat's what we always do.

Since someone is always home if we leave an hour or 2 we just tend to leave it on. It seems to take more energy to bring it back off after yout urn it off for a short period of time and it really cools down, etc. But anything more than a couple of hours we turn it off while out and back on when we return.

When we were working and we did as you describe, our bill was nil.

[Elgin526]

Can you put in a programable thermostat? We have one, I have it set for 68 when I'm home and awake in the evenings and 60 the rest of the time (I also can program it for the weekends, 68 from 8 AM to 10 PM and 60 overnight). This way it doesn't drop too low when I'm asleep and not at home, but at the same time it doesn't run nearly as much as it would if I kept it at 68 24/7. It's nice, I don't have to remember to turn it on/off all the time! I don't think they cost much, maybe $25 or $30, any hardware store would have them, maybe Target or Walmart, too.

[Ima saver]

I keep my heat set at 60 but I am home all day. If I went to work, I would probably turn it lower, but never turn it off.

[Ima saver]

BTW,If it is unhealthy to keep your hot water heater off, I must be the most unhealthy person on here. Mine has been off for the last 30 years, except for about an hour a day.(And I have only been to the doctor twice in my life)

[tinapbeana]

don't know about turning water heaters on & off, but i do know i will be switching to an 'on demand' water heater in the near future. all the benefits of turning one's water heater off (you're not paying to keep 30 gal of water hot all the time), without the bother of remembering to turn it on & off! plus they're so small, they can fit in a wall cabinate, or sometimes behind an access panel in the wall (like your electical panel does).

[shelbylovesmelby]

Originally Posted by tinapbeana

don't know about turning water heaters on & off, but i do know i will be switching to an 'on demand' water heater in the near future. all the benefits of turning one's water heater off (you're not paying to keep 30 gal of water hot all the time), without the bother of remembering to turn it on & off! plus they're so small, they can fit in a wall cabinate, or sometimes behind an access panel in the wall (like your electical panel does).

I think I saw that on something like This Old House or Ask This Old House. Looks pretty slick, I"m sure it costs plenty too!

[tinapbeana]

Originally Posted by shelbylovesmelby

I think I saw that on something like This Old House or Ask This Old House. Looks pretty slick, I"m sure it costs plenty too!

they are a bit pricier than regular water heaters right now, but the prices continue to drop. my parents got one last year for 300 and have never run out of hot water since! more importantly, their electric bill in august didn't break $100 and they keep the house set to about 74...

IMO, the ease of access and not worrying about having so many gallons of water sitting around waiting to cause damage are a big selling point. granted, homeowners would cover water damage should your water heater leak, but the there's the chance your premiums go up afterwards...

[boefixepa]

On Demand water heaters is what they had when I lived in Portugal and I loved them. You never had to worry about running out of hot water!

I have a programable termostat and it works great. I'd install one rather than turn yours off and on. They are not hard and it will let you set such high and lows that's it's basically turning them off. But you can set them to kick on 1/2 and hour before you come home and then you don't have to come home and wait for the house to heat up while to can see your breath.

[PRICEPLUS]

I have to take a serious llok at his! Thanks gang!

[mom-from-missouri]

The bit about the hot water heater being off, is that in some areas of the country as well as overseas, some water contains bacterias which can grow when the hot water heater gets turned off, and the water is left in a tank with no movement, or air circulation and kept at a semi warm temp. Normally a small amount of a bacteria can be in the water, and will still pass inspection if the level is below so many parts per million. But, if it gets at a certain temp for a certain amount of time, it "breeds", In some areas of the country, it is not a problem. In other places, it can be deadly. Call your local county health or extension center. They will ask you your water source for starters--is it well or city water. If it is well water, they may ask for a sample. In some parts of Missouri this is a major issue for people on well water. I used to have a daycare center, and the health dept tested the water from the water tank for bacteria, as well as from the sinks. Well water can tend to be more of a red flag, as bacteria can enter it and since it is often untreated (city and rural water systems test and add chlorines and other chemicals to kill bacterias), can cause problems. (farmers bury dead animals in some states-and it could get into your water source), chemicals get dumped....etc. Their have been numerous cases in the past 20 years of major health problems arising from hot water heaters being turned off--a daycare in Kansas City comes to mind, and a cruise ship who had isses several years back. Ever washed clothes in warm water and forgot about them for a day in the washer? You get that whiff of mildew when you open it?

[mom-from-missouri]

From: http://www.hydroquebec.com/advice_hot_water/index.html

The risks associated with hot tap water are twofold: burns and bacterial contamination.

To reduce the risk of burns from hot tap water, the temperature setting on the water heater can be turned down. But if the temperature is set too low, bacteria may begin to grow in the tank. Even at 60 °C – the setting on most electric water heaters – an estimated 25% of all water heaters are contaminated by legionella bacteria.

Legionella bacteria tend to grow in the lower temperatures at the bottom of water heater; such bacteria can cause a form of pneumonia. The organism is generally transmitted when people inhale contaminated water droplets from whirlpool baths, showers or building air conditioning systems. In Québec, about 100 people a year are hospitalized for pneumonia caused by contaminated residential water heaters.

In light of the statistics, it is not advisable to lower the water heater temperature to, say, 49° C. This would not only reduce the hot water supply by some 20%, it would also put your household at risk of contracting pneumonia.

The above is just one of many many websites on this issue.

[Gruntina]

Interesting... I thought some good bacterias are encouraged to grow to kill the bad bacterias. But this is probably only for septic tanks.

[Ima saver]

My husband puts a switch in every house he builds, in the kitchen, so it is easy to turn the hot water heater on and off. Mine is off, 23 hours a day. I keep the heat set on 60 downstairs and lower than that upstairs.

[shelbylovesmelby]

What's the difference in cost on the "on demand" water heater vs your traditional water heater? (can ya tell I'm in the market for a water heater *LOL*)

[tinapbeana]

Originally Posted by shelbylovesmelby

What's the difference in cost on the "on demand" water heater vs your traditional water heater? (can ya tell I'm in the market for a water heater *LOL*)

they're pricier, but as you are unfortunately now too well aware of: you won't risk gallons of water leaking everywhere! big plus in my book.

here home depots selection of tankless water heaters. my father bought his from home depot and the price in the store was less than it was online. also, you can probably check with an actual plumbing supply store to see if you can get a better deal (we have one here called HUGHES, don't know if it's a chain or not)

***EDIT: for some reason that link is just going to the main HD page you can search for 'tankless water heater' and get to the right one...***

[PrincessPerky]

on water heater..IMA doesn't eat vegetables either..I think her health is abnormal, the rest of us should IMO keep the water heater on and eat our vegetables (no offense intedned IMA)

on house heat, how low dies it go? I have heard that the initial super cool down phase of ACto get a hot house to livable costs more than just keeping a well insulsated house at a steady temp. I would guess the same is true of heat.

but having said that, my house has been set at 60 for awhile..and hasn't come on..so I hope having it off is no harm!

[Ima saver]

Princess, my health is just about perfect. I have never been sick. Never been in the hospital, never go to the doctor. (twice in my life) I have never had any illness other than a cold that I catch from my husband. The doctor told me I was the oldest first time patient that he ever had.

[BCHGRL]

I have the best solution of all . . . . just live in Florida. I turned on my heater for the first time 2 days ago. It warmed up enough to turn it off yesterday.

Last winter I turned it on all of 6 times.