Hot Water Heater

If you don't turn it off, it will continue to heat the water in the tank and waste money and energy. I don't know how hard it is to turn off and on. Some have a vacation setting that leaves the pilot on (if yours is gas) but doesn't heat so you just have to turn it back up when you get home.

If you never run out of hot water, you may have your water heater set to high. You can save money by turning it down a little bit at a time until you notice it doesn't stay warm enough, then dial it back up a notch.

I would turn it off (including gas) and drain it. If it has a drain pan underneath to catch any leaks, then you wouldn't need to drain the heater itself. As Murphy's Law states, the water heater is just waiting for you to leave to leak or burst. Turning off the water at the main is a good idea.

If it's electric, turn it off at the electrical panel. I've done this for a three week trip and had no problems on return (although it was brand new water heater, since the old one blew the week before I left!).

Definitely turn it off. I had one friend who didn't and came back to a partially flooded house. Turning the heater off removes that risk.

Just to clarify, you have to turn off either the main water valve to the house or the water valve at the water heater feed to avoid flooding problems. Shutting off the electric or gas will not save any flood issues, just lots of wasted energy.

If you shut off both water and heat source (especially if you drain the hw tank), be sure to turn the water on, crack open at least one set of hot and cold faucets to let the air out, and let the hw tank fill up before turning on the electricity or gas. Especially with electricity, turning on the power with an empty tank will burn out the elements.
If you don't shut off the water, at least shut it off at your washing machine since those hoses also have a tendency to fail during vacations !!

There is no such thing as a hot water heater. Waste of money. What you have is a cold water heater as hot water doesn't need heating.

But seriously, have you no neighbors or friends that can check your house? We go for 3 weeks and never even consider shutting off the water. I'd turn down the heat to save gas/electricity but be sure to leave yourself a note to turn it up (or on) or you will be in for an unhappy surprise when you turn on the water in the shower and realize you forgot and now have to wait an hour or two.

Hi Margie,

I have first hand experience in dealing with water damage that could have been prevented by people simply shutting their water off before leaving for an extended time. I saw a stream of water coming from a vacationing neighbors home, got my pliers, and shut the water off at the main. It was one heck of a mess! Always turn an electric h/w tank off at the electric breaker and turn a gas h/w tank to pilot. Go ahead and just drain it, so you don't worry about it. it is good to also flush any dirt/rust etc. out at this time.