How to properly turn off the water heater when turning off the water

Water heaters can solve the problem of the lack of hot water. However, situations often arise in which it is necessary to de-energize the boiler - when the hot water is turned off, repairs are carried out, when moving or traveling for a long time, the centralized hot water supply system is launched.

Turning off the heater is a little harder than connecting. In this article, we consider possible manipulations in order to properly de-energize the water heater.

How to turn off the boiler: instruction

When there is no need use a boiler, you have to turn it off. To do this, disconnect the device from the power supply. The further shutdown of the heater depends on whether it is dismantled or remains in its original place.

Water heater circuit

Temporary shutdown

The first thing to do in this case is to pull the wire out of the socket. Before this, it is imperative to set the controller located on the instrument panel to the “Off” position. Sometimes you need to disconnect the boiler from the counter. Next, the valves are closed in the following order:

• First shut off the tap with cold water so that it does not fill the tank.
• Open the tap with hot water in the riser. After the flow of water stops, you need to check whether it remains in the tank. Otherwise, you need to wait until it cools down or immediately lower it.

After these manipulations, it is necessary to check whether there is water in the tank. This can be checked by blowing into the hose. If you hear a murmur, then unscrew the fuse and open the outlet valve of the electric heater and completely drain the water.

If the heating element has a more complex design, then you can not do without the help of a master. Typically, in this case, the pipes are connected to towel rails and other devices. They can be part of a floor heating system. Also, possible problems due to failed mixers, plaque settling on the inner surfaces of taps and so on, which can become a serious obstacle to disconnecting the boiler from the water supply, are also not ruled out.

Before disconnecting the boiler from the network, you must turn it off

Disconnect with dismantling

To shut off the heater and then dismantle it, the following tools will be required:

• wrench;
• pliers;
• basin / bucket for draining water from the heater.

Before removing the device, you must turn it off and remove all water from the tank. To do this, a container for draining the liquid is installed under the heater, the valve is unscrewed, the hose is removed from the tap that supplies cold water. In its place put on a rubber hose, the end of which is lowered into the container.

After you have drained the water from the heater, you need to disconnect the thermostat and the electrical part of the device. Then open the lid of the boiler and remove the remaining water. It is important to clean the inner surface of the tank, remove scale on the bent sections of the pipes.

For devices of economy and middle class design may be slightly different. So, in heaters of an average price category, the flanges are mounted mainly to the neck of the heater using 6 bolted connections. However, the algorithm for dismantling the boiler does not change from this. But when analyzing a flat heater, some features of the process must be taken into account.After disconnecting the device from the electrical network and draining the water, you must perform the following steps:

• unscrew the cap;
• remove plastic boards;
• remove the screw located in the center of the boiler cover;
• to remove the electronic components, remove the bottom cover (at this stage it is best to capture the “stuffing” in the photo, then to return all the elements to their places);
• disconnect the control and thermal control chip, remove the connectors coming from the external control board.

Thus, disassembling a plate water heater is more complicated and requires special preparation. It is best in this case to seek qualified help.

Before disassembling the heater, you should remember its scheme

When the boiler is turned off

The electric heater is turned off for several reasons:

• seasonal interruptions with the supply of hot water from the central water supply system;
• lack of hot water;
• departure for a long time;
• heater breakdown.

We will analyze each situation separately. The procedure for manipulating the connection / disconnection of the boiler is prescribed in the instructions for the device. Here we consider detailed recommendations for self-de-energization of a water heater.

Shutdown for water supply from local water supply

In the case when they used the boiler after turning off the supply of hot water from the hot water supply, it is turned off for lack of need. The following algorithm applies to this process:

• disconnect from the power supply by turning the switch on the boiler control panel in the “Off” position;
• remove the plug from the outlet and / or disconnect the device from the meter;
• drain the water;
• close the cold tap and disconnect the hose from it;
• open the drain valve and remove residual water from the tank;
• turn the mixer in a hot position;
• shut off cold and hot flows and open the water valve in the riser.

The water heater is disconnected not only from the network, but also from the meter, if required

Night shutdown

If the user is not going to use hot water at night, then the boiler should be de-energized mainly to save electricity. However, the next day you will have to wait several hours in order for the required volume of water to warm up.

So, you can disable the heater in this case as follows:

• Electric storage heaters, for example, Ariston, are turned off by turning the switch to the extreme position counterclockwise.
• After setting the regulator to the "Off" position, the device is disconnected from the electrical network by pulling the plug from the outlet.
• If the boiler has a timer, then it can be set for the required time, during which the device will heat water, and after which it will turn off.

For Termex-type heaters, the “Demo” mode is provided, in which the heater switches itself off. In this case, the tank must be filled with water, otherwise the heating elements will quickly burn out. To turn off this function, you need to press the "Power On" button, and after that you need to simultaneously press two buttons - "up" and "down". Shutdown "Demo" will start all heating elements that will allow to prepare hot water again.

Modern Termex water heaters sometimes switch to demo mode, which creates some difficulties in their operation

Heater off for a long time

With a prolonged absence from home for a week, a month, and so on, water can either be left or drained. It depends on the length of time during which the boiler will be turned off:

• If the heater is de-energized for several days, then the water should be left inside the tank so that its internal surface does not suffer from corrosion.
• If the device is turned off for a longer period, it is undesirable to leave water in the tank. Water stagnates, and pathogens develop in it. In addition, if water remains in the tank during the winter in an unheated room, then the heater may break.It is better to drain all the liquid and turn off the device.

Shutdown in case of breakage / repair in the room

How to properly turn off the water heater if the boiler breaks down or is planned to be repaired in the room where it is installed? In this case, the product should be dismantled.

In some cases, this work is best entrusted to professionals, since the design of modern boiler models is quite complicated.

Summary

When turning off the heater, safety rules must be observed. Especially when disconnecting it from the mains and draining hot water. Before installing the equipment, carefully read the instructions that came with the boiler. In order to start the heater after shutdown, the tank needs to be cleaned with a special anti-corrosion compound, filled with water and connected.