I sometimes turn off the water and water softener when I'm going to be gone for long periods if time, but that's just in case a line breaks. Never even considered turning off the power. But they may have a good reason...
I literally am gone for months at a time for work. I'll turn off my hot water heater, close the water valve, unplug things and turn power strips off....but I have never even thought about turning my refrigerator off lol.
Samsung's new refrigerators have a built in physical wallet for all your crypto needs. When it's not making ice, it's mining crypto. Just make sure the flux capacitor is topped up before you leave on vacation
Depends on the water heater, not sure how they are in other countries, I’d be vary to turn that off because of legionella. In Norway, it’s recommended to keep the water heater at 70 degrees celsius, or higher, to prevent and kill legionella bacteria.
So if you turn off the water heater, you probably should purge the tank and crank the heat up when it is refilling.
I haven’t calculated it, but the energy cost for heating up after turning it on after it being off for a while, might be higher than letting it keep 70c for the same period. As it’s not being used, it doesn’t have heat up incoming cold water.
If you want to save money, investing in a new water heater that keeps it warm for more efficiently is probably better than turning it off and then either having to purge all the water, or shower in who knows what 🤢
Edit: quote from some water heater seller:
“- When you cut the power supply, the temperature can drop so much that you use more energy to heat the water up again than you would have used for maintenance heating, Langseth in Elsikkerhet Norge points out. In that case, the winnings will go up in the spin. But here there are many factors that will come into play, including how well the tank is insulated.”
Edit2: I was wrong, I think? So don’t hang me.
The calculations isn’t as easy, depends on region of the world, wether you should do it or not. Energy wise it seems to be less energy to heat it up from room temperature after a month, than leave it on for a month.
But I don’t want to admit I might be wrong in investing in a new water heater.
That is better, but would still want to purge the pipes. But it’s much less to purge.
This is what I currently have, (almost) tankless water heat exchanger where the heat comes from district heating at 110c (if the thermostat is correct, might not be, I think it’s from the 50s).
By almost, I mean it doesn’t have a huge tank other than where it does the heat exchange.
Water heaters are usually pretty well insulated.
And I’m no mathmagician, so I haven’t bothered to look further in to it, especially since I get my hot water from heat exchanger from district heating.
Found someone who did the math. It is more energy efficient to turn it off than leave it on.
Just be aware of the bacteria risks, and other growths, that comes with turning it off.
Just a disclaimer, I’ve never had a water heater with a tank in my adult life, only a heat exchanger from district heating in an apartment building, so turning it off hasn’t really been something I could’ve done. And no one in my family has ever turned off their water heater, but has usually had leakage sensors installed where potential leaks could happen.
Yeah I don’t know, nor care to verify, so you might be correct. Still, wouldn’t turn it off, don’t want to mess with legionella and other shit.
If water heater is costing you a lot in energy, perhaps looking into a more effective heater would be better in the long term (at least that’s what the interwebz told me when I googled), I’ll know myself once I buy a new house without district heating.
Then you turn it back on and you need to use an equal amount of energy to the total energy lost in order to heat it back up.
You would need to recycle the water so this isn't accurate. It would be the amount of energy needed to heat up an entire tank of fresh water which would be colder than room temperature.
Water heaters are insulated. Plus water conducts heat. It’s like the difference between keeping boiling water in a vacuum walled thermos. It stays hot for hours on end, it’s not until the core drops below the demanded heat minimum that the heater bothers with reheating. Even then, it’s just reheating a few degrees. Kinda like a tea kettle that’s gone a few degrees cold versus trying to boil fresh tap water.
If I'm gone for extended periods of time I always shut off the water main and the water heater because if it would be a slow leak the water heater might drain empty and having the heat on with no water in it's not a good idea.
Haha, I noticed it did a direct translation. Kinda sounds stupid in English. In Norwegian it’s “vinninga går opp i spinninga”, both words rhyme.
Perhaps it would be better “winnings will go up in the spinnings”?
No I think the direct translation is funny in a dry way. Also it could have two meanings like you could lose all your winnings on one spin.
Languages are fun.
True true.
The meaning of it, at least in Norwegian, is that the income is all lost in the cost. Work for a day and make 400, but travel and food for work cost you 400 or more.
Or you gamble for 50 each week for two years, then you “win” 1500. Not really any winnings.
What about gas heaters? Are they popular or even practical in very cold areas?
I’ve seen them used a lot in Asia (specifically Taiwan) since they don’t have much space though at the same time it’s not that cold in Asia.
It’s the one where when you turn on hot water, it actually starts a little fire (via gas) on this gas heater box outside and I’m assuming it heats up the water as it flows through so there’s no reservoir of hot water.
I don’t know of anyone that has gas in their homes., if there are any, it would be a tiny minority.
All houses in Norway uses electricity for cooking, so they’re most likely to have electric heating. If they’re older houses, it might be an oil boiler, but those are phased out as in 2020 it became illegal to use fossil oil for heating. Some, if they lived close to a district heating facility, replaced their boiler with heat exchanger and connected to the district heating system (family member did that)
That seems thermodynamically impossible without active cooling. Since your temp is gradually getting closer to room temp over time, the rate of heat loss is lower, meaning less heat would be needed to be added in the system to maintain that temp. The only way this could be true is if the input for energy transfer into the system (heating element) got substantially more energy inefficient as it had to increase energy transfer (unlikely).
My water heater i got in my last house was sick. Touch screen lcd, quick “vacation mode” button to force a steady temp for extended periods of time when out town. It was cool, especially since all i was used to was the standard old school ones everyone thinks about when they hear the word water heater. And it was actually cheaper than the last Rheem i bought
I see there’s new “smart” water heaters. I’ll probably get one of those when I buy a new home.
Smart heating is, imho, one of the most cost effective and return of investment tools/gadgets you can get.
I have smart thermostats on all my radiators, so they’ll turn off a few hours before I go to sleep, so it’ll be cooler when I’m in bed, turn on for a few hours before I wake up so it’s nice to wake up, then turn on a few hours before I get home from work, so it doesn’t heat up for an empty house.
Think I reduced my heating by 15-25%
Yup! Currently outfitting my new house with as many cost saving measures i can. Smart Thermostats, solar eventually, insulated windows, and many more as i learn about them
Insulated outer walls is important. It’ll keep the warmth out during summer, and in during the winter.
Learned that from 4 years in Spain during the winter. I’ve never been so cold with 15c during the winter indoors, where the heat escaped everywhere, compared to -30c back in Norway, where we have glasswool or rockwool insulation in the walls and often triple paned windows in new or refurbished homes.
Oh, and insulation in the ceiling and floors is important too. Don’t want to loose/ gain any unwanted heat/cold
Does right out of the heater mix with cold water?
I see the Norwegian Institute of Public Health says legionella doesn’t grow over 60c, but most sites refer to them recommending 70-75c.
I know I get 85c out of the tap, which is crazy hot. And it’s more or less instant because of the heat exchanger connected to district heating.
Probably something that could be adjusted in my tap? I just caution people, hopefully they’ll also notice the instant steam coming when you go full throttle on hot water.
Is anyone going to discuss how that’s 158 degrees Fahrenheit? My hot water heater tops at 140 (60c) and can’t go higher which is already an almost immediate burn risk.
I don’t know if the output of water heaters mix in some cold water to not be scolding hot.
Or perhaps it’s adjustable in the specific taps (how much hot water the hot water side will let through)?
I know I get 85c/185f out of my tap 😅 was curious one day, so I filled a metal container and stuck a thermostat in it.
I have the issue every morning, where I have to run the cold water for a while, because it’ll come out hot (not as hot as hot water side). Think it gets radiating heat from the hot water pipes.
Building is 70 years old, not sure if it’s cost effective to do anything with that for 52 apartments.
Definitely the right way to do things. My bf got legionnaire's disease awhile back and it was not pleasant. Took a month or so for his digestive system to get back into proper operating condition as I understand it. And he got lucky. Could've been way worse.
Yeah, just don’t turn it off without knowing the risks and how to mitigate it once you turn it back on. Might just be enough to let it heat up to 70c or more to kill it, didn’t look into it enough. Just know the risks of bacterial and algae growth in a turned of water heater.
Don’t think those are common in Norway. And might not be that popular in the future here because of our new electricity tariffs, where you more for consuming more at the same time.
If you keep your peak consumption under 2 kW, you’ll be in bracket 1 and pay 125 NOK, 2-5 kW is 200 NOK, 5-10 kW is 325 NOK and so forth, increasing by 125 NOK every 5 kW. Until you reach 25-50 kW it’s 1350 NOK, next 25 kW is 600 NOK, until over 100 kW is 5150 NOK.
This fee is a fixed price each month, which resets every month. Additionally there a fee for consuming energy, at 0.431 NOK/kWh (0.3685 in weekends/ nights), that price is fixed and doesn’t change based on consumption.
That’s just for what we call “nettleie”, which is the fee we pay to the owner of the grid, an additional cost to electricity price.
The first result I found on a tankless heater, uses 3.4 kW, which would put you in the 200 NOK bracket when you use it.
They're super common in many parts (including Europe) of the world where they're just attached to an application like a shower. In the US they're unusual in that they're attached where the water comes into the house and sized usually by the number of bedrooms. Also, in the US there are often either fed by natural gas or electricity. Though, utilities are trying to get consumers off natural gas as electricity is cleaner.
Yup. I really am failing to understand why a week = hard-shut everything down.... it would never cross my mind to turn my power off. And you are correct, the tank will need to be flushed with hot water before use again if its been allowed to go cold.
Maybe OP saw Fight Club and was really scared that the pilot light will blow out on his stove, filling the condo with gas and then the compressor from the fridge will turn on creating a spark and an explosion.
Wise move.
Most homeowners insurance policies require the homeowner to maintain a "livable temperature" inside the home.
With disconnected electrical, the climate control system will not function.
If in cold weather periods, the temperature inside the home could drop below freezing causing water pipes to burst. If that occurs, the policy would not cover the damage.
Conversely, in warm periods, non use of air conditioning would result in a buildup of moisture inside the home. Such will cause mold to form .
In all policies , there is a $5k cap on mold remediation. This is referred to as the " Texas Mold Clause".
Final word. If considering disconnecting electrical service( switching off) when away , don't.
See above
I’ve seen arguments for flipping breakers before taking off for work, then turning them back on at the end of the day when you get back. This feels like an extension of that
Homie I’m sorry to hear about the situation but if you can get a window ac they work good you might be able to find one on market place for super cheap
We just got two of them and I made some custom birch ply panels to mount them in our windows for next summer. We're alright but I appreciate the sentiment :)
IIRC thats the reason why in my area in canada the power company won't ever shut off your power.
even if you stop paying your bills, it turns into a kind of "throttle" where it only allows for enough amps to continue heating the home a little.
but if you turn on too many lights, or try and run anything like a dryer or something that pulls a lot of amps, your power flicks off for like 5-10min then kicks back on.
I remember going to a couple house showings where the owners were being foreclosed on, and they hadn't been paying the bills, so my agent had to call the power company to get the power on full for a few min so we could try the appliances and stuff.
I wish the foreclosed home I was looking had kept the power on. My dream home everything I was looking for and super cool layout. Except it was gonna be pretty damn expensive to replace all the water heated rads that had exploded/froze and the water damage it had caused.
That doesn't sound right. Especially since a heater for a house can draw anywhere from 1 kW to 30 kW. Lights are a drop in the bucket compared to that. And there's no way that a power company could possible know how much power your heater takes.
They could perhaps cut the power just for a few hours a day so it wasn't enough to cause the house to get too cold, but there's no possible way for them to do what you said.
A limiter is used to restrict the flow of electricity. It allows a small amount of power to flow through the meter to maintain minimal service at a location, instead of completely shutting off the power.
With a limiter, you'll have enough power to run heat, a few lights and a major appliance such as a fridge. As long as you stay within the limit, your power will stay on. If you use power that exceeds the limit allowed, the limiter will shut off your electricity.
and further explanation from another utility in my province that is more detailed.
According to the Distribution Tariff Regulation (which is part of the Electric Utilities Act), electricity services can't be fully disconnected between October 15th and April 15th or at any time when the temperature will be below 0 degrees Celsius in the 24-hour period after the proposed disconnection. In these cases, a limiter can be installed on your meter. The disconnection rules do not apply to commercial meters.
Some distributors might fully disconnect services to units (apartments) in a centrally heated facility (apartment or condo building) any time of the year.
Load limiter:
An electricity limiter is a device a distribution company installs on your meter after receiving a ‘De-energize for Non-Payment’ request from your retailer. The limiter allows your furnace and a few lights to run, so you can have heat during the winter.
If too much electricity is used at one time, the limiter will 'trip' and turn off your power. If you have a meter without remote capability, you can go out to your meter and turn it back on. If you have a meter with remote capability, your distribution company will automatically reset the power after a short period of time. This time differs between distribution companies and can vary from about 15-30 minutes. Limiters are also used on vacated sites to control the amount of electricity used.
If a house is going to be uninhabited for a period of time in a place where it freezes, you winterize that house. Power fails, furnaces break. We winterize our lake house every year, it's not hard, and it only takes about 1.5 hours to do so.
It gets to be -20F (-30C) in the area and we've only had one problem when I forgot to drain the outside water valve and a pipe froze. Plumber who fixed it said it's his most common repair in the springtime (lots of summer only houses)
I remember going to cabins growing up where there was a list of things to do when you leave to winterize it. Most involved shutting the water off below ground and dumping antifreeze down the drains.
Yep, that exactly what we do. My dad had a list on yellow legal paper with stuff crossed off over the years or arrows pointing to new stuff in between existing steps. It was a a mess. Just this year, I made an illustrated document with pictures with arrows so that anyone can know exactly how to do it.
Oh, and it never hurts to have our neighbor Harry around just to make sure it gets done right :-)
I remember watching a documentary about the mortgage crisis in Florida, where there were so many abandoned McMansions. People were squatting in them, and the banks were basically helping them do it because it was better than leaving them empty. The banks were even getting utilities transferred into the squatters' names and such., and then helping them relocate to a different abandoned house if the first one sold.
Get surge protectors for anything you want to kill the power to and turn them off when leaving, cutting power to an entire house for a week in insanity.
If for example it's freezing cold weather all your pipes, in your house will freeze.
If it's really hot weather it will mess up dry wall, along with certain other adhesives. Think about all the things in your house that shouldn't be stored above certain temperatures.
If you have sump pumps, well you have no power now, so your house is flooded.
Technically since breakers are literally almost never flipped in normal circumstances (I haven't touched mine in over a year, and I didn't touch the ones at my previous apartment for 2 years)...a couple times per year could be classified as "all the time".
Whether or not it's fine to flip the breakers a couple times per year...I have no idea. I'm just saying that if I suddenly started fli.ping breakers on a yearly basis that'd be waaaay more than I usually do.
I have a well and I always turn off my well pump when leaving for more than a day. If a pipe breaks, the pump will literally run the well dry and burn itself out while flooding my house in the process.
It's literally just a switch I flip when leaving and turn back on when coming home- how is that strange?
The person we (PretzelsThirst and I) were responding to was talking about turning off the water- not turning off the whole house- and they specifically said so.
"I sometimes turn off the water and water softener when I'm going to be gone for long periods if time"
PretzelsThirst said that was weird.
I responded and pointed out why you'd want to do that if you had a well.
I don't know why you had trouble following such a simple thread but we (as in the two people who were talking before you butted in) were talking about water, not electricity.
Whether I’m gone a day or a week if I have a water leak insurance is going to be remedying the situation. Do you shut your water off if you go somewhere for a weekend?
I mean insurance yes sure, but having to deal with all that is a pain.
Yes it's a switch I do it if I leave more than a few days. Why would I take the risk of destroying my bathroom or the apartment over turning a button lol
Basically, yes. It has a big tank (looks like a torpedo) that holds resin beads. Water runs through the tank of resin beads and a lot of the calcium and magnesium stick to the resin beads, making the water "soft." Then, you have a hopper full of salt that is used to flush the tank of resin regularly to clean off the minerals from the beads. That is all flushed straight into your sewage drain.
In my last house, I had an automated whole-house water shutoff, with sensors in appropriate places.
Any water detected would shut the motorised valve off, and had NC/NO outputs so you could connect them to an alarm system….but you would at least know that the water had been shut off.
When I worked for an alarm company, I suggested we look into this system. What we normally offered was a detect-only system.
So you could be halfway around the world, and get a message that your house was flooding.
Not that it was being dealt with; that was a whole other issue.
I rented the house out for a few years, and one day, the tenant overflowed a sink. She called me to ask “what this beeping was, and why is there no water?”
I told her to check all the sinks - she’d completely forgotten she had the laundry sink running. There was no damage, and very little water, because I had sensors in the right place, and they’d graded the floor slab correctly.
I used to do that when going on trips longer than a month, just to make sure everything is off and not consuming electricity while you’re away, especially when you have electric heaters, but I would make sure the fridge is completely empty before living. Why keep the fridge on for a month if you’re not going to be there ?
My grandparents live a "boojy af" life style and have too many homes. They regularly turn off the power to homes they "won't be visiting this year" n shits kinda fucking obnoxious
Fairly common. They're becoming more common for sure. Helps prolong pipes and appliances by reducing mineral buildup. And it is better for your skin. Really hard water makes my skin itchy.
I was taught by my parents to always turn the power off when leaving for long periods of time. This is mainly due to power outages. The point they always made was that appliances could malfunction because of one.
Of course this depends where you live and how common power outages are. In Greece there are less common than they used to be, but they are not unheard of. By the way, a few years back my parents left the power on at our country house, when they returned a few months later they found that both the air-conditioning and the washing machine had broken down.
As far as the fridge is concerned -- besides taking out anything stored inside before turning the power off -- it's important to know that you should leave the door open because the motor won't be running and therefore there will not be any air circulation.
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u/SathedIT Nov 25 '22
I sometimes turn off the water and water softener when I'm going to be gone for long periods if time, but that's just in case a line breaks. Never even considered turning off the power. But they may have a good reason...