It must be taken into account that not all heaters are the same. There are more traditional ones, with a typical tank, which are the ones that we can ask ourselves if it is really convenient or not to turn it off. In other cases, the more modern ones, perhaps what you have to do is simply disable certain functions to save.
Whether or not to turn off the heater on vacation
Is it good to turn off the water heater when you are going to be days or weeks out? Obviously, it will mean energy savings. However, you should also assess other factors that may later affect use. It will depend, mainly, on whether it is an old device or if it is newer.
Experts indicate that an old water heater is better not to leave it off for a long time. This could cause failure and that, once you return home, it does not work correctly. Over time, the heaters can deteriorate and will be more delicate when it comes to turning on and will work at full capacity after being turned off for a long time. If, for example, you are going to turn it off for several months in the summer, problems are more likely to arise.
They do recommend leaving it in sleep mode or vacation mode. What it does is lower the temperature of the tank well below normal, simply to keep it running but saving energy as much as possible. Many heaters will have a standby mode, so that it consumes less resources without turning it off completely.
With this, you guarantee that the device will continue to function correctly upon arrival. You will have saved energy, but without turning it off completely. In case you have a more modern device, even without a water tank, what you should do is configure it so that it consumes the minimum.
be careful when you come back
Now, the experts, if we go to an extreme, indicate that you have to be careful when you return. When you turn on the heater again, they ensure that you have to be careful with possible bacteriasuch as legionella, which do not die in warm water and could be present in your heater.
What they advise is start it up again, either you turned it off completely or left it in sleep mode, and wait at least 6 hours. In that time, the bacteria will already have died when faced with hot water again. However, although they indicate that they can take up to 6 hours, it is normal that 2 hours at a good temperature is enough. If you have a domotized home, check that your Wi-Fi works well.
As you see, turn off or not the water heater in the days or weeks in which you are going to be on vacation, it is something that you must analyze well. You must take into account everything that we have explained and not only the energy savings that, obviously, it will have. In this way, you will avoid problems with the device.
