Flagstaff winters are hard on the parts of a water heater nobody looks at: the pipes in a cold garage, a tankless unit when the power goes out, a cabin left empty for a month. Here is what fails first, and what to do before it does.
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A tank that is running keeps its own water warm. The weak points are around it: the exposed pipes in and out, the relief valve's discharge pipe, and the drain valve. Insulating exposed lines and keeping the heater on are the first defence.
Most tankless units protect themselves with small built-in heaters, and those run on electricity. In a winter power outage that protection stops. Your manual explains how to drain the unit if the power will be out in freezing weather, and some manufacturers offer valves that drain it automatically when power is lost.
Many gas controls have a vacation setting that keeps the pilot lit while holding the water at a low temperature. That works while the house stays heated. If the house will be left unheated, draining the heater is the safer choice, and it is a job we do before you leave and reverse when you come back.
A gas tank with a standing pilot keeps working without electricity. Tanks with electronic ignition, and every tankless unit, need power to relight. When it returns, check the display or the pilot. If the unit sat in freezing weather without power, do not run it until it has been checked.
The cold-water valve above the tank, the gas control dial or the breaker. Label them now, not during a leak.
Pipes to and from a heater in a garage, crawl space or exterior closet.
A descaled unit with its venting checked and its freeze protection confirmed goes into winter ready. Maintenance visits cover all of it.
For a cabin or rental that will sit empty, decide now between keeping heat on with the heater in its vacation setting, or draining it.
Do not run a water heater that froze, and do not restart a tankless unit that shows a fault after a hard freeze. Switch it off at the gas control or the breaker, close the cold-water valve, and call. Many manufacturers exclude freeze damage from their warranty, so read yours before winter rather than after. Winter also explains why hot water can run out sooner in January than it did in July; the no-hot-water guide covers that. We work on the water heater and its own connections; for the rest of the house's plumbing, call a plumber.
A tank that is running keeps its own water warm, so the tank itself is rarely the first thing to freeze. The pipes in and out of it, the relief valve's discharge pipe and the drain valve are. Insulate exposed lines and keep the heater on through a cold snap.
Its built-in freeze protection runs on electricity, so it stops. If the outage will last into freezing temperatures, follow your manual's instructions for draining the unit, or ask us whether automatic drain valves suit your installation.
If the house will stay heated, the heater's vacation setting is usually enough. If the house will be left unheated, draining the heater is the safer choice. We can drain it before you leave and refill and relight it when you are back.
Often it is not: many manufacturers exclude freeze damage. Read your warranty before winter, and treat freeze protection as maintenance rather than a warranty question.
Tanks with a standing pilot usually never stopped. Electronic ignition tanks and tankless units restart when power returns; check the display for a code. If the unit sat without power in freezing weather, leave it off and call before running it.
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