Water Heater Vacation Mode Bacteria

It takes hours of high heat when you finally turn the water heater back on to kill off the legionella and other bacteria in the tank.

Water heater vacation mode bacteria. The unit will automatically resume heating one day before the programmed return so that hot water will be available. Let me reassure you this is perfectly ok to do provided you give your water heater time to heat back up to full bacteria killing levels before showering. The water heater s thermostat is set to vacation mode or is set below 120 f. Add self sticking 3 8 thick foam pipe insulation that matches the pipes diameter to all accessible hot water supply pipes.

At this temperature legionella bacteria cannot multiply. I ve had a dozen emails today asking about the possible dangers of turning your hot water tank off or switching it to vacation setting concerns over breeding deadly bacteria. That means turning the water heater temperature down when you go on vacation for example is only going to allow the water to cool to ideal temperature for legionella growth and become stagnant. Press the reset button on the high temperature cut off.

In this mode the temperature will drop the water temperature down to 50 f and will use the most efficient heating mode to conserve energy while the heater is sitting idle. When water gets below 108 f for example legionella bacteria if present in the system multiply rapidly. That way your water heater is saving energy while using sufficient energy to keep water flowing and preventing frozen plumbing. The most hazardous bacteria found in water heaters is legionella pneumophila known to be the source of legionnaires disease a potentially fatal lung infection often misdiagnosed as common.

Vacation mode drops your water heater s temperature to conserve energy while you re not home to use your hot water. However it is recommended you install an anti scald device in the faucet of the shower and bath to lower the water temperature to 49 c. If your water heater has not been operating for several days let the hot water run for a few minutes. Lukewarm and cool water temperatures encourage nasty bacterial growth.

The water heater s pipes need to be insulated. The hot water tank s heating element needs to be replaced. When you re leaving for vacation simply turn this dial to vac. If the water heater is on vacation mode and the water intake is off is there a chance of significant evaporation of the water in the tank after a few months bv013943 10 30am 05 22 17.