Title says it all. We have been very lucky to have power for the majority of the this (we were out for about 6 hours yesterday). Anyway, the water stopped flowing about midday yesterday (pipes aren't frozen) and has been zero flow for 18+ hours at this point, is there anything I need to do to my gas water heater I'm the attic or is it fine just leaving it alone?

Should be fine as long as it has water in it. Don't run it empty or low without cutting power to it or shutting down the pilot flame.

03_Aggie said:

---

Should be fine as long as it has water in it. Don't run it empty or low without cutting power to it or shutting down the pilot flame.

---

Thanks. I think it still has water in it, but if this water bull **** continues much longer I may turn it off anyway just to be safe.

I'm in the same boat. No water in around 24hrs due to city issue. I have facets open to drain pipes and have not turned off the main.

Gas water heaters are in the attic. No need to turn them off?

Couple questions about running it empty or low... how would you know and what do you do it that occurs?

We have mediocre cold water pressure now. But nothing from hot at all. No frozen pipes or anything

I'm at the farm and we are in a mobile home. Just found out the line from the pressure tank to the house is shattered...right under the heat lamp...which bulb burned out, I guess. Typical mh, the hw heater is in the outside wall. I turned it off but likely will need to turn it back on tonight to keep the wh from freezing. If there is no cold water feed, it shouldn't drain should it? We have been frozen up since Sunday morning.

Foamcows said:

---

Couple questions about running it empty or low... how would you know and what do you do it that occurs?

We have mediocre cold water pressure now. But nothing from hot at all. No frozen pipes or anything

---

If you have an electric heater then you will most likely pop the heating element if it is empty. If you think it is empty just go ahead and kill power to it or move the gas setting to pilot or shut it off.

As long as it is full, or has a good amount of water in it, then the heating cycle should occur as normal.

Double post

buzzardb267 said:

---

I'm at the farm and we are in a mobile home. Just found out the line from the pressure tank to the house is shattered...right under the heat lamp...which bulb burned out, I guess. Typical mh, the hw heater is in the outside wall. I turned it off but likely will need to turn it back on tonight to keep the wh from freezing. If there is no cold water feed, it shouldn't drain should it? We have been frozen up since Sunday morning.

---

It shouldn't. We cut water off at a friends place last night drained the cold water through a bathroom faucet and there was no pressure in the hot water side. Just a drip.

They got power back last night and I just came back from turning everything back on. Hot water started flowing fine.

I keep hearing to drain both cold and hot if you shut water off. But then that would drain the hot water heater. Is it ok to just drain the cold water?

Unfortunately pipes full of water are most likely to split. In a perfect world you'd shut your water off, kill power, or flame, to your water heater, and then blow out your lines. Really is that most plumbing set ups aren't conducive to it.

Leaving hot water lines full of water would increase their chances of splitting if they freeze.

ETA: if you're shutting off water to prevent freezing and cracking pipes, drain water from as many pipes as you can. If you're shutting down water because you aren't going to be at the house, then your really just trying to limit the amount of a leak to just the water that is resting in the pipe.